Using child-proofing devices seems like a no-brainer. We all want our children to be as safe as possible. But organizing and decorating your home in a child-centered way, rather than relying on store-bought barriers, can make for a safe and beautiful home.

Well-meaning friends suggested that we’d have to transition from antiques to Ikea when our daughter arrived: “You’ll have to get rid of all that peeling painted furniture…it’s probably full of lead.” But our daughter MG has never chewed on the side of a cupboard, and at 14 months, she eats off of china plates, opens cupboards, and leaves our objects intact.

Creating a child-safe home requires thinking like a curious child. I’m not suggesting that you should allow children unrestricted access to your precious and delicate belongings, but you don’t have to lock every cabinet. I want my daughter to touch, but not everything, and keeping both my child and my stuff intact is a work in progress. To begin with, some pieces of pottery have migrated north for the childhood season.

I don’t like cabinet locks - I want MG to love the kitchen as much as I do, and learn to feel comfortable poking around. My solution is frontloading each cabinet with child-friendly kitchen stuff - salad spinners, pots and pans, bowls - and putting the ceramic bake ware and serving platters in the back. Ditto with the pantry: Cans and bins on the floor, vintage Ball jars higher up.

There are many durable and beautiful materials that will add charm to your home, and withstand curious fingers. We replaced the pottery bowl on our coffee table with a wooden one. I find myself turning to textiles, woven, printed, and embroidered, to decorate odd spaces. And pewter, enameled tin, and silver for vases and on the tabletop now seem like a sensible investment.

By all means, plug those outlets that fingers pry into. And gate that perilous staircase. But active watching and a sharp “no” can often stand in for purchasing yet another product. Consider these options:

• Buy used. Old objects look great, and often cost less, so you can be more relaxed about wear and tear. It seems more acceptable for a toddler to eat an ice cream cone on a chair you picked up on the curb, even if it’s been reupholstered. Embrace the “distressed” look. The children will help that farm-table age more charmingly.


• Since plastic is increasingly a child safety issue, try used china and silver for children’s table settings. We use mismatched bread and butter plates, scavenged from local thrift shops, and a silver porringer that’s served 4 generations of my family—and has the dings to prove it. (These are cheap and easy to find on Ebay.)

If you must put areas off limits, don’t forget your grandmother’s frugal and easy way: Rubber bands drawn across the knobs a few times secure cabinet doors and two straight-backed chairs block a doorway.

Welcoming children into your life can force you to rethink your home and refresh its décor. With a child-centered organization and decoration, you won’t have to plug every outlet and gate every door.