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Home Improvement

The Key Features of Your Home To Childproof

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Childproofing your home is one of the most important things you can do if any babies or toddlers are going to be present in the space. Children like to explore but don’t always realize the dangers around them. That’s why childproofing is vital to keep them safe. To help you childproof your home, we discuss a few key things you should focus on.

Anchoring Furniture

Whether it’s small or large, moving or shifting furniture can be dangerous. You don’t want a child to pull on a shelf or lean on a chair only to hurt themselves because it tumbled over on top of them. You should make sure to anchor your furniture so that a child cannot move it to prevent dangerous situations.

Preventing Falls

Toddlers and babies aren’t always the best at walking, which can make simple obstacles a lot more dangerous. Clean up your place so that there are very few obstacles obstructing walkways, and always block off anything that may lead to bad falls. The key location for this is the stairs, as a fall down there can be disastrous.

Locking Doors

Children like to explore and won’t limit themselves only to the spaces they can see. Many children will try to explore different rooms and the outdoors by opening doors. To keep them safe, lock your doors with childproof locks so that they can’t move around without permission or supervision. You may need to do things like this to childproof sliding glass doors in your home.

Removing Choking Hazards

Sometimes children will try to taste or eat things they shouldn’t. This can cause some real problems if they eat something they can’t handle. Take the time to remove anything small enough to fit in their mouths and place it in a safe space. This includes anything that can break easily into smaller parts or things like batteries or utensils.

As long as you can tackle these key features, you can make your home a lot safer with this childproofing. You must ensure you thoroughly childproof every part of the home the child has access to, as it can be quite dangerous for young kids.

Guide To Making Your Home Stand Out to Buyers

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Selling your home can feel overwhelming, especially if you’ve lived in the same place for a long time. You want to ensure your home looks its best so that potential buyers feel drawn to it. However, you may not know where to start. In this guide, we’ll outline several ways to make your home stand out to buyers and make a lasting impression on anyone who walks through the door.

Remove Clutter

When potential buyers come to your home, there shouldn’t be toys and other clutter piled in living spaces. Unfortunately, clutter makes your home look smaller, messier, and less appealing. So before you show your home to anyone, take some time to declutter.

Get rid of anything you don’t need, such as old clothes, outdated furniture, and broken appliances. You can throw these items away, donate them, sell them, or bring them to your new house if possible.

Replace Old Appliances

If your home’s appliances are outdated or look old, it’s time to consider replacing them. This includes items like your washer and dryer, refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher. Buyers want a move-in ready home, and having brand-new or updated appliances goes a long way in making your home more appealing.

When shopping for new home appliances, evaluate your options. For example, there are various pros and cons of induction cooktops and ranges. They’re safer and cook faster, but they cost more upfront. However, the safety features and faster cooking make it a larger asset to the home, which increases value.

Tend to the Landscaping

The first thing that buyers will see when they pull up to your home is your landscaping. This includes your lawn, shrubs, flowers, and trees. You want your landscaping to look neat, clean, and well-maintained.

Maintain a manicured yard when your house is on the market, especially when buyers come for an open house. If you have a porch or a deck, adding some potted plants or hanging baskets is a good way to make your home look more inviting.

Price Appropriately

The final tip to make your home stand out to buyers is to price it appropriately. By using websites such as Zillow or working with a real estate agent, you can gauge how much similar homes in the area sell for. Maximize your home’s value and increase your chances of a quick sale with these valuable insights.

If you set the price too high, people may not tour the property, and the longer a house is on the market, the more its value drops. Selling your house can be a bitter-sweet experience, but remember that it will become a home to someone new.

Home Improvement Projects You Can Do With Your Kids

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It’s always a good idea to teach your children valuable new skills. Sometimes when you have some projects around the house that need doing, it’s a good idea to involve your kids. Of course, several projects that require heavy equipment or sharp instruments may not be the best place to start, but here are some home improvement projects that you can do with your kids to get them started.

Installing a New Doorknob

Whether you’re remodeling, upgrading, or just replacing a knob that’s giving you trouble, installing a new doorknob is a great DIY project for younger kids to gauge their interest. Typically, the only tools you need are screwdrivers that match the necessary screws and a little patience. This is an excellent project because it’s relatively low risk, and if your child makes a mistake, it’s easy to take the screws out and try again.

Measuring Home Skirting

If you live in a mobile home, your house probably has skirting to protect your pipes from external damage related to weather or temperature. Unfortunately, weather can beat up the skirting, and it eventually needs replacing. The full replacement may be a bit too much for small builders, but one way your kids can help with this project is in the preparation.

