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Finished Basement Ideas
: Safety Tips for a Basement Playroom
Safety Tips for a Basement Playroom
by David Cooper
Refinishing your basement as a playroom for your kids is a popular idea with
parents. The idea of having a large open space away from the main living area of
the house for the kids to run around in and play is very appealing. It is also
very appealing because the children will be on the ground floor so you will not
hear the thundering of feet overhead.
However, it is very important that you keep safety in mind when you are
designing a play area for your children. This is especially important if your
children are young. Designing a playroom with safety in mind will help to
prevent mishaps down the road.
Here are some tips if you are planning to create a playroom for your kids in
your basement.
- Make sure that you have some type of padding on the floor. Some stores
carry padding that is specifically designed for play areas and playrooms
for children. If you go to an educational supplies store, you can even
purchase floor coverings that are designed for schools and day cares that
will be even thicker and more cushioned then you will find elsewhere. Keep
in mind that when children run, they fall. Hard. You do not want them to
fall on a concrete floor without a significant amount of padding on top of
it.
- Consider using recessed lighting in the room. Not only will this make
the room brighter, but it will also reduce the risk of breakage because
the lights will not be hanging out of the ceiling - they are somewhat
protected because they are housed within the ceiling.
- Make sure that any electrical outlets are covered. This is especially
important if you have younger children.
- Any televisions or other heavy electrical equipment should be secured
to the walls. Do not have a television or any other type of equipment
sitting on top of a stand or bookshelf that could be easily pulled over by
a child.
- Speaking of bookshelves, if you have any type of bookshelves or other
shelving in the play area, you have to secure it to the wall. Children
have been known to try and climb up bookshelves, and if the bookshelf is
not secured to the wall it could come crashing down on the child with
devastating results.
- Install some type of intercom system. You need to make sure that there
is an option so that you can listen in on what is going on in the play
area. This way, you can have the intercom open and you can monitor the
children and hear what is going on. The children will also be able to
contact you if they need any kind of help.
When you are designing a playroom, you need to keep the age and the number of
children in mind. You need to create a safe, inviting place where the children
will be excited to play.
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