The kitchen can be a pretty unsafe place for an adult and it is even more unsafe for children. There are three areas of your kitchen that you should protect your kids from. The first area is where you keep sharp utensils, the second is kitchen appliances that become hot, and the third is underneath the sink where most people have their chemicals. While we all know that these things are unsafe for kids, sometimes it is hard to keep them away from them. Keep reading below for a few safety tips on how to keep your kitchen safer.
Sharp Utensils
Sharp utensils are essential for when we are cooking. Can you imagine trying to eat steak without a steak knife? Most people lock away knives in a drawer where the kids can’t reach. However, there are other sharp utensils in the kitchen that we may not think to lock away. One way to make the kitchen safer is to keep all of the sharp items locked away in one area. You may have a lot and they may take up a few drawers but keep them locked away in one location and the kids will know to stay away from that area. Just remember, anything pointy should go into locked drawers!
Kitchen Appliances
In order to make some food safe to eat it needs to be heated at a very high temperature. Unfortunately, you can’t lock a stove top when you’re boiling water and some kids will want to touch the shiny, red surface. It is extremely important to teach your kids the danger of touching those hot surfaces. This includes the oven, stove, microwave, toaster, toaster oven, or anything else that will heat up. One tip is to put up signs to let them know not to touch. Some children are stubborn and more defiant so if they do end up touching something hot, keep a first aid kit handy and I’m sure they will never touch it again!
Chemicals
Most of us tend to keep our chemicals in the kitchen. For a young child, they know the kitchen is where the food is. It may be confusing for them if they do come across a chemical to know whether or not they can eat it. If your kid is known to eat anything they get their hands on, it may be best to keep the chemicals out of the kitchen all together. If you do want to keep them in the kitchen, make sure they are locked away. Signs or stickers on all of the chemicals could also be helpful because it will let your kids know those items are not food and they are harmful.
It is so fun to let kids help you cook and bake in the kitchen and by no means should you miss out on those memories! Our biggest kitchen safety tip is to teach, teach, teach! You should teach your kids at a young age the dangers of the kitchen but also allow them to help you cook. Give your kid a fish and they’ll eat for a day, but teach your kid to fish and they’ll eat for the rest of their lives. It may be scary to let your kids wield a knife or go near an oven so go at a pace you feel comfortable with. Who knows, you might appreciate the extra pair of hands in the kitchen!
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