How to achieve better Kitchen Safety for Kids

Congratulations! Your infant has reached the next developmental milestone, the toddler! It’s time to notch up your baby proofing ideas and create a safe and injury-free kitchen space for your now active little cherub. Through my own experience of raising my son and what I’ve learnt whilst researching for writing this blog, I’d like to share with you some very easily overlooked tips in kitchen safety.

When planning to childproof the home, do take extra precautions to baby proof your kitchen. It is the most hazardous room in your home and can cause severe injuries to your child. From pointed edged tables, knives, forks, scissors, and hot surfaces to name a few, dangers are lurking for curious kids in almost every corner of the kitchen.

So, how can you keep your little one’s protected from the potential kitchen dangers?

How to Keep Kitchen Safe for Kids?

Providing kitchen safety for kids by restricting them from entering this oh so dangerous place. Yes, this may be the easiest and first thing that comes to mind, but is this really possible in all circumstances? Probably not! Confining your curious toddler to one room and keeping them engaged for long periods is very challenging. Baby proofing your kitchen space will keep you relaxed in the knowledge that your baby is safe and injury-free.

Here I am going to discuss several tips I have learnt in how you can successfully prevent safety hazards in the kitchen without restricting your little one’s movement. But before that, let us see the possible dangers for kids in the kitchen.

Dangerous Spaces for Kids in Kitchen

Apart from the other spaces of the home, the kitchen is a hazardous room. To understand the kitchen safety rules for keeping your children safe, you must know the potential dangers lurking in the kitchen for your kids.

HereI’ll be sharing the top dangerous spaces that I have seen in the kitchen but in your home, there could be more. Initially, your focus should be to look at these areas and make sure you have them covered in providing health and safety in the kitchen for kids.

Hot Surfaces

Whether you are using a gas or electric stove, the hot surface of the stove poses severe injury to your little one. Not to mention microwave, toasters, coffee makers, and other hot bodies that can cause burn injuries to your toddler.

Cooking on the front plates of your stove is within easy reach of your curious little one and it only takes a split second for them to reach out. Lessen the chances of your child getting injured by cooking on the back hob whenever possible. Keep pan handles turned away out of reach. Pans can hold heat for longer than we think and hot food is equally as dangerous.

Your child will mimic your every move and want to turn on the stove just like you and as soon as they can reach out, that’s exactly what they will do. Just a quick touch of the knob can turn up an already lighted flame and without your knowledge, serves up a burnt offering or turn on the gas with no ignition alerting you to the smell of gas.

When planning the health and safety in your kitchen, think of opting for a hob with top knobs. Out of sight out of reach. Oven doors can get very hot. If your oven is not an eye-level model when child safety proofing your home, consider installing a transparent child safety oven door guard, It is cool to the touch, as well as an oven safety child lock to prevent your child from opening the oven. Both are quick and easy to install.

In the blink of an eye, little fingers can move in really fast to any of the hot surfaces. Hot water, steam, or hot food or surfaces can cause anything from minor blisters to even serious burn injuries.

Detergent or Household Chemicals

Chemical products like insecticides and cleaning supplies are always stored in the kitchen. Either they are in the drawers or most probably under the sink or maybe near to dishwasher. All these areas are usually within the kid’s easy reach and can pose a threat to a little one’s life. As kids have the habit of putting everything in the mouth that comes their way, so the chances are high that they can consume these toxic chemicals. If ingested, it can be fatal and can cause skin irritation or burns.

Sharp Objects

You have knives, scissors, forks, and other pointed things in the kitchen. If not stored correctly, your children can reach them easily. These are not the things that your baby should play with; they can get cuts from these pointed or sharp things.

Moreover, the shelf edges or pointed drawer corners can also cause cuts or bruises if your baby accidentally bumps into these while playing.

Slippery or Wet Floors

While working in the kitchen, chances of water spillage or other liquids are often there. If not cleaned on time or adequately, your baby can slip on it while playing or running around.

Even after mopping, I have observed slippery surfaces. So, till the time, the floor is completely dry you should not allow your baby to move around. Even the slightest amount of any liquid can increase the chances of injury through slipping.

Cabinet Doors

From banging head to pinching little fingers, babies can get themselves injured a lot many ways from the cabinet doors.

Your baby can get attracted to some object that is located at the worktop. If you think that kid cannot reach that space, then you might be underestimating your curious kid’s activities, especially if drawers are there below that space. Your baby can pull out drawers and climb on them to reach their desired area.

If instead of handles, if your drawers are installed with holes for opening them, be careful. Your baby should not slip his finger inside the hole and get them injured or fractured.

Dustbin cans

Do you think germs are the only threat to your baby from the trash can? Along with that, they can get their fingers pinched inside them and get injured.

Your trash can is like a treasure to your baby. They love playing by opening and closing its lid. Moreover, your baby can drop his toys into it and like to explore the empty cans, paper pieces, or other colourful stuff from the can. By doing all this, they are inviting germs and can get sick.

