Child safety in the kitchen: 10 (and +) useful tips to follow

To guarantee the safety of children in the KITCHEN and minimize the risks of one of the most insidious rooms of the house, here are some useful tips to keep in mind.

Like the bathroom, the kitchen is also a rather dangerous room for children , but also one of the funniest. In fact, children love being in the kitchen: they like to browse through all the drawers, look at the appliances, touch the food and “cook” like mom and dad do. In short, everything in this room is a great attraction for them.

However, a child does not know how to move in the kitchen like an adult and that is why parents should protect their little ones by making the kitchen safe . It’s important to do it from the beginning, that is, from when the child starts taking his first steps until he grows up or in any case becomes independent and responsible.

Child safety in the kitchen: 10 (and +) useful tips to follow

What are the dangers of cooking for a child?
The things to be most concerned about are electrical appliances, electrical outlets, hot surfaces such as hotplates, stoves and ovens, knives and sharp utensils, improperly stacked plates, dishes and objects, any steps, sharp edges, furniture and low drawers, detergents and household products.

In short, there are so many potentially dangerous things in the kitchen that not only is it advisable to always supervise children, but it would be good to ensure the safety of children in the kitchen by adopting some preventive measures. Let’s see which ones.

1. Use stove protectors

The little ones seem to be particularly interested in “what’s cooking”. Often they approach, climb, stretch out their hands, with the danger of getting burned or throwing hot pots at each other. This type of danger must be absolutely avoided.
Fortunately, on the market you can buy protections that prevent the child from touching the stove or opening the oven, pulling down hot pots and pans or turning the gas knobs. I think they are very useful devices to have.

Here some examples:

• Stove pan protectors
• stove knob protection
• lock lock for oven
• Hob protector

2. Unplug electrical appliances and wrap up cords

Home appliances or electrical appliances such as blenders, toasters, microwaves and food processors always arouse a lot of curiosity in children. However, since they often have sharp blades, burn or can pose a danger if they are activated, always unplug them when you are not using them . In fact, children cannot resist the temptation to press the power buttons, so it’s better not to risk it.
Also watch out for cords on hanging appliances, as it’s easy for children to grab onto electrical cords and pull even heavy appliances down. So once you’ve unplugged the electrical appliances, wrap up all the cords and make sure they stay dangling on the kitchen countertops.

3. Cover electrical plugs

The sockets are dangerous for adults let alone children. In fact, these are generally found at the bottom and for this reason they are extremely accessible to children, especially those who crawl and can’t wait to put a little finger in them.
Therefore a kitchen is not completely safe if you don’t cover the sockets with special protections.
There are many types on the market with even rather creative designs that will adapt well to your kitchen.

4. Always put your utensils away

It is very important that the kitchen is kept clean and tidy and that kitchen items are stored away safely . Knives left on the table or plates and glasses stacked badly and within your child’s reach are very dangerous. Therefore, in order to prevent your child from being cut with blades or fallen glass, avoid leaving them around but always put them in an inaccessible place, high up or in locked drawers.

5. Cover the edges

Sharp edges on table tops, drawers and other kitchen furniture can cause serious injuries. Children, especially if they are small and have just started walking, move often and the edge and corner protectors  will prevent your child from hurting themselves if they bump into sharp edges. Fortunately, there are corner protectors that install quickly and are very reliable and durable. Also, in recent years, a number of amazingly designed protectors have become available on the market. There are even models with lights so your child can easily spot danger and stay away from it.

Here some examples

• edge protection
• corner protection

6. Use locks or locks on drawers and doors

Children have a lot of fun discovering and opening every single drawer or door in the kitchen. To protect your child, it is not necessary to close them all, but only the drawers and doors that may contain sharp objects such as forks and knives, scissors and blades, or glass containers, such as glasses and pitchers.
There are special locks or safety blocks on the market that you can use to prevent your child from opening them.

Here two examples:

• drawer blocks
• door safety locks

7. Secure low furniture

In the kitchen there are often worktops, low cabinets, televisions, easily reachable by children. The danger is that if children climb on it, this furniture can tip over on them. The easiest way to protect your child from tipping over TVs and various cabinets is to install child-proof anti-tip devices.

Here two examples

• anti-tilt tv
• anti-tip furniture

8. Secure the detergent cabinet

Do you keep household cleaners inside a kitchen cabinet or under the sink? Teach your child not to touch them. Be careful though… maybe this won’t be enough. There are children who, faced with parental prohibitions, do the opposite because they are driven by curiosity. Therefore, keeping detergents and household cleaning products within reach of children is something to avoid.
Very young children, for example, are not able to understand the danger they can run by ingesting or even just touching certain substances.
Therefore, to secure the kitchen furniture where you keep these detergents, try to move everything to high shelves or lock the doors. There are many safety devices on the market that are useful for blocking the opening of cabinets, doors, drawers.

9. Beware of the stove

If you have a wood, pellet, gas or liquid fuel stove in the kitchen, explain to your child that it is dangerous for a number of reasons. The first is that it burns and that’s why you shouldn’t go near it. If you have a gas stove, this can be another serious danger. Furthermore, the stove also represents a fire hazard.
Therefore, make sure that your child cannot turn it on by himself (put safety locks) and maybe even consider installing fire safety devices.

10. Cooking safety tips

Children love to “help out” in the kitchen and you shouldn’t let kitchen safety concerns get in the way of spending quality time with your child. So keep an eye on your child while he helps you and follow these simple tips:

• Turn the pot handles inward. If you cook on the stove while children are nearby, make sure the handles of pots and pans are facing inward and not pointing or protruding from the stove. This way children won’t be able to grab hot pans and knock them over.
• Pay attention to the tablecloths especially if there are small or very small children. Make sure you don’t place hot or heavy objects on top of tea towels, napkins or tablecloths. Young children may hold on to hanging clothes and pull heavy or hot objects over them.
• Watch out for kitchen appliances. Be careful using kitchen appliances near children. Safe use of a mixer, blender or food processor requires following the appropriate steps for the tool, so keep your child’s hands away from moving parts and water away from electrical components. And as I mentioned above, remember to unplug these appliances when they’re not in use.
• Explain what you are doing. While your child is “helping” you and you “have fun” cooking with them, take the time to explain the dangers of cooking and how to use appliances and utensils correctly. Don’t assume that you learn it just by looking at yourself.
• Beware of the microwave. Removing food from the microwave doesn’t seem like a dangerous task but don’t do it yourself as food in the microwave can be hotter than it looks. Never allow children to remove food from the microwave unless they are tall enough to do it properly: Children at face level with the microwave are at risk of facial burns when removing food.
• Teach children to clean up messes promptly when they cook. Spilled food or liquids on the floor are dangerous because they can cause slips and falls. But even messes on the counter as well as being annoying can make tools and the worktop slippery. To prevent your child from getting hurt, teach him to clean the table or floor as soon as something is spilled.

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These are just a few tips for child safety in the kitchen .
Obviously it is not necessary to transform the kitchen into an anti-atomic bunker or even into a museum where one can “look but not touch”.
In fact, children must make their own experiences and learn what is dangerous . As they grow they can then take on more responsibilities and learn new skills in the kitchen. Although with these new skills will come new rules. 😉