Your kitchen can be a dangerous place for your kids as well as yourself. Think about it: your kitchen is essentially a big room full of sharp objects, burners, and caustic cleaning solutions.
Luckily, here are a few simple tips to keep help make your kitchen a safe place, especially when you have little ones:
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Balance is Key
Every professional chef in the world knows you need to have a stable footing in the kitchen. Tripping or slipping while carrying a carving knife or a hot dish is a recipe for disaster. That is why professional chefs all wear slip-resistant shoes.
But did you know that slip-resistant shoes are available to everyone? Why not take a page out of a professional chef’s book and help keep your footing in the kitchen. Women and men’s slip-resistant shoes are great for moms and dads to wear in the kitchen as well as at work. They will help you maintain your balance and avoid falling or dropping anything dangerous on yourself or your child.
Keep the Floor Clear
Any clutter or oil on the kitchen floor is a tripping hazard. Clean up messes in your kitchen as they happen to help make sure that you do not trip and fall, hurting yourself or your child.
Baby-Proof Your Kitchen
If you are like most people, you store a great deal of your cleaning equipment under your kitchen sink. Bleach, dish detergent, and toilet cleaner can all be toxic for children. That is why it is so important that you put baby-proof locks on all your cabinet doors and drawers.
Babies love to explore. If they can reach something, eventually, they will grab it. Ensure that none of the power cords for your kitchen appliances are within reach of your child. Also, make sure all the power outlets at ground level are covered so that your baby is safe from electric shock.
Make Sure Sharp Objects are Out of Reach
If your silverware drawer is low enough for your child to reach, then it is low enough for your child to get into. When babies are first learning to walk, they will grab on to anything available for support. Grabbing on a silverware or knife drawer could have dangerous consequences for your baby.
A simple fix, if you happen to have a silverware drawer that your young child can reach, is to install a small lock on the drawer. Alternatively, you can empty all your heavy or dangerous drawers and move their contents to a different, higher location until your child is old enough where injuring themself with falling objects is no longer an issue.
Fix Problems Before They Come Up
As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Maintaining health and safety in your kitchen is not a simple task, but taking some time to think about it could help save you a mountain of worry in the future.
Get on Your Child’s Level
In baby-proofing their kitchens, some parents find it helpful to get down on their hands and knees. It may sound silly, but give it a try. This allows you to view the world from your baby’s level. From this vantage point, it may be easier to see what potential trouble your child could get into. Or maybe you will just notice that you need to clean under the refrigerator, which is useful information as well.
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