How to Childproof a Home Office

For work-at-home parents, the dilemma of incorporating children and work in the same space can be overwhelming. You don't want to exclude your children from your office, but you also need to protect your work from accidental destruction and/or disorganization. Here are three simple methods to make a home office a more child-friendly environment.

Boundaries

One of the joys of working at home is being close to your family so you don't want to lock them out of your home office all of the time, but setting boundaries is a good idea for everyone. Some things just can't be touched, whether it is paper, a laptop, camera, or books, while items such as scissors, staplers, and paper clips are dangerous and need to be kept out of reach.

Simply closing the door and not allowing children into the office at all is one boundary, but there are other ways as well. Create and enforce the following rule: Anything on Mommy's (or Daddy's) Desk is not for little people. Then let the children have access to other intriguing items such as the recycling bin or a designated notebook. If you have room, create a "desk" for children with leftover paper, crayons, and other office supplies that is their space.

Cabinets and Containers

For small spaces in particular, cabinets may seem overly bulky but being able to lock away items is extremely helpful, particularly if the home office doubles as family space. Whether it's a filing cabinet or larger shelf that all work items fit inside, putting away work papers and items keeps them safe from children and children safe from them. If the space is too small for a full cabinet, invest in several storage bins of varying size that can hold supplies both on and under the desk. The Container Store, Office Depot, and even Target have entire sections devoted to home office storage needs so take a bit of time to peruse the inventory and match it to your space needs.

The out of sight out of mind principle works wonders. Children will always be curious about what Mommy (or Daddy) is doing, but if they can't see the papers or projects, they will be less likely to get into them.

Safety Items

The home office needs to include the same outlet covers and cord wraps that are in other rooms for the inevitable times that young children come into the room. Though it is meant to be an adult space, you have to assume children will come in and ensure it is safe for them to do so. When you stop mid-project, be sure the door is closed behind you and push back any unsafe items out of reach of wandering hands.

The offices of work-at-home parents frequently serve multiple functions, and with a little planning and reorganization, home offices can be both productive work spaces and child-safe.