Child Proofing A Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most dangerous rooms in the house, with possible dangers to a young child.

Poisons:

• Keep hazardous chemicals either in child proof cupboards or up high where inquisitive hands can't reach.

• Keep all medications & vitamins in child proof containers in cupboards out of reach to children.

• Where possible, replace hazardous chemicals with non poisonous ones. Not only are they safer to have around young children but they are also better for your health & the environment. Some common cleaners include white vinegar, lemon juice & bicarbonate of soda.

Electrical:

• Keep power cords out of reach to stop children pulling electrical items onto themselves.

• Unplug any electrical appliances you are not using such as kettle, toaster, blender etc.

• Use safety plugs on electrical plugs.

Stoves/fire/burns:

• When cooking, use the back rings if possible. Point pan handles towards the wall  so that they can't be grabbed by a small child. A stove guard can be installed to help protect your child from stovetop injuries.

• After you have boiled a kettle & used all the water you need, empty out the remainder.

• Stove knobs can  be placed on your stove to stop young children accidentally playing with them & turning the stove on.

• Keep children well out of the kitchen when you are handling hot foods. Make it a rule when you are cooking they must stay out of the kitchen. It is easy to trip over little people when you are carrying hot food.

• There are also oven locks available to keep children from opening oven doors.

Fridges:

• The fridge may seem to be fairly harmless, but an inquisitive toddler can get in & accidentally shatter a glass jar, causing injury, they may also eat or drink something they shouldn't. A fridge lock can prevent this happening.

Water:

• Never leave buckets of water (such as nappy buckets, mop buckets) lying around. Children can easily drown in these.

Dishwasher:

• Keep the dishwasher door closed unless you are packing/unpacking it.

• Don't put dishwasher detergent in the machine until you are about to turn it on.

Miscellaneous:

• If possible, provide your child with one cupboard with items they can play with such as plastic containers etc.

• If possible, install a safety gate in the kitchen.

• Not specifically relating to children but always have a working smoke alarm in the kitchen (you can get ones specifically for kitchens that don't have so many false alarms), and have a fire extinguisher/fire blanket in the kitchen also.

• Keep sharp objects such as knives & scissors out of reach of children.

• Try to avoid having small steps, stools etc., in the kitchen where your child can climb onto to reach higher places such as stove tops etc.