Keeping your Kitchen Safe for Kids
While the kitchen is one of the most loved areas in a home, it can also be one of the most dangerous zones for small children. When you familiarize yourself with these possible dangers, it’ll be easier to reduce the risks and make your kitchen a safe and enjoyable area for all of the family. Here’s where the dangers can occur and how you can minimize these risks:
Stove
One of the most common injuries that can happen in the kitchen are burns from hot water in pots or pans. To prevent your child from reaching up and hurting themselves, try to use back burners whenever possible, and if not, turn all pot handles towards the back so that they are not in hand’s reach. For extra peace of mind, throw out wobbly pans or tighten the handles to make sure that they are secure, use stove guards, childproof covers on oven knobs, and always keep flammable objects away from the stove. Ovens, burners, and stoves should also be regularly checked to ensure that they are in good working order. Always remember to check and replace faulty appliances which could cause fire hazards, or choose to fix it yourself for smaller appliances.
Refrigerators and Freezers
It’s easy to assume that refrigerators and freezers are harmless to children, however there are several hidden dangers that you should be aware of. Prevent choking hazards by keeping small, indelible objects out of the refrigerator as well as any enticing colorful magnets away from your child’s reach. For extra precaution, keep glass bottles and jars away from accessible shelves, and consider using a childproof door latch for your refrigerator, freezer, or other large airtight appliances which could tempt your child to crawl inside.
Other Kitchen Appliances
As a parent, you’ll know just how mischievous and inquisitive small children can be. Remember to unplug small appliances such as toasters, coffee makers, blenders, food processors when they are not in use and keep them out of arm’s reach. If you have a dishwasher, your child will no doubt want to copy your actions of placing dishware in and out of the machine. For this reason, it’s important to always place any sharp utensils upside down, and to remove items that are breakable. For added protection, consider installing a childproof appliance latch to help keep curious hands away.
Dining Room
Your dining room may be technically separate from the kitchen, but it doesn’t eliminate the chances of accidents happening. Be wary of unstable dining room chairs and tables that are likely to topple over, and check for any potential dangers in wooden dining sets such as protruding nails, splinters, jagged edges, and sharp bolts. Place fragile items such as fine china or glassware in locked cabinets, and avoid placing table cloths on dining tables which can be easily pulled off by children. To further avoid any accidents, make sure to teach your child never to climb on furniture or to lean on the table’s edge.
Photo by Daria Obymaha from Pexels
Contributed posts are written by third parties and contain affiliate links. Woman Around Town receives payment for sales made through the links.