We have a very strange downstairs layout in this house. The dining room and lounge is ‘open plan’ (of sorts) with a through-lounge, dining, kitchen. It’s great for toddlers as there so much space to run about (and fall over) in, and fewer door knobs to impale themselves on! For the last year we’ve lived without a dining table and just created one huge ‘super lounge’ - one side was more formal with fresh flowers, oak flooring, an open fire and love seat sofa for Craig and I, the other was decidedly more child-friendly with a huge rug, TONS of toys, and two huge three-seater sofas. Nothing matched, there was no cohesion and the whole area looked really ‘studenty’. Unable to cope with it anymore, we’ve now invested in a massive oak dining table and chairs.

This really has made the world of difference. It’s been great being able to eat dinner with Dexter at a proper table as opposed to off our laps, it’s also a great place to work from. The room is still big enough to take a three-seater opposite the dining room table so you can sit comfortably and chat to whoever is preparing food in the kitchen.

This, of course, means we’ve now moved our entire lounge into one half of the ‘super lounge’. Although we’ve managed to make it look quite homely it’s a tight squeeze to accommodate all our furniture and we’re having to dream up new ways of maximising the space. The whole process has turned into a de-cluttering project and we’ve had to think very carefully about what we really need with one inquisitive tot, and another on the way. Here are my three best tips for maximising space, whilst still ensuring your lounge stays toddler-friendly.

MADE TO MEASURE FURNITURE

Forget measuring up and buying something that barely squeezes in. Buy a small sofa that can be custom-made to fit in tight spaces. It doesn’t have to cost a bomb either… Nabru have some perfect space-saving corner sofas including custom-built, modular and self assembly sofas to keep costs down and get something that fits perfectly into those hard to buy for spots.

STORAGE

We’ve just chucked away a HUGE bookcase that was literally crammed with DVD’s, books and CD’s from Craig’s clubbing days. Dexter’s favourite pastime was to stand on the sofa arm, hold onto the shelves, and do his worst by pulling everything off the shelves. I think we’ve all had a minor slip on cases and discs over the last few months.

We’ve now done a cull to all old DVD’s and sold them via Music Magpie - we have a LOVEFiLM subscription anyway so can stream or rent movies we want to watch. I’ve also taken bin bags worth of books to the charity shop and kept a select few I’m likely to re-read under my bed in a shoebox. CD’s are now kept out of Dexter’s reach on floating bookshelves.

Trunks and chests are also great ideas for stowing away shoes, handbags and toys to have clutter-free evening. Locks are easy to fit to stop curious toddlers catching their fingers. Sideboards and TV cabinets with locks are also a very good idea if your little one has a penchant for wires, plugs and buttons! If you’re cabinet doesn’t come with a lock, and you’re not handy with a drill, you can always use elastic bands and wind them around knobs to keep your tots at bay.

THE LITTLE THINGS

Does your child have an inbuilt homing device for your remote controls, mobile phones, hairbrush and other things you’d rather they didn’t? Consider buying a small lockable chest to sit on your coffee table to house them, or pop them in a pretty pouch and hang them on a miniature coat rack to keep them safe. It sure beats shoving them down the side of your sofa and having them disappear into the lining!

Oh and given Dexter is currently bashing the screen of our LCD with his fists, I’m guessing we’ll soon be getting wall brackets for our TV!

For more child-proofing tips, my buddy Kerry from Oh So Amelia has some practical advice over on her blog. If you have any other tips, I’d love to hear them!