"Baby-Proofing" Your Kitchen
See also: Child-proofing Your Home
For a small child, the kitchen is probably the most fascinating and dangerous room in your home. There's a great deal of potential for disaster located here in the 'hub' of the house. Be careful of hot liquids, hot appliances, slippery floors, possible electrocution, sharp objects, poisonous chemicals and objects your baby or toddler could choke on. The best way to make the kitchen a safer place is to keep your child out of the room by fitting a safety gate at the door. If this is not possible you can make sure that your small child is never left unsupervised in the kitchen!
Kitchen Appliance Safety
- Get into the habit of turning the handles of pots and pans toward the back of the cooker or worktop. Whenever possible, use the back burners or hobs for cooking.
- Don't let your child play at your feet while you are cooking.
- Use a cooker guard to prevent your child from reaching the burners.
- If your child can reach the controls on the front of the cooker, consider installing cooker knob covers that he/she can't turn.
- Never leave a boiling saucepan or sizzling frying pan unattended .
- Teach your child that the oven is "hot" and not to touch.
- Install safety latches on appliances such as the microwave, refrigerator and dishwasher.
- Keep the dishwasher closed when not in use. There are many sharp edges inside a loaded dishwasher that can so easily hurt a young child.
- Keep plug-in appliances - such as toasters and blenders in cupboards or on high shelves where your child can't reach them. There is a risk of electrocution if a child tries to plug them in.
Safer Work tops, Cupboards and Drawers
- Never allow your child to sit on the worktop. Besides the danger of a fall, they can easily reach for items that can harm them.
- Use cupboard and drawer Guard Latches to keep certain reachable cupboard doors and drawers off limits to your child.
- Use cord shorteners on appliances such as electric kettles and away from where your child can pull on them.
- Consider setting aside a cupboard for your little one to explore and play with (perhaps where you store safe items such as Tupperware and non-breakable pots and pans.
- Keep rubbish in a tightly covered container or, better, inside a securely latched cupboard.
General Kitchen Safety
- Keep all cleaning products, pesticides, and other volatile and toxic substances locked up.
- Use unbreakable dishes for feeding a young child
- Keep step stools and ladders out of reach
- Clean up spills immediately to prevent slips and falls.
- Keep boxes of cling film and plastic grocery bags out of your child's reach to avoid suffocation.
- Don't use long phone cords that a child could trip on or wrap around their neck.
Highchair Safety
- Be sure the tray is locked and always secure the restraint straps.
- Be careful of baby's fingers and hands as you slide the tray on to prevent pinching.
- Never leave your baby alone in a room in a highchair.
- Keep the highchair at a safe distance from tables and worktops. A child can tip it over by pushing off with hands and feet.
Short of bricking up the door it may not be possible to childproof the kitchen entirely, but if you stay vigilent and follow the steps outlined above you can make it a much safer place.
Many of the safety devices featured in this article can be purchased
from UK company: Child Alert
Good News Family Care
Charis House, Hardwick Square East, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6PT
Tel: 01298 24761
Fax: 01298 27027 (10am4:45pm Mon-Fri)
Fax: 07053 603866 (all other times)
- www.gnfc.org.uk
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