Many kids love playing with the tape measure. Before replacing your skirting, it’s a good idea to measure the length and width of the exterior of your home and put it into an online skirting calculator. Have your kid grab the tape measure and run it to the other side of the house, allowing you to get the correct numbers. The kids feel involved, and you save a bit of running.

Lawn Care

Maintaining a proper lawn or garden is a valuable step in home care. Depending on your kids’ age, you could show them how to use a lawnmower or focus on watering the grass to keep your yard looking fresh and clean. Learning how to care for a lawn or garden is a great home improvement project for your kids and gets them outside now and then. If you use a sprinkler to water the lawn, offering a bit of summertime fun running through it is a great motivator.

Bedtime: 4 Tips for Keeping Your Newborn Cozy Each Night

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Every parent searches out the best ways to keep their little one bundled up and feeling cozy throughout the day. Feeling comfy makes naptime easier but gives them the sense of security they need at such a tender age. Get tips for keeping your newborn cozy each night from some seasoned parents to keep your child happy.

Swaddle Your Baby

On a chilly night, putting those cold-weather PJs on your baby isn’t enough to keep them comfortable, and you can’t rely on a blanket for that extra warmth since they can easily kick it off in the middle of the night. Keep your baby nice and toasty by swaddling them before bed; it should be tight enough that it doesn’t come undone but not so tight that it squeezes them.

Pro Tip

Some parents purchase a baby sleep sack or sleeping bag for their baby. With one of these, you won’t have to worry about swaddling, and you’ll get a great night’s sleep knowing your little cutie feels as comfortable as you do.

Buy the Right Baby Clothes

Your baby should wear PJs according to the season and how it feels inside your home. For example, if you crank up the heat on those cold winter nights, thick pajamas paired with layers of blankets is excessive. Instead of doing this, dress your baby in thin layers.

Don’t put your baby to bed in thick wool or clothing suited for the outdoors since this is uncomfortable and traps in heat. Rather, shop for quality baby blankets and clothes, such as outfits with climate control. These clothes will keep your baby warm on a cold day and cool on a hot day.

Have a Quality Mattress

Most parents recommend having a firm crib mattress. This keeps your baby comfortable and lessens the risk of serious injury if they roll over on the bed. Some little ones toss and turn in their sleep, and if they roll onto their tummy and can’t flip over, it could be catastrophic.  

Prevent Overheating

Many of these tips for keeping your newborn cozy each night have covered dressing your baby in layers to keep them toasty, but you never want to overdo this. Overheating is dangerous at any age, and a baby can’t remove layers as we would. While you should dress your little one in layers, keep in mind that they only need one more than you do.

Remain aware of the signs of overheating, such as redness, rapid breathing, and sweating. If you must dress your baby in thicker clothes, then make sure to check your baby by feeling their belly or back and remove layers if they feel hot. Sleeping becomes easier for the baby when they feel comfortable.

Things To Consider When Childproofing Your Home

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It is stressful enough to continuously make sure your kids are doing fine outside of the house; however, to help ease your burden when everyone is kicking back and relaxing, these are some things to consider when childproofing your home, so your afterhours are that much more stress-free.

Keep the Air Clean

For those with children who have compromised breathing, providing them with the best living conditions when they sleep is necessary to prevent them from inhaling excess particles at night. By using an air purifier, you are able better to control the quality of the air in their room. These machines also help reduce asthma symptoms while improving sleep and eliminating any harmful pollutants in the air. For those who worry when their child struggles to breathe sometimes, this is a great way to help soothe those symptoms.

Replace Your Doorbell

Not talking to strangers has always been an important rule for kids to follow. By installing a smart doorbell by your front door, you are able to more actively monitor each visitor to your home and speak to them without having to open up the entrance of your house at all. This is excellent for those who prefer to keep their children away from solicitors or unexpected guests.

Secure Loose Carpets

It is only expected that there is going to be a lot of activity at home, especially on the weekends. When everyone is running around the house, you’ll want to minimize the chance of accidents in playrooms or dining rooms. By taking advantage of different ways to prevent your carpets from moving around, you lower the risk of your kids slipping and falling on the floor or, worse, causing something to fall on them. The same is true for any furniture or other installations that have the potential to move.

Upgrade Indoor Security

Installing smart locks by any doors or windows in your home is a good way to be made aware of any unintended breaches. These locks are easy to install and provide a hands-free call to emergency services if you are not able to deactivate them for any reason. These locks normally come with a code typed into either an app or the main device installed elsewhere. By keeping this code between your family members, deactivation and activation are reserved only for your intended selection.

