The Do’s and Don’ts of Water Features and Kids

Installing water features in your home provides a wide range of benefits. After having an indoor fountain or water wall in your own home, you will understand all they can do for your interior style, air quality, and energy. The possibilities are limitless… unless there are children in your home. There are a few decisions that you’ll want to make, and a few you should avoid. If you are placing a fountain in a child’s room, or a home with children, you DO want to improve air quality and provide white noise; you DON’T want a free-standing fountain or a fountain with small pieces.

Do’s: Air Quality and White Noise

Children are naturally sensitive to their surroundings. Their most immediate surrounding is the air they breathe. Installing a water feature in your home or even your child’s bedroom can improve the air. Indoor fountains are capable of humidifying the air during the harsh, dry winter months, and removing dirt and debris from the air. They also produce negative ions, combatting the positive ions produced by electric appliances in your home, naturally increasing the body’s serotonin levels. You and your children will actually feel better with water in your home.

The steady, flowing sound of the water will contribute to that feeling. The presence of white noise in the home poses a number of benefits. The constant, soothing sound is known to help with symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety. If you place a fountain in your child’s room, it serves as a natural noise machine, assisting in a much more beneficial and uninterrupted sleep. The whole family will feel refreshed.

Don’ts: Small Pieces and Free-Standing Fountains

After children become a part of your life, you are presented with a number of concerns that you hadn’t dealt with before. One of the main concerns a parent of small children has when making a purchase for their home is if there is a choking hazard. Many fountains come with small pieces, or decorative rocks. These are the fountains you will definitely want to avoid.

The other types of fountains you want to stay away from are the standalone designs. Many of these designs are beautiful additions to your home, but when children are around, they are more danger than beauty. Avoid designs that are easily accessible and easy to topple over. Opt for wall designs, or tabletop designs that remain out of reach.

While having children in your home does limit your choices for indoor water features, it doesn’t completely eliminate them. The air quality and white noise will benefit an environment where children are present. Just avoid the small pieces, and free-standing designs, and you’ll find a feature the whole family will love!