How to Child-Proof Your Kitchen
How to Child-Proof Your Kitchen Most of you will click on this link for salvation, but if you already have kids- you've already started to notice some of the things that need to be done.
- Storing Chemicals
Probably 90% of the world stores their kitchen cleaning supplies below their sink- but that is an extreme hazard for children. If you have a pantry cabinet, chemicals should be placed in the upper shelves of that. If you don't have a pantry, your next best bet is to place chemicals in the laundry room. The laundry room should either have space above the washing machine and drier for these chemicals, or you should have some type of storage above children's reach.
- Small Accessories? No.
Small accessories, such as refrigerator magnets are not child friendly- they are a choking hazard. If you love to post pictures on your refrigerator, make sure to use strong magnets that won't fall off, and place them above what any child can reach. Other small items to keep out of reach would be shot glasses, or anything that is decorative or glass or small. If you have to have it, plan on having shelves that are out of children's reach, and that doesn't include counter top height.
- Plants and Other Decor
So many people like to decorate with plants, but kids also love sticking their hands in dirt and putting fingernail marks in your poor dracaena until it's leaves fall off, so plants are another no-no for a kid-friendly kitchen. Just like plants and small accessories, other decor needs to be kept to a minimum in a house of kids. Glass Plates, Alcoholic Bottles, Cookie Jars, and Appliances are all things that normally sit on a counter top, but they can be hazardous to kids.
- Metal Cabinet Locks
Metal Cabinets are the Holy Grail. When you have a youngster that is just learning to walk, they often grab onto knobs and pulls in the kitchen to pull themselves up. But the doors have the tendency to open when they are pulled on, causing the kid to fall, then proceed to get up and pull everything out of the drawer. Metallic pieces on both the door and the main cabinet cause the cabinet to stick together, making it harder for the doors and drawers to open. This feature not only keeps you children from busting their butt, it also keeps your kitchen utensils safe!
- Appliances
Did you know that you can buy kid friendly appliances? There are dishwashers that have buttons on the top of the door rather than the front, so no unintentional button pushes happen. Let's look at the picture below and find a few hazards: The baby is standing by an oven that is preheating, currently at 342 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't think I need to go any further into what's wrong with that. Even a bump against the outside could bother his sensitive skin. There is a knife on the island, and the baby could easily pull it off if he tried to reach anything else on the island. He could easily step on that glass lid. I know those things are tough, but glass can shatter.
