Baby-Proof Decorating : A Guest Post from Kirsten Krason

Hi guys.  Tired mommy here.  We're out of the "honeymoon phase" with Sam now and adjusting to the parts of parenting we'd been warned about - i.e. staying up ALL night eating and crying. (BOTH of us- haha!) . Luckily, he is still cute enough to make even that bearable.  I'm going to try to get some pictures etc. up later today; but, in the meantime... I have an awesome guest post for you from one of my favorite design bloggers.  Enjoy!

First things first, if you have never read 6th Street Design School... You need to start! :)  Designer Kirsten Krason lives down the street from my good friend Liz in Utah - which makes me kind-of feel like we are friends even though she is a "big time" decorator/blogger and we've never met. :)  Anyway, her blog is one of my absolute FAVORITE stops for design inspiration and tips.  You MUST check it out.

Isn't she so cute?

Now, on to some content...

Before Sam was born, one of the things I thought about was how my "decorating taste" would change once there was a baby on board  (i.e. STUFF EVERYWHERE and, eventually, little hands everywhere). 

So, a while ago, I asked Kristen to send me some tips for baby-proof decorating.  Here's what she said:

1. Outdoor fabrics! I seriously swear by outdoor fabrics for anyone who has kids. There are some misconceptions that outdoor fabric is ugly or uncomfortable but there are actually some great patterns and designs out there. I love outdoor fabric for any dining chairs because you don't have to worry about food staining.

2. Museum Putty is amazing! I love this stuff. I put it on the bottom of lamps or other fragile items in my house. It's not completely fool-proof but it holds well enough to deter kids from tampering with items.

3. Scotch Guard is great for any pieces of furniture or pillows that you worry about. I spray it on everything in my house.

4. Magic Eraser really is magic! This is great for walls or furniture. I also recommend using high gloss paint when possible. It's so much easier to clean.

5. Outdoor Rugs. We have this outdoor rug in our dining room and it is incredible. I never worry about food spilling on it. It is super durable and very easy to wipe clean. Plus it looks great!

I hope these tips help. Overall I would say that when you have kids you just have to relax and be flexible. Things will break. But try and have a good attitude about it when it happens. 

Kirsten, thanks SO much for sharing some mom/designer expert advice.  I'm definitely going to remember these things when I finally get around to re-doing my sun-room later this year.  :)

P.S. If you want more, check out the entire series on her blog right here.  (This will be some of my late-night-feeding-reading in the next few months for sure!)