Baby/toddler safety in the kitchen
Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent looking after your baby or you have a curious toddler exploring the house, the kitchen represents a dangerous environment for your tot. However, with some common sense and practical safety products you can help to ensure that accidents are avoidable. Here, we take a look at safety planning advice for your kitchen and some equipment to keep your little one secure.
Kitchen Safety
The kitchen is central to family life and is the part of the house we all spend plenty of time in. The kitchen can also be a challenging area to make safe for your baby and toddler with plenty of dangers that are obvious, and not so obvious. Just a few simple changes to your kitchen and some useful safety devices will help to eliminate many of the dangers facing your infant.
Glasses and breakables
Items made of glass or your favourite china dinner set should ideally be stored high up and out of reach. If you’re using a glass or dinner plate on the kitchen surface or dining area, keep it well back from the edges so your child can’t see it or grab it. Try to avoid putting glasses and plates on placemats as your child can pull them, and their contents, down onto themselves.
Kitchen Cupboard/Drawer Safety
Cupboards and drawers are most intriguing places for babies and toddlers but there are hazards to your infant from both the cupboard/drawer itself and its contents.
Consider what you keep in a kitchen cupboard and drawer – food blenders with sharp blades, other sharp kitchen equipment, chemical-based cleaning materials etc. And then there’s the possibility of your child trapping their finger in the cupboard/drawer itself.
When you’re supervising your child in the kitchen, consider having a cupboard that they can open and explore. Place safe items in the cupboard such as wooden spoons, empty plastic containers or light saucepans. Having one cupboard like this should detract them from opening others. Just be mindful of them playing with the cupboard itself to avoid trapped fingers.
For all other cupboards and drawers, fit locks and latches to ensure they can’t be opened. Locks and latches come in a variety of designs. Adhesive locks are simple to fit to any cupboard and there’s no need to screw them in. The simple design prevents doors being opened by children but easily for adults when they need to reach the contents inside.
BabyDan Adhesive Cupboard/Drawer Lock
Clippasafe Self Adhesive Locks
For a permanent solution, go for magnetic locks that can be hidden inside the cabinet.
Kitchen Oven/Hob Safety
The oven and hob are serious hazards to the safety of your child and that of your home. The intense heat from an oven, a lit gas hob or red-hot electric hob can cause serious injuries not to mention the hazard of a saucepan containing boiling hot food or liquid being pulled down onto your child.
If you’re cooking on the hob, try to use the back rings whenever possible. If you’re using all four rings, make sure any saucepans at the front have their handles turned toward the back.
The door of your oven can become extremely hot and is usually at the perfect height for your baby/toddler to lean against. An oven guard attaches to the front of the oven door and is designed to help prevent burns to your little one’s hands by reducing the surface heat by 50% to a moderate heat.
Clevamama Transparent Oven Door Guard
A stove guard is a clever adjustable barrier that helps to prevent fingers going near hot flames or boiling hot saucepans on the hob. This device is easily attached and removed when no longer needed.
The knobs on a gas or electric oven/hob can be easily turned into the on position by a toddler whether they’re attached to the front of the hob/oven or on the top. Fortunately there are gas/electric knob covers for both styles of kitchen that will discourage your children from playing with them and potentially hurting themselves or causing a serious fire.
And for further peace of mind, fit a lock to your oven and microwave to prevent curious fingers becoming trapped.
Clippasafe Microwave and Oven Lock
Kitchen Fire Safety
We hope that you never have cause to tackle a fire in your home as it can be a distressing and stressful event especially when you have children to think of. However, you should be prepared for such a situation and the kitchen is a high risk area of the home for fires.
Ensure you have a fire extinguisher and blanket installed in your kitchen. You should only attempt to put out a fire if it is small and containable.
First Alert Multi-Purpose Household Fire Extinguisher
Remember! - Even small fires can spread quickly so use your extinguisher as a means to help you escape. Never tackle a fire yourself unless you can be sure it is manageable (such as a chip-pan fire).
| In the event of a fire: GET OUT! STAY OUT! DIAL 999 - GET THE FIRE SERVICE OUT! |
Kitchen Fun
The kitchen doesn’t have to be a no go area for children. The kitchen can be a great place for tots to interact with mum and dad while cooking, baking or cleaning.
A decent high chair is an essential for busy parents so your baby can sit and watch as you go about your daily tasks. You should never leave your child alone in their high chair and ensure you buy one with a safety harness to prevent them wriggling out.
For toddlers who want to interact and play, a FunPod or Learning Tower provides a safe and secure platform to get your child to the same height as the kitchen worktops.
Tags: baby safety, Kitchen, toddler safety
September 2nd, 2011 at 3:44 pm
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