Are you getting ready to swap your current floors with something new and interesting? If you’re in a home with only adults, you have countless options. If you have children (or pets), however, there are a few factors that you have to think about.

Picking the best flooring for kids isn’t easy. While you don’t have to keep your children in mind when you’re choosing floors (after all, it’s your house and the children will grow up), it might make your life easier to have kid-proof flooring.

So how do you choose? Read on to learn more.

Carpets: Yes or No?

When it comes to choosing the best flooring for a kid’s room, carpet isn’t a bad idea. If your child is very young (an infant or a toddler), they’re going to spend plenty of time on the floor. Carpets are soft enough that the child should stay comfortable.

That said, carpets come with problems.

Carpets are great at trapping dust, grime, dirt, and allergens. Because infants and toddlers are so close to the ground, these things may cause them to feel ill. It’s imperative that you do regular deep cleaning sessions if you choose to use carpet.

Carpets are also prone to stains. Children don’t have great hand-eye coordination, and it’s common for them to spill things on the floor. While you can easily wipe up food and drinks from wood or tile floors, it’s not as easy to do so with carpets.

If you use carpets for your child’s floor, consider using something else for your own bedroom and your living spaces.

What About Harder Floors?

Hardwood and tile are the most popular options for new floors, but even the best hardwood floors for kids might not be ideal. Some hardwood floors are prone to warping, which means if they get wet, the floors could be ruined.

Tile floors are hard, cold, and expensive, making them less ideal for children who are still crawling.

We recommend choosing something that’s more affordable and more gentle on children’s knees and hands if they’re still in their crawling stages. Vinyl floors are a great alternative.

Vinyl is resistant to stains and liquids, so you don’t have to worry about your child spilling things. It’s easy to clean and it shouldn’t trap allergens. View here for some great vinyl flooring options (as well as other popular flooring types).

If you like the natural appearance of hardwood, bamboo is a great alternative. It’s eco-friendly, water-resistant, and visually appealing.

If you’re worried about these floors being too hard for crawling children, consider adding washable rugs to the areas in which they like to play.

So What’s The Best Flooring for Kids?

The best flooring for kids is likely going to be vinyl or bamboo. These flooring types are resistant to water, easy to clean, and durable. They aren’t as hard or cold as tile, they don’t warp with water like hardwood, and they don’t trap allergens like carpets.

So which will you choose? What’s the best hardwood floors for kids?

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