Plastic Shopping Bags

Once you are back from shopping, do not forget to store any of the plastic shopping bags. Your baby can choke on them or get suffocated easily.

As the plastic bags can quickly end up on your little one’s head, your little one can find it a playful activity. But this is not healthy or good for your baby.

Be mindful to store plastic shopping bags away from your baby’s reach.

Refrigerator

Kids also love to play with refrigerators. But this is not safe for them. They like opening and closing the refrigerator doors, but while doing so they can hurt their little fingers. Along with creating a mess on the floor, they can upset their belly by eating any random chilled food from the fridge.

Apart from that they can pull off things and get hurt by slipping on the spillage. However, if they pull off any glass container from the fridge, the broken pieces on the floor can pose a real threat to little babies.

Now you are aware of the possible dangers of the kitchen for your children, so let’s try baby-proof these dangers to eliminate any safety hazards in the kitchen.

How to Childproof your Kitchen?

As I have already mentioned the kitchen is the most dangerous space in your house. When your baby becomes mobile, begins crawling or taking baby steps, they love to explore everything that comes their way. Though you try to restrict your baby from entering the kitchen, bounding little ones completely is challenging.

You might be successful in keeping your baby safe when you are around. But what about the times when you are away for a minute to attend someone at the door, or busy with some chores? Your baby can invite dangers for themselves even in a microsecond. You can create a secure space and provide kitchen safety for kids by baby proofing your kitchen.

So let’s see how you can do it!

Electrical Cooking Appliances

Whether you are using a microwave or stove, it is necessary to childproof them to keep little hands unhurt. You never know when you are just away for a second, and at that very moment, your baby touches that hot surface and gets burn injuries.

You can use oven locks to lock it after use immediately, this helps you in saving your baby’s hands from getting burn injuries. You can also use stove knob covers, to protect kids from any hazards that might happen, if little one rotates the knob during their playful activities.

Whether it a toaster, coffee maker, blender, microwave, electrical stove, or any other electrical cooking appliance, remember to unplug them when not in use. Make it a habit to switch off or unplug, and keep the locks on after every use. By going this way, you can ensure to keep your baby safe from any burn injuries.

Sharp and Pointed Things and Corners

Knives, forks, peelers, graters, and other sharp instruments can be easily found in the kitchen. As the little ones are endlessly curious, they can reach these sharp and pointed things easily, which can be hazardous. It is necessary to childproof the drawers containing pointed things or store them in the drawers that are away from the reach of your kid. You can use multipurpose or drawer locks to keep little fingers safe.

While playing or running in and out of the kitchen during little one’s playful events, they often bang their heads into the sharp corners or edges of the shelves. Safety edge or corner guard can provide cushioned protection to your children from the safety hazards in the kitchen.

Dishwasher and Detergents

Do not forget to childproof your dishwasher. It gives instant access to sharp knives, breakable things, and even detergents to the little ones. Using safety locks could be the best way of keeping your baby away from the dishwasher or any detergents that you use to clean your utensils.

It would be the best practice if you take out the detergent from the place away from little one’s reach, only when you are about to run your dishwasher.

Moreover, if you cover the buttons of your dishwasher, this also serves the purpose of keeping children away and safe.

For an added security place your sharp or pointed utensils, knives, etc. upside-down in the dishwasher.

Refrigerators

Little ones love to open and close the door of the refrigerator. Not only that, but they can also create the mess around, by grabbing everything that is stored in the fridge. It would be best to keep the breakable pots and messy things stored at a higher place in the refrigerator. But this might not be possible every time. So, using refrigerators locks becomes a necessity for kitchen safety rules.

Fasten the locks; soon you close its door.

Kitchen Table

The most inviting space in your kitchen is the kitchen table. Your family sits and eats together on this table. Keep your family time stress-free by childproofing your kitchen table. Add corner guards to provide extra cushioning from sharp edges. It will save your baby from suffering any head injury.

Moreover, also ensure that baby won’t damage your table by scratching it with his toys or any other thing. Use table protector or cover and keep it damage-free.

Kitchen Floor

Water or oil spillages are often found on the kitchen floor. This is the main reason that I found on slippery floors in the kitchen. While working in the kitchen, spills, or food particles are seen on the kitchen floor. This is normal. But important is to clean it immediately.

Your little one can slip from any of the spillages; moreover, they even consume food pieces, if they find any on the floor. This is not healthy for the baby. Where mopping the floor regularly is necessary, letting children come over there only when the floor is dry is equally important.

Closing Words

Once the baby becomes mobile, you need to stay extra vigilant to their activities. You need to notch up your house baby proofing for adequate health and safety in the kitchen.

So this is just a few ideas I have, to creating some useful health and safety rules in the kitchen and prevent any accidents where your children get injured.

I hope my advice will help when planning the changes you need to make to the kitchen, in preparation for your new toddler!