When my little one was first born, I had a hard time finding a balance with my style and the fact that I had a little one cruising the house. I new there were things I needed to put away that were possible dangers but I also didn’t want to get rid of my pretty living room because that is how I expressed myself in my home.
I didn’t want to be the mom who eliminates all things pretty from the living room because of the kids. Or the mom whose living room looks like a play room because of the kids. I’ve tried to find the balance but sometimes it’s hard because somedays my whole house does look like the playroom. Seriously, I’ve crawled into bed only to find Superman warming up my side of the bed for me. Or little cars have been known to be hiding in my fridge.
I have three boys.
I have three very active boys.
But I refuse to have a house that looks like a playroom or blank walls and empty shelves because my kids might break something.
I’m going to share with you what I do to balance our home decor with kids in mind. I’ve done this for 10 years with all 3 of my boys and it has proven to be effective.
So is it possible for kids and nice décor to coexist in the same space? Yes, I will share with you some tips I’ve learned along the way.
Home Décor with Kids in Mind Tips (the fun Kleenex designs below are HERE)
1. Keep it simple. At the beginning, do put away that precious china or the heirloom gift that has been past down from generations. Once you feel like they’ve got it down feel to bring it down little by little as you feel comfortable. The earlier you introduce them to this, the better. I’ve always had friends comment on how in the world do I have breakables out with little ones around.
2. Let them explore but set boundaries. You want your kids to enjoy their home but you also want to start showing them boundaries of what is a toy and what is not a toy. For example, in our living room I always have a center piece on the table. When I put it out, I don’t make a big deal of it but if I see them reaching it for it, I will let them touch it. Mind you, while I stand close by. Then I tell them, “Isn’t it pretty? I love making our house pretty. Don’t you think it looks pretty? You can help me keep it pretty by not playing with it because it’s not a toy. If you do play with it, it might break and that would make me really sad. If you’re looking for toys to play with there are lots in the playroom for you to choose from.” This is the gist of the conversation and I change it up depending on their age.
3. Redirect them. Kids like to test us. When they do, immediately give them a gentle reminder that if they want to bounce or roll something they can find a toy in the playroom because this is not a toy.
4. Set firm boundaries. Your child may act just like my 3 year old, who needs to test me beyond my redirecting. So at this point I say, “Son I’ve already shared with you that this is not a toy. I asked you not to play with ____ and since you’re not obeying me I need you to….” Whatever consequence works best for you child. If it’s a constant problem then find a positive reinforcement system that would curve his temptation to play with your stuff.
I do this for about a week and then my boys begin to get the idea with reminders here and there. They know I want them to explore but there are boundaries to their exploration. This works for my kiddos, I have a 9, 6 and 3 year old.
As I mentioned above, sometimes my house does look like a playroom and I’m learning to just let them play and make a mess with simple boundaries like no bouncing balls in the house or jumping off furniture.
So now I’m going to show you my home décor, remember tip #1, I’ve kept it simple.
Before I show you mi casa, first tell me which one of these stylish Kleenex boxes looks best in my living room. Aren’t they super cute? I had no idea they got so cute, I was used to the crocheted grandma boxes that cover up the plain Kleenex boxes they used to sale back in the day.
Check out the rest of the fun Kleenex designs HERE and let me know if another design would look better in mi casa. Seriously, you won’t believe how stylish they’ve gotten.
This is how my living room is decorated. I made my curtains! Aren’t they so fun! You can’t tell in this picture but there are ruffles along the side.
Here you get a glimpse of our shelf full of vases, picture frames, books… all tempting to little ones but not impossible to have out on display.
This is another area that could possibly be a temptation but thankfully it’s under control with the few steps I shared above. Though this area is not completely off limits, I do let them play on the table with their cars at times as long as they don’t move my vases around. I had fun making this fun glass mural. Maybe one day I’ll get around to posting how to make this. It cost me a total of $8.
And just in case you’re thinking my kids are confined to only the playroom here’s what they did over the weekend. This is the same living room pictured above but covered in blankets because they wanted to build a fort.
This is how my dining room is decorated. I love all the fun colors! Even though it’s still rainy and cold here I love that I can brighten up my day with a splash of color in our dining room area. I must admit that this centerpiece with butterflies was a huge temptation for my boys, but it’s still intact after redirecting them at dinner for a few days.
I love my teapot at the end of the table but before long it will be put away to make room for nice and warm spring weather. You can’t read the writing on the little jar there by the table center piece but it’s our “Family Discussion Jar.” I print out questions, jokes, riddles and just fun facts for us to take turns sharing at dinner time you can check it out here. Our boys love it!
So what Kleenex box looks the best in my living room? I think the owl is perfect! What do you think?
Guess what the first day of spring is only 10 days away! Stop by the Kleenex Style Studio to see which of their designs (over 100) is the right fit for your home. I bet the cute owl design will win you over right away. Here’s a glimpse of the fabulous designs but check out the rest HERE. Love, love, love!
Don’t you love those lanterns? I’ve been waiting all day for it to get dark because they light up.
This post is sponsored by Kleenex but all the home décor ideas and messy kids are my own.
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