Decorating your home is not only an excellent way to keep your home looking beautiful but also a way to let your visitors see your personality.
While a well-decorated home can be inviting, certain home accessories can be hazardous to young children. To make sure your little ones stay safe, avoid these four home accessories below that moms should never buy.
Decorative Candles
Candles are not only dangerous to small children when they are lit, but also immediately after. Your children can be quick and often will find ways to reach their desired objects. A bright burning light will attract your child if for no other reason than to blow it out. Candles can also be dangerous right after the flame is extinguished. This is because the wax will not only burn their skin but is hard to immediately remove. In addition, candles also account for over 3% of all household fires.
Delicate Figurines of Decorative Pieces
If you have a glass or other delicate figurines, it is best to put them up somewhere safe when you have young children. Children play rough, and more fragile items tend to shatter when they are knocked down. It leaves a dangerous area for your child to be in. Smaller pieces of glass can also become more easily embedded in the skin and difficult to remove.
Cacti or Other Dangerous Plants
Many people like the brightness and life that a plant can add to their room.
But be cautious of the plants you choose if you have small children. While cacti are a popular choice due to their low maintenance, they do hurt when touched. And removing the needles can be just as painful as when they went in. Moreover, try to avoid plants that can be considered poisonous like daffodils, English ivy, and oleander. Also, there are some variations of lilies which can be poisonous when ingested. Children like to discover things with their hands as well as their mouth. Thus, be cautious any thing you have around with your child and assume they may end up in their mouth at least once.
Air Fresheners
Not only do air fresheners simply mask odors and do nothing to clean dirt, but they can also leave a residue in the air and on furniture that is not dangerous for smaller children. Even though you may not see it, small children can get air freshener on their hands during play which will then be put in their mouth. If you have children with sensitive skin or allergies, air fresheners can also cause skin irritation.
To avoid mishaps and dangers around the home, if you have kids, you should avoid the above four home accessories.
It is important to remember that no matter how great something looks in your home, it is not worth your child’s safety. Children are very quick, and even well-watched children can hurt themselves quickly on items in the home, so it is best to avoid having them in the home altogether especially in areas where little hands may be.
The topic attract me and I do agree, this item should never buy especially the air freshener. I seldom use air freshener as I allergic to certain fragrances.
Anything that cannot be put up and out of reach is a no-no in my book. Kids get into so many things, so why take a risk!
I no longer by air freshener. I now use essential oils in my house.
I couldn’t agree more to your list! We still have a toddler and I know how persistent they are if they want to get things.
Good suggestions. I can’t imagine Having a cactus with small children in the house.
I agree with you on the candles because I know a family who list three children from having them in the house. I do like air freshener a though.
I’m going to add decorative stones to your list. I had a friend who kept them in a jar on the fireplaces, seems safe. And it was until she tried to hang a picture – yes, without removing the items from the mantel – knocked over the jar. She was sweeping up the glass and stones when she noticed her child had picked one up – it must have bounced out of her view.
Awesome tips. Thanks for sharing. Am not a mom myself but can always alert my friends who are!
true, air freshener doesn’t do any good than con sealing the bad smell. it’s better to invest in air purifier instead!
While decorating get on your hands and knees. If you can reach something from there, so can the kids!
Good to find someone else who detects commercial air fresheners! We have to be even more careful with cats as ours will eat and or investigate anything and everything. At least we were used to child proofing before any skin babies came along!
Totally agree with all of these. I especially watch out for fragile decorative pieces in the house that could possibly fall over and hurt our little one.
Do you know I had no idea about air fresheners leaving a residue, that said I use essential oils now more than them which is obviously a good thing.
I’m with you on all of these – air fresheners are full of toxins and chemicals! I think using an essential oil diffuser is a good alternative, as long as it is out of reach from the child.
I’ve been trying to get home ready for a new grand baby and I’m going to have to figure out where I can put my cactus plants away from little hands. I’m going to have to quit buying candles too, I’m glad I found your post. It’s been a long time since a little one was in the family.
Really great tips! I know my friends with small children have made sure their homes are safe, and actually dont own any other products mentioned, except the small figurines/collectibles but those are kept on top of a closed shelf and therefore not dangerous.
This was a great read. There are many things in our home we think would be innocent but are not. I would never have thought that about the air fresheners. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the tips! I’m gonna bookmark this for future!
LOL I love this! It must be so hard to have decor pieces with little ones. Anything fragile is definitely a no! Loving this post!
I completely agree with you here! A new one though for me is the air freshener! I have always used them. I will not but now what will I use to keep the air smelling fresh!
When my Son was little I always thought twice before I would buy something new for my house. I had a lot of my breakable things up high or packed away till he got older.
I’m kind of surprised that candles only account for around 3% of household fires. I would think that percentage would have been higher. That’s why I think it’s cool to have a few battery-operated candles around the house. They give off a really nice soft glow…and some come with little remotes.
I’m with you, it’s just the matter of timing where the kids have grown up then it would be the perfect time to purchase them.
I only use essential oil from Doterra
If I ever have kids, it will be very hard to give up my candles! Perhaps I can just keep them out of reach…
IMO, little cactus and related plants are okay. But I don’t like pebbles and marbles inside the house. Its dangerous when kids or pets choked them or throw it anywhere, damaging other furnitures.
Good tips for sure.. I did not have those at home when my kids were small.. except for air freshener which was in a unreachable place..
ok..I didn’t see these as harmful things for the little ones..but yea I totally get your points…seems legit..
We don’t really have any of those inside our home. The only decorations we have are our family pictures on the wall and few artificial plants on the corner of the house.
Haha things that i should keep in mind. thanks for the heads up.