5 Pretty Baby/Dog Proofing Design Tips
“I love baby gates, they are super cute and really easy to use. ” Said no one ever…There’s nothing like big plastic door knobs, baby gates and cabinet latches to put a total buzz kill on your interior design efforts.
When my friend Lucy sent me this photo of her DIY Farmhouse Baby Gate to baby proof for her precious Presley crawling up the stairs, it had me inspired to search for more pretty baby/pet proof designs. These are the hardest things to make pretty, yet they are so practical and important…The first photo below is my friend Lucy’s gate that jumpstarted the inspiration with other designs to follow. One of the most common questions we get is how to make this child proof + pretty so here are a few of our favorite tips!
1. BABY GATES
We must think beyond the plastic gate if we’re going to childproof with style. This gate is our MOST PINNED item on Pinterest. You very well might have landed on our blog from that pin and if so WELCOME! We’re so glad to have you here. If you’re looking for a great DIY for this gate, the best one we could find was here on Yellow Brick Home!
I can’t get over this pocket door gate designed by Mrs. Paranjape, an interior designer in Nashville, Tennessee! Talk about creativity. This gate is not only beautiful, but it can be hidden with ease if you need it to be. I’d leave it out all the time to keep my crazy pups out of the kitchen and to show it off. The designer doesn’t share details on how to create it for yourself as it was custom for her client, but I’m sure if you have a great contractor or a handy person around you could accomplish this look.
Yellow Brick Home has the best puppy/baby gate inspiration. I love the amount of dog inspiration they include on their blog! If you’re a crazy dog lady like me you’ll love their projects so much.
2. FURNITURE
For furniture in your kid dedicated spaces such as their bedrooms or playroom, I’d focus on purchasing furniture that will last. Furniture designed for kids is so expensive and often not ascetically pleasing. Instead of spending a lot purchasing a short-term kids dining or art table, consider investing in an end table that matches the rest of your home. Once they outgrow the table, you can reuse it another room.
You can see in the inspiration photos above that many of the “Kid’s Room” furniture will transition well into the future.
As for textile options in your main spaces (since we can’t keep them out of them all the time 😋), an outdoor fabric or a pleather that stretches nicely and feels just like leather. Anything that can be thrown in the wash or wiped down with a wet cloth is pretty indestructible! Couches with slipcovers are key for little ones! We love this one! We’ve shared how much we love this sofa with all our dogs and you can imagine it holds up just as well with little ones.
3. SAFETY LOCKS
Have an adventurous kiddo but you want to avoid those hideous door knob covers? This amazing invention from Safety Innovations slides quickly and seems to disappear completely out of sight.
4. PAINT
Little fingers never bode well for walls, but that doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to light colors like white and cream. Repaint your walls with an eggshell or satin finish, which cleans up much better than paint with a flat finish. If you littles show your walls a little extra love it might be a good idea to opt in for a warm gray rather than a white. I love Agreeable Gray from Sherwin Williams.
5. ACCESSORIZE WITH TOYS THAT DOUBLE AS DECOR
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the ugly toys and baby-proof eyesores. That’s how it goes right? I love items like this Handcrafted Domino Set that can easily double as a toy, but looks gorgeous out. Little ones can stack them and build with them just like wood blocks. They look great on a shelf or out on the table! For toys that aren’t as pretty baskets can quickly hide them when they are left out.
Bonus is that often the pretty wooden toys are safer and less toxic to the kiddos than the plastic ones we see at the big box stores.
If you need more kid room and chic child proofing ideas join us on our Pinterest Board where we’ve collected our favorite ideas.
I hope this inspires you believe baby proofing can be pretty! If you have any other creative ideas leave them in the comments below. We love hearing from you 💕
XOXO – Shelby
I originally wrote this blog post in 2016, but boy has it gotten real. We have announced that we are expecting this October and I’m collecting these baby proofing design ideas like a mad woman! I’m share I’ll have more to add as our little become mobile and takes over our home. Make sure to share your tips in the comments below!