Keeping you and your family safe is always a top priority. For those who are vigilant or who worry over the what-ifs when it comes to your kids, these things to consider when childproofing your home are sure to help you ensure nothing goes wrong under your watch.

Home Improvement Projects That You Should Never DIY

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Dads often have big to-do lists for projects around their home, ranging from replacing a doorknob to replacing screening on a porch. Some projects are easy, and some are more complicated. Complex projects aren’t inherently dangerous and can often prove rewarding to complete. However, there are some home improvement projects that you should never DIY due to safety concerns.

Paint Removal

Many people think that painting is one of the easiest projects to DIY since it just involves some paint cans and brushes. However, before you can get to that fresh coat of paint, you may have to remove the old one. Most old paint is lead-based, and even after some remodels, forgotten areas like baseboards could still contain this poisonous product. Instead of removing old paint yourself, call a professional.

Bathroom Remodel

Bathrooms are one of the most used spaces in a house, so it makes sense that you want to make the area look better. Though it may seem like no big deal to change a light fixture or update a sink, doing so is sometimes dangerous. Plumbing and electricity are often very close together in bathrooms, so working on either by yourself can lead to flooding or even electrocution. It’s safer to leave the nitty-gritty of bathroom remodels to the professionals.

Insulation Removal

The right insulation can save you money on energy and keep your house more comfortable, so replacing it is just common sense. However, old insulation can contain asbestos, which may cause cancer when it’s re-exposed to air. Always call a professional to remove old insulation and keep them around for the new installation as well. While there are some differences between fiberglass and spray foam, both insulation options are great because they never require replacement when installed correctly. Let the professional finish their job so you never have to worry about it again.

Painting Kitchen Cabinets

You probably already know that you can’t tackle a whole kitchen remodel by yourself, but a paint job sounds easy. Redoing kitchen cabinets, though, isn’t just a paint job. Grease from cooking and the oil on our skin builds up on kitchen surfaces, including cabinets. Instead of just putting a new coat of paint on top of the existing grime, you’ll have to use a de-greaser and spray on an oil-based paint. For better, safer results, leave this job for the professionals too.

There can be a lot of pressure on dads to handle home improvement projects like painting, remodeling, and installing. However, there are some home improvement projects that you should never DIY. Instead, commit to projects that you know you can safely accomplish and call the professionals for everything else.

Easy Ways To Make Your Home More Private

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Making your family’s home more private doesn’t have to be difficult. There are many straightforward ways to make your home more secure from the public eye. These easy ways to make your home more private won’t make you spend much money or time. If you’re looking for some simple tips to keep your privacy intact, read on!

Add Plants

One of the easiest ways to make your home more private is by adding plants. Plants can help to obscure views into your home from the outside. You can place bushes in front of windows or plant along your fence line to create a visual border. Putting trees along your property line can also help muffle sounds from roads or local businesses, as trees reduce noise pollution. If you’re looking for a privacy solution that barely requires any effort on your part, adding plants is a great option.

Install Curtains

Another uncomplicated way to make your home more private is by installing curtains. Curtains can help obscure the view into your home from the outside. Curtains are a must-have for families with visual valuables, frequent package deliveries, or curious neighbors.

Use a Fence or Wall

A more permanent way to make your home more private is to install a fence or wall. A fence provides a physical and visual boundary for your property. There are many styles of fencing and walls to choose from, so you can still maintain your property’s aesthetic and home value while adding this touch of privacy.

Install Blinds or Shades

Much like curtains, blinds or shades allow you to make your home more private without spending a lot of money or time. Blinds and shades both allow you to decide how much sunlight or visibility, you allow into your home at a given moment. Different styles of blinds and shades also let homeowners achieve fantastic interior design as they work to increase their home’s privacy. You can also find stringless blinds that help you keep your kids safe!

Strategic Placement of Furniture

If you’re looking for a more creative way to make your home more private, consider the strategic placement of furniture. While you may not want to block off windows and limit your home’s natural light, you can place valuables like mounted TVs in locations that aren’t visible from outside your home. You can also use bookcases to restructure a room’s layout and keep your family’s activities away from windows.

Use any of these easy ways to make your home more private to protect your family and possessions. Whether you’re looking for a permanent or temporary solution, there are plenty of options to choose from. Your home’s privacy is worth taking seriously, but achieving it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.