While the kitchen is often the gathering place within a family’s home, it’s also one of the most dangerous rooms that you can be spending time in. But because everyone has to eat, and nothing beats making memories with your family while cooking together, it’s important that you’re able to reduce those risks within your home and make your kitchen as safe as possible for both yourself and your children. To show you how this can be done, here are three tips for making your kitchen safe for your little ones.
Set Rules For Being In The Kitchen
From the time your kids are young, it can be helpful to set rules and who’s allowed to be in the kitchen during what times and what tasks or items your children are allowed to help you with. According to HomeAdvisor.com, when your children are very little, you should teach them to stay out of the kitchen while cooking is taking place. This will help to keep them away from the hot oven or stove and from sharp knives. Once they get a little older, set rules about only cooking with an adult present and asking for help with things like knives, appliances, and more.
Be Careful With What and How You Load Your Dishwasher
Aside from cooking in your kitchen, a decent amount of cleaning takes place here as well. In most modern kitchens, people use a dishwasher to clean and sanitize their dishes and their cooking and eating utensils. For many kids, helping to load and unload the dishwasher can seem more like fun than a chore. However, you need to be very careful with how you load the dishwasher and what you allow within it. According to Parents.com, you should load and unload things that are sharp or breakable before your child has a chance to get them out on their own. This will help to keep everyone safe around the dishwasher.
Know Where Your Child Can Reach and Keep Dangerous Items Away
When your children are small, it’s easy to keep things out of their reach. But as your kids become more mobile and grow taller and taller, their reach becomes longer and longer. Things that once used to be safe on the counter might be easily within reach now. Because of this, HealthyChildren.org suggests that you always keep things like cleaners and knives either locked away or far back on your counters. Additionally, keep pot handles or dangerous appliances pointed back from the edge of the counter where little hands can’t quickly reach up and get hurt.
To avoid any injury in your kitchen, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you keep your kids safe from the dangers of a neglected kitchen area.
