Of all the rooms at home, the kitchen is by far the most hazardous. If you have a toddler, you might have experienced the frustration of trying to keep their curious hands out of trouble. However, with these few kid-friendly tips, you can have a reasonably stress free time to whip up a meal or doing other chores.
Keep an eye on them
If you’ve had children, you know that silence is often an indication that your toddler is up to no good. Therefore, the first line of defense of keeping your child safe in the kitchen is keeping a keen eye on them. Allow them to explore but make sure they haven’t stumbled on the potential harm that you could have overlooked. If you’re engrossed in what breaking news there is from your preferred news station or what cosmetic consultants Toronto prides in has discovered, then you’re better off having someone watch them or place them in a high chair to keep them in one spot.
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Have safety latches and childproof containers
This second line of defense accessories is what will keep babies out of cabinets. These can be a slight inconvenience especially if you’re used to opening and closing cabinets but are well worth it to use to keep toddlers from accessing potentially dangerous materials. Even when if the child is old enough to open the latch, have them for a while longer. It will register in their minds that they are likely to get into a great deal of trouble if they are caught snooping.
Apply latches to other items as well. That could be a trash bin, or supplements and medication. Opt for containers that require extra muscle or tact to open. Even if they stumble upon one, they will have difficulty opening it and give up altogether.
Move hazardous substances and materials to higher cabinets
Most family conventionally put detergents, pesticides, plastic bags and the like under the kitchen sink or in lower drawers. Unless you’re certain that your child cannot figure out how to unlock the latch, consider moving these items further up to avoid the possibility of a fatal accident taking place. The same thing applies to other items they can OD on or have sharp edges that would injure them.
Sharp and glass items equally are out of reach
Consider getting a knife rack that you can keep in the corner of the counter where they cannot reach. In the same places blender blades, craters, peelers and anything sharp in an out to reach place. As always, glassware and ceramics get to be stored above the counters. Leave only wooden spoons and other non-threatening items on the lower drawers.
Mind the wiring
If you have low hanging cords from blenders or the coffee makers, move them to a different place in the kitchen. That is to avoid a child tagging on a cord and sending the appliances into the kitchen floor or them. You can consider getting an extension cable and using tape or other tools to pin it to the floor.