Does your family spend a lot of time in the kitchen?
I bet you do!
Often, your kids will be there.
But the kitchen also holds potential hazards for your babies from sharp objects to chemicals and appliances.
It’s almost impossible to keep them out of the kitchen.
If you’re expecting a baby or having a curious little explorer, check out the following tips to make your kitchen safe and kid-friendly.
Never Leave Pot Or Pan Handles Turning Outwards
Imagine your toddler pulls down the pot handle with hot contents.
The last thing you want to see is your kid scalded by hot food or drinks.
What should you do?
Don’t leave any utensil handles hanging out over the edge of stoves, counters, and hobs. Turn them inwards, pointing to the middle of the stove.
Make it into a habit before your babies can reach up and pull a pot of hot liquid on their skins.
If you want added safety, use back burners to cook whenever possible.
Let Your Toddler Be Your Little Kitchen Helper With A Learning Stool
A learning tower is a stool with an enclosed platform at the top with a set of steps.
It allows your toddlers to cook, bake, and play safely at your kitchen’s counter height.
They can see what’s going on on your countertops.
Keep Your Kitchen Appliances Safe
Appliances cords always appear as a mighty temptation to a child.
If little ones see those dangling cords, they may either get their necks tangled (risk of strangulation) or pull them down, causing the appliance to fall on top of them.
How do you eliminate the danger?
Tuck the wires away or tie up them so they are less than 6 inches long. This should keep any excess cord out from your baby’s reach.
After using the appliance, unplug it and put it away.
If you have large appliances, anchor them to the wall to prevent the risk of tipping over.
Lock Up The Cabinets
Most likely, you use cabinet locks or latches to baby proof your kitchen.
But as your babies get older, they may figure out how to open the locks or latches.
Soon, these baby safety gadgets will be obsolete in your kitchen.
The alternative is to get magnetic cabinet latches. They only open when you touch a special key to that spot on the doors.
At first, they seem complicated to use, but they are easy to install.
What I Like About Magnetic Locks
- Your baby fingers don’t get pinched.
- The cabinet doors open and shut without banging noise.
- You can’t see the locks on the outside (no physical deformation of your cabinets) as they attach to the top inside of the cabinet doors.
If you keep any chemicals or medicines in the lower cabinets, move them higher to keep them out of reach.
Leaving those dangerous items in the lower cupboards with magnetic locks would work as well.
The only issue with magnetic locks is that you can’t use them in drawers.
Baby Proof Your Stove
If you want your toddlers to avoid any accidental burn or fire, just remove the stove knobs.
Removing them is easy.
Depending on the make of your stove, you can either pull them outright or remove a single screw.
I know some of you may feel frustrated when the stove knobs go missing.
So, having them lying around may not be a good idea.
Alternatively, you can use stove guards to stop your kids from fiddling with the knobs.
Stove knob covers can keep them safe from burns.
Get An Oven Lock
Once your child becomes a toddler, he can be grabby.
If he reaches and grabs an oven door handle, it would be a catastrophe.
An oven lock is a great option if your oven is on the ground.
Once locked, your toddler will struggle to pull the door down.
It’s also a safety measure when the oven is on.
Baby Proof Your Refrigerator With A Lock
Refrigerators are not safe for nosey toddlers.
Children may suffocate after climbing inside fridges and freezers.
If your little explorers like to pull out shelves or food from the fridge, then lock the fridge door.
Get a fridge lock like this one. To open the fridge door, just press the button to release the strap.
Make sure the lock is above the handle so they cannot reach it.
You’re seeing things from your babies’ viewpoint.
I bet there are some nasty stuff or stale foods lurking there.
Clean underneath your fridge periodically to reduce the chances of them choking or eating spoiled foods.
Babyproof Your Kitchen Table
Tables with sharp edges or corners can hurt young kids when they run into them.
Cover those danger spots with corner bumpers or edge cushion to protect little bodies from bumps and bruises
When your children sit on high chairs, they tend to scratch the table with forks or spoons. So, protect it with a scratch-proof table cover.
Secure The Trash Can
The saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” will fit most toddlers.
You may go nuts when your babies realize what a treasure chest it can be to them.
Even a toilet roll tube or an empty cereal box would make them happy.
But, you don’t want them to play or swallow unnecessary things from the trash can.
The easiest solution is to keep the trash can out of sight.
Just stow it away in a latched cabinet.
If you don’t have space, then get a trash can with a latch.
This should stop them from trying to pry the garbage bin.
Move The Dangerous Items To Higher Cabinets/Shelves
Usually, you keep chemical cleaners in a cabinet below the kitchen sink.
These cleaners come with colorful labels that may attract the attention of your babies.
Instead of locking the cabinet, why not shift them high up!
The higher these harmful products are kept, the less likely the little hands will reach them.
But as they turn into toddlers, they’ll start climbing and their curiosity doesn’t stop here.
It’s a good idea to latch or lock those upper cabinets with chemicals for double safety.
Beside cleaners, you should store sharp kitchen utensils such as scissors and knives in higher cabinets.
If you can’t latch any drawers for some reasons and they’re within the reach of your kids, make sure they do not have any sharp objects.
Bolt Your Cabinets To The Wall
Free-standing cabinets or shelves have the potential for causing serious injury to children.
When your little ones run into unstable furniture, it can fall on them.
You should anchor wobbly kitchen furniture to the wall against tipping over.
Cover The Electrical Outlets
If the electrical outlets are near the floor, you can’t stop crawling infants from sticking their fingers into the outlets.
Install outlet covers to avoid accidental electric shocks.
Get those that require either both hands or unscrewing to successfully remove them.
It’s almost impossible for your babies to pull them out.
For extra protection, block the access of the outlets with furniture.
Keep Your Baby Busy While Cooking
If you’re cooking, the best way to keep your kids is to supervise them.
However, sometimes it’s not an ideal situation especially when you’re busy preparing meals.
Instead of keeping an eye on them, why not set up a play yard nearby.
This way you can watch them from a safe distance.
[content-egg-block template=offers_grid]Here is another idea.
If you have some rooms around the fridge, stick a few animal fridge magnets that are cute and fun to play with.
They keep your little ones out of the way and distracted.
Unlike others with the small magnets glued to the back, they are safe and kid-friendly.
Your kids would love playing with these magnets while you cook meals.
Change Cleaning supplies
For safety precautions, you can lock cleaners away or store them on high shelves that your babies have no access to.
Have you ever thought of switching from chlorine or ammonia-based cleaning supplies to natural ones?
This is one additional step you should consider.
Chemical ammonia-containing cleaners release fumes that may irritate your kids’ airways.
Try natural cleaners for home as a safer alternative.
Cover Door Knobs
If your kitchen has a pantry door, install a child safety cover to keep small children away from the kitchen.
Your crawling infants or curious toddlers may pick up potential choking hazards on the kitchen floor.
Conclusion
Don’t get overboard when you baby-proof your kitchen.
Make it safe enough for your small ones to explore, learn, and connect.
