A kitchen is a place where you enjoy delicious meals with your loved ones and get creative trying new recipes. But things change when you have small kids, as the kitchen can become a danger zone. In children’s eyes, the cooking space is often seen as a mysterious and wonderful area full of smells, sounds, sights and plenty of appliances that magically prepare food. This is why kids often consider the kitchen the grown-ups’ playroom.
But in the eyes of adults, the cooking space is full of unknown dangers and sharp edges that can potentially hurt children. And this is true, as there are plenty of items, like stoves and knives, that can also cause harm to the most professional chefs. If that happens to professionals, you can imagine what harm can be done to kids who don’t really know what they are doing. And that’s why baby proofing checklist exists!
Thankfully, there are ways to keep the danger away, and the best one is to set up a childproof kitchen. This process is easy and will also not cost a fortune. Here is all you need to consider to get started.
6 Best Ways You Can Set Up A Childproof Kitchen
#1 Secure electricals
If you don’t want your kids to get harmed, you need to secure all your electricals from the kitchen. The usual reaction of a child when seeing a dangling cable is to play with it. But if the cable is attached to an appliance like a blender, then the blender might fall and hurt your kid.
So, to prevent accidents, it will be wise to keep cables out of reach and stow away the appliances when they are not in use. Also, the outlets in your kid’s reach should be covered with safety plugs.
#2 Check cabinets, drawers and shelves
When setting up a childproof kitchen, it is important to check all cabinets, drawers and shelves to ensure they don’t present potential risks. You should pay close attention to the freestanding shelves, as because they are not attached to anything, they can be easily climbed by an overactive kid and fall over them.
This is why it is important to secure them near a wall. If you can’t attach these shelves to anything, replacing them with something safer will be better. The same applies if you have old cabinet doors at risk of falling.
If you can’t afford an entirely new kitchen unit, you can replace just your cupboard doors. Kitchen doors UK are a good alternative, as they are a safe option that will also revamp the look of your cabinets.
It is very important to pay attention to lower cabinets, as because kids will have access to them, they will want to explore what is hidden inside. What is behind closed doors will always be tempting for kids, as they will want to see what surprises they might find inside. So, storing only harmless objects there that can’t break is better in childproofing kitchen.
Also, to ensure your kids don’t have access to drawers that can contain dangerous objects, it is good to install some child locks to baby proof cabinets that will keep the little ones’ curiosity away.
Create a secure cooking area for your kids by exploring the benefits of free kitchen design services. These services can provide personalized solutions to establish a child-friendly environment, ensuring a safe space for your little explorers.
#3 Be aware of burn risks
The kitchen is also a space that can have serious burn risks. So, to prevent them, you should never leave the stove unattended when your kids are in the kitchen.
Make your kids aware of the stove’s dangers and that they should not touch it under any condition. Also, a good cooking safety tip to keep in mind is to turn the pan and pot handles inward so your kid will not knock them over accidentally.
But it will be better to install a stove guard for the kids who are beyond curious and will not listen to you. The stove guard has a metal or plastic enclosure that will keep kids away from dangers, while you can move freely around the kitchen, as you will not have to worry that something bad will happen. Or you can consider opting for an induction cooktop, which will cool down immediately after use, as part of childproofing the kitchen.
Baking with your toddler is an enjoyable experience, but the oven can also present some risks. So, it will be better to install an oven lock to keep your little one away from pitching their fingers between the oven doors or burning themselves on the oven rack.
#4 Keep sharp objects out of reach
When you are childproofing your kitchen, it is essential to keep the sharp items out of your children’s reach. Scissors, knives and other sharp objects need to be stored in a safe location where your kids can’t reach them, like high shelves or locked cabinets. Avoid leaving them on the tables or countertops, as your kids can be curious and grab them with their little hands.
You should also teach your kids the dangers that sharp objects can have so that they will stay away from them. Also, you can encourage them to tell you if they see a sharp object within their reach.
#5 Store hazardous chemicals safely
Cleaning products are an important concern for parents, which is why they must be stored away in a safe location or a locked drawer. Kids can think that the cleaning products are something to eat or drink, as they are colorful and will seem attractive.
But if they ingest these harmful chemicals, then they could be in serious danger. So, you definitely have to store these items in a secure and safe location, where the little and curious hands will not have access.
To prevent access, you can use some childproof latches or locks like the Lulasafe Magnetic Cabinet Locks. Also, leaving the cleaning products in the original containers is better to ensure you always know what a bottle contains.
#6 Set up a safe cooking space for your kids
While you might have a better time if you know your kids don’t have access to the kitchen, you can’t keep them away from the cooking space forever. So, if your kid is still small and doesn’t recognize the dangers, you need to set up a safe kitchen to avoid risks.
Hope these simple yet important tips on childproofing your kitchen help! Share with us in the comments if you have other kitchen babyproofing must-knows or easy childproofing kitchen tips not covered in our article!
