Childproofing your Kitchen

Parents spent a high amount of time in the kitchen, so it is only natural that children would follow their parents’ footsteps and regularly explore the kitchen. As with every room in your home, you should keep your kitchen clean to protect your children, but you can also take a few kitchen-specific steps.

 

·        Safely store hazardous chemicals. Many people store bleach, detergents, glass cleaner, and other chemicals underneath the sink. If you have a baby, you should move these chemicals to a location out of the baby’s reach.

·        Unplug electric appliances. Don’t leave the toaster or other electric appliances plugged in. In addition, keep a close watch on children as you use appliances such as griddles and waffle irons.

·        Protect children from the stovetop. Use the back burners on your stove as much as possible and keep the handles pointed away from the ledge so that children cannot reach them.

·        Keep breakable items away from children. Use plastic cups rather than glass for children and store fine china until the children are older.

·        Keep children away from large appliances. You can buy locks for your oven and other appliances, or you can simply keep on eye on your children. The dishwasher, trash compactor, garbage disposal, and refrigerator can all be appealing for exploring young minds.

 

Look for troublesome items within a young child’s reach, such as a low-hanging tablecloth. In addition, remove stepladders or stools on which children can climb unless you have accounted for them in your childproofing.