Making the Kitchen Child-Friendly

*Collaborative Post

More accidents happen in kitchens than any other room in the home, and many of them involve small children. Take a look around your kitchen and find ways of making this less likely to happen in your home. This does not mean you have to compromise on style or the use of your kitchen, it just means some careful planning and common sense is needed. Here is how to make the kitchen child-friendly and yet still functional…

Sharp Items

Things like knives, scissors fork, skewers and anything else sharp need to be kept out of the reach of children. Some people hang them on the wall above work surfaces and others have them in a drawer that is higher than the rest. Whichever you do, make sure that little hands cannot get hold of anything sharp.

Poisons

There are several things in kitchens that are very good at what they are meant for but are poisonous to humans, especially little kids. Detergents have the habit of being in nice bottles that can be tempting for children to drink. Then there are things such as Nippon Ant Killer, bleach and many other chemicals, which are vital to making the house clean, safe and comfy, but which they should not come into contact with. Unfortunately, for many years, people kept these under the sink, which is far too easy for children to access. To make this child-friendly They should be kept in a cupboard that is high, and it is even better if it has a lock.

Cookers

There are several things you can do to help prevent burnt fingers, or scalding from a boiling saucepan being pulled over.  The first rule should be that kids are never left unattended in a kitchen where the cooker is in use. You can buy guards and covers for the hob to make it a little less dangerous, and never under any circumstances leave a panhandle sticking outwards so they protrude from the cooker.

Avoid Sharp Edges

If you want your children to be able to move around the kitchen freely, you should avoid as many sharp edges as possible. Tables and work surfaces should have rounded edges, or if there is a table, for instance, that you really love, cover the corners with some rubber until they are a bit older.

Breakables

It is very easy for a little one to drop a plate or a glass, and then to cut themselves on one of the pieces. All crockery and glassware should be kept out of their reach and the best solution is to let them have their own plates, cups, and dishes that are unbreakable.

Besides being unbreakable, the reusable dinnerware sets for kids should also be eco-friendly, non-toxic, and better have a sticky surface. Children usually love to eat by themselves but the majority of parents don’t let them. Some are afraid that they can flip and drop the plates or cups accidentally (even intentionally) and be hurt. To avoid such scenes, the first thing we have to do is to provide them with nonbreakable and eco-tableware. This will let them eat alone and help the parents be confident that no further possible breaks or hurts can happen while eating.

There are many sets of these available and you can often buy them with their favourite characters on, which the kids love, and they like the fact that they have their very own tableware.

Use Your Common Sense

Much of keeping your children safe in the kitchen is down to using your common sense. Kids love to be involved in cooking, but whatever they do should never be anywhere near the cooker or anything sharp. Let them help by all means, but do it with safety in mind, so they are always there to help you again.

Do you have any further tips on how to make the kitchen child-friendly? If so, let me know in the comments.

*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.