5 Ways to Protect Your Carpet From A Toddler

5 Ways to Protect Your Carpet From A Toddler

If your toddler is changing your life for the second time since they were born you may be wondering what else you need to prepare for in the future. Maybe you are in the process of toddler proofing your house and if you are, don’t forget one very important part of your house that needs some attention, your carpet.

Chair mats/splat mat

If the main eating area in your house is on a carpeted floor, or if you do snack time in a room with carpeted floors, using a mat of some kind for protection can make all the difference in keeping your floors clean. If you have an old chair mat at the office you can ask to bring home, or want to buy one at an office supply store they can provide a perfect barrier between crumbs and carpet. Just slide it under the children’s place at the dinner table, or lay it down at their favorite snack spot. You can easily wipe it off when the kids are done with their food and move on with your day with no need to break out the sweeper.

If you want something a little more flexible to move from room to room, look into buying a splat mat. They tend to be a little smaller than your average chair mat. If your little ones are young enough or will stay in one place these can work for a mobile option from room to room.

Spill proof cups

Kids sometimes come across like college students on a Friday night. Stumble around, leaning on furniture, and spilling anything they try to drink. Unlike those college students, your kids shouldn’t be cut off. Toddlers love their juice and a juice cup is often one of the first things a toddler is remember to pick up and carry around with them. Juice comes in many colors and most are not friendly to carpet, so you need to make sure your kitchen is stocked with spill proof sippy cups.

The best way to find these is to look at reviews online before you decide to buy a certain type of sippy cup. Try to find sippy cups with reviews that say if it ever started leaking after months of use. Let’s face it, your toddler might not treat it the best and the last thing you need is a beat up sippy cup leaking in the car. Maybe buy three, or four, of the same kind so your child never has to go without the familiar cup when you’re washing the others.

Shoe storage

As your little ones become not so little shoes can become a major adversary of the carpet in your house. Even a trip to the grocery store can end with dirt and grime coating the sole of your toddler shoes. Every mom knows that a simple romp at the park can do even worse. Grass clippings and mud can easily get tracked through your house if your children get away from you before you can get them to take their shoes off.

If you have some kind of shoe storage use it in front of your kids. They will want to emulate you. Also, decorate it and give each kid a special place for his or her shoes. This way, when you’re carrying an armload of groceries and a little distracted after getting caught in the storm your kids won’t go sprint through your house with wet shoes. Instead they will start to follow the routine on their own.

Protect high traffic areas

Every house has those highway zones that take the brunt of the movement throughout the house. Hallways and door thresholds are common choke points. Depending on the area and your decor you might be able to work an area rug into the arrangement.

If your carpet is a light color those areas will suffer greatly without protection and area rugs can add a lot of color to a room. Most importantly an area rug does not have to be expensive and they can be replaced when they are beyond recovery. This will be cheaper than putting in new carpet when your carpet is worn down. If you hate the look of an area rug, you can always roll it up when guests are coming over.

Carpet Protector

When you have your carpet professionally cleaned, make sure your carpet cleaner applies a carpet protector. Carpet protectors add stain resistance and soil resistance to the carpets by coating the fibers with an added layer of protection. It is much easier and more feasible to get a stain out of a carpet that has been treated with a carpet protector. Applying a carpet protector is for houses with toddlers because every protection in the world won’t prepare you for that one time that your child spills something where you never expect it.

If you toddler persistent enough your carpet will suffer some kind of dirt or stain. It is what kids do. If it is bad enough they carpet cannot be cleaned by you, don’t hesitate to call a professional and let them revitalize your carpets. Don’t forget, you and your carpet will get past the terrible two’s.