How to baby proof your kitchen
If you have a baby who has discovered the wonders of navigating his way around the house on his own, you know how important it is to have things baby-proofed. The kitchen is especially a room of concern because of all the potential dangers that are there. Hot stoves, dangerous cleaners and sharp objects are just a few of the concerns that you have. Fortunately there are things that you can do to make the kitchen a room that you can both feel safe in.
Restrict mobility
Having a child playing at your feet in the kitchen is not only annoying but it is unsafe for both you and your child. If one of you were to trip and fall because the other person was in your way you could have a serious injury on your hands. Instead, when you are cooking or are busy in the kitchen, and put your young child in a safe playpen (or high chair at the appropriate age). Keep the playpen or high chair close to the kitchen entrance so that the child is far from harm but close enough to stay in your view. Security gates have advantages and disadvantages when they are used to limit access to the kitchen. On the plus side they are very effective in keeping young ones out. But you run the possibility of not being aware of where the child is if they run off to play in another part of the house.
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Put it away
Store harmful chemicals, such as cleaning products, in a place that is easily accessible for you but harder for your children to get to (such as above the refrigerator or in a high cupboard). Statistics show that you will open the door to your cleaners approximately 1600 times over a three year period. Children are constantly watching what you are doing and you can bet that anything you do more than 1600 is going to be picked up by then. If they do not learn how to get into the areas that you do not wish for them to be in, than it likely that you will leave a cupboard or cabinet opened wide enough for little hands to get into. You cannot fool yourself into thinking that you can keep an eye on your child 100% of the time.
Keep it out of reach
Good sense will tell you to cook to the rear of the stove whenever possible. Pot handles should also always be turned to the rear of the stove. If little hands can't reach the hot pots, they will not be able to pull them down and burn themselves. Tablecloths have a tendency to be pulled on children as young as 9 months old. Save the tablecloth for special occasions and consider using an out of reach centerpiece instead. Long wall telephone cords should be secured up with a cup hook or simply looped over the top of the telephone. Besides being a strangulation hazard, the receiver can easily be pulled from the wall by the cord and fall on top of little heads.
Get some locks
Stove oven doors on most stoves swing downward. Children are creative and curious and can easily use the bottom storage drawer handle as a step. If you allow your child to, he will most likely grab the handle of the oven and fall backwards when the door opens. There are a number of oven door latches available (suck as those manufactured by Gerber and Safety 1st ) that can be used to ensure that oven doors remain securely closed. All drawers and cabinets should also have latches or locks. This will keep the child from removing the contents, as well as hinder a child who may get the idea that it would be fun to use pulled draws as steps to a ladder. Keep the dishwasher closed when not in use. There are many sharp edges inside a loaded dishwasher that can so easily hurt a young child. Make sure that the do not have any access to these dangerous doors when you may be out of the room.
Be a little flexible
Kids will be kids and we cannot spend every waking moment and ever last dollar locking them out of everything. So as a compromise, consider setting aside a cupboard for your little one to explore and play with. Let him play in the cabinet with the Tupperware, plastic bowls and wooden spoons.
