Source: ABS CBN Bantay Bata 163
I never really thought of making our home child-friendly as much as I thought of how I can keep my children safe from all threats of harm. This is why when my sister-in-law Levy asked me if I was willing to have our house featured for a Bantay Bata segment about child-friendly homes, I wasn't actually sure if our house fits the bill. To my delightful surprise, it actually does.
The features that make our home such are quite simple that they can easily be replicated in most homes. To wit:
1. No matter the size of the house, everything should have its proper place so that potential areas of danger for children such as the kitchen because of hot and sharp objects are identified outright and properly avoided.
2. The choice of furniture, equipment, and materials should always be in consideration of the fact that there are young children in the house thus pointed edges and slippery materials such as floor tiles are best avoided.
3. Children should be given a safe place where they can play as they see fit. Children are what they are and giving no such space to them only exposes them to the dangers posed in making do with alternatives such as the streets.
4. Falls, electrocution, bumps and hands getting caught by doors that close suddenly are the most common concerns with young children thus protective features go a long way such as non-slippery mats, outlet covers, corner cushions, and door stoppers.
5. Whenever possible, it is best to give a child his/her own personal place to take care of. If an own room is out of the question, then a particular space in a room will do. The responsibility introduces the children to the need to take better care of themselves especially in situations where parents are not able to respond outright due to distance or time constraints.
My Say
A structurally child-friendly home can be built anywhere but parents will have to exert just a little more effort to make theirs a haven of safety for their own children. Accidents can happen in the best-planned homes but this should not be a reason to compromise our children's safety by willful neglect. Parents have the responsibility to make the home the safest place possible for the family.
That said, our respective homes can be our children's fortress of safety no matter the size and the location.
