Prettier ways to Protect the little people in the room...

I know and understand the dilemma people face when a little person enters into their lives, and then all of a sudden that gorgeous cocktail table with the Calacatta Gold marble top doesn't seem so beautiful but more like something that could leave a nice size dent in someone's head... Or those stairs you never thought twice about now looks like it's quadrupled in size and steepness as your precious peers down to see what's there...

Well, there are manufacturers out there that have thought about not only the safety issues, but the aesthetic ones as well... Thank god.  So I've found and have personally used two products which I can recommend as valid usable items but at least leaves your home looking somewhat presentable to those who come over and haven't experienced the joy of changing a poopy diaper...

So, everyone's got corners... I get it.  I am actually not one to pad every last corner and edge there is because it's just not worth it... Visually or practicality wise it doesn't jive with my thinking...  I did though have a pair of nesting tables made similar in shape to the ones shown, but with bleached rift-oak bases and white Corian tops.  Those tops, when fabricated to continue that wonderful trapizoidal angle were sharp.  So I found these rubber bumpers which were so much more attractive than those ugly foam things out there.

What's great about these Kidco Soft Corner Protectors is that they look like someone actually designed these.  They are a firmer rubber edge, but still soft enough to prevent serious damage from those nasty corners that are notorious for just jumping out at kids.

Another thing that always kills me is the dreaded baby gate.  Yuck...  I know it's a total necessity, but sometimes you just don't want to see it.  You can't just make the gate disappear?...  Or can you?...  You can if your gate is retractable...

 

This gate is great to just hide away when it's not necessary to keep out someone...  The Retract-A-Gate saved the look of my place, at the tops of both of my stairways.  This really worked out well, since I didn't really have that much room to swing a traditional gate in either direction because of the configuration of the rooms, but really, who wants to see that anyway?...  

So, next time you are thinking about wrapping you coffee table in a layer of cheap latex remember this...  Protect and love you babies!!!...  We don't need to sacrifice beauty for baby...  We just need to work with their special decor requirements.