Kid-friendly home tips

Jay Dedrick, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 29, 2005 at midnight

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Many of Christopher and Brad's design ideas for the Box House came about before the Herrs had firm plans for children. The planned central space — big and open — is perfect for a young family, though. "Family gathering spaces — the family room, kitchen, nook — are important for small families," says Jerry Gloss of Knudson Gloss Architects, a Boulder-based firm specializing in custom homes. "That's where you'll spend 80 percent to 90 percent of your time as a family. The challenge is to put the spaces together so they work well for everybody." Other kid-friendly considerations for your home plans:

* Think about the future. "An 8-foot-by-11-foot nursery won't support a 6-foot-3-inch, 180-pound high-school kid," Gloss says. "They have too much stuff. That's important to consider if you're staying in the home awhile."

* Think soft. Ease the edges on counters and other sharp-angled features. "With kids, the form dominates as opposed to the function," Gloss says.

* Think wear. Carpet may be softer, but it gets dirtier faster with kids around. "Hardwood is resilient and tile is even more resilient," Gloss says. Choose paints that are easily washed.

* Think safety. Dr. Keith Battan is a primary care pediatrician at Kaiser Permanente in Denver, and spent 15 years as an emergency pediatrician at Children's Hospital. "It's impossible to eliminate the risk of a cut or broken bone without turning the house into a rubber room," he says. Still, simple steps can greatly reduce the risk to young kids:

* Falls are one of the most common causes of injuries to children, so gates around stairways are crucial. Make sure windows are safely shut, too. "Toddlers are incredibly creative about climbing and getting into things you would think are utterly inaccessible to them," Battan says.

* Electrical outlets pose danger; use plastic caps or other childproofing devices.

* Cords for window treatments should never have loops, because strangulation is a risk.

* Brick hearths around fireplaces can be padded around the edges. "That's something you can remove as the kids grow more coordinated," Battan says.

Finally, Gloss notes, "There's also behavior modification: Once a kid runs into that sharp edge, he won't do it anymore."

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