Transform your home into a festive haven this Eid. Incorporate vibrant colours and traditional crafts to create an ambiance of warmth and celebration. Go for decor elements that not only enhance beauty but also reflect the joy of Eid.

Eid is fast approaching, and hosting dawaats for loved ones is a pleasure we eagerly anticipate. This includes the beloved children in our lives, who can be at once delightful and accident-prone, both to themselves and anything fragile. So, what to do if you want to both child-proof and beautify your home? Read on to find out.

Flowers are friends
Classics are classics for a reason, and what beauty outshines nature’s gifts? For higher functionality, flowers are long-lasting investments that can brighten up any space and come in a wide variety of types; one is sure to suit your rooms, and don’t forget to avoid the risk of smeared soil or broken ceramics.

Your closet is your cornucopia
Innovation is often a necessary skill for dealing with energetic children. You can utilise the common items in your home to spruce it up; namely, your wardrobe.
Sheers and chiffon are flowy, light materials that can add unexpected flair to a space. Opening up your windows to let the breeze and sunshine through, paired with soft textures, can help create a soothing ambiance; particularly with pastel colours or lacey fabrics. Dupattas, scarves and shawls can be draped over furniture like unique throws; while ribbons can be artfully tied to chairs.
Best of all, they are unlikely to draw a child’s eye like a shiny, sharp trinket, and just as unlikely to break and cause harm.

Distractions, distractions
Children are smarter than given credit for. Redirecting their attention from places full of ornaments, like the drawing room, can prevent mishaps. Instead, having eye-catching items like colourful marbles, planetarium jars or sparkly fairy-lights hung far overhead can be safer objects for them to admire.

Kids’ corner
Kids are just kids at the end of the day. They can’t be blamed for wanting to bounce around and play a little messily, nor should such enthusiasm be stomped out. Thus, giving children a space for themselves may be a good option.

Not only does this contain their rowdiness to one room where they can unleash all the energy they want and play to their hearts’ content, but it also limits your own work to child-proofing a single room rather than the whole house, as well as confining most of the clean-up afterwards to a small area.
Your own child’s bedroom or such spaces might suffice as a spot for the children to gather, lacking much in the way of fragile décor to begin with. Compiling their games and toys could help retain them in place – add in a stock of dry snacks like chips or cookies, and you’re good to go. Decorations can be made more child-typical, with paper crafts and colourful pillows.

Ultimately, your safest bet might simply be acquainting each child with any playmates; though kids can be shy, they are often pulled into fast friendships with peers. Sparing a few minutes to help children get comfortable with their peers can ensure that parents – and your expensive glassware – go largely unbothered as they entertain themselves and each other in their own imaginative and playful ways.
Eid-ul-Fitr is a time of celebration for people of all ages. This year, your home should reflect this sense of togetherness, and it’s the responsibility of the host to ensure every guest can enjoy a harmonious, wonderful Eid.