Mixing a dough together with mom and then staring fascinated through the glass pane of the oven at the Gugelhupf or the tray with the cookies for Christmas? Of course, everyone wants to offer their children this joy. Nevertheless, there is a great danger that the offspring will want to repeat the fun in the kitchen on their own. Therefore, a child-proof kitchen is really important. The following article provides information on how this can best be achieved.
Table of contents
The Most Important Basic Rule Of All
“Knife, fork, scissors, light …” is an old saying that lists the kitchen dangers, especially for the younger children. Today, with the electric stove, the kettle, the blender and the toaster, many other things are added. To secure everything all the time is not always an easy task. That’s why the most important rule of all is: never leave your children unsupervised in the kitchen!
Explain, But Always In An Age-appropriate Way!
No one needs to explain to a baby the danger posed by boiling water. Electricity is also something that young children cannot yet grasp properly in terms of safety. On the other hand, kids quickly understand that you can slip when romping on a wet floor or fall off a stepladder. Therefore, the following applies: what suits the little ones’ world of experience can be explained in an age-appropriate way, everything else must be secured.
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Install Safety Products
The purchase is unique and a valuable investment in comprehensive protection for tots. Products for safety in the kitchen there are a lot and parents can choose from this rich palette what is needed individually. Choices include, for example, finger pinch protection on drawers or doors, as well as protective grills for the kitchen stove, edge and corner protection. What exactly is installed depends on the nature of the kitchen in question, as well as the size and age of the children. Our checklist for baby-first equipment is sure to help, too.
Avoid Traps
It is often the parents, of all people, who create traps and thus danger in a basically well-secured kitchen. The classics in this context are the dangling cable of electrical appliances or the pan handle that extends beyond the stove. Such things are often unerringly spotted by the curious eyes of children and have a high temptation character to play with them.
Caution, Hot!
Some children can even understand the danger of bubbling water on the stove. When the steaming soup or the bowl with the spaghetti is on the table, this can already look different. Space for these things should therefore be optimally in the middle of the table. The short arms of children have no chance of reaching the hot food. And when parents explain to their kids that hot food on the fork and spoon must first be blown cool, it’s the ideal opportunity to mention how hot the pot on the table is.
Drinking? Better Not
There are a lot of things in the kitchen that should not be swallowed by children under any circumstances. These include washing-up liquids and cleaning agents of all kinds, which should always be kept safely out of the reach of little ones. But the list should also be extended to real drinks. Alcohol, for example, should never be allowed to get into the hands of little ones, and of course caution should also be exercised when it comes to hot coffee.
Consider The Danger Of Choking
Actually, one does not want to think of such a topic at all, but it must not be missing around the child security under any circumstances. Objects that can trigger shortness of breath must not be accessible to children in the kitchen. This applies to plastic bags as well as tiny foods such as nuts, which can be easily inhaled. If children should have an allergy to certain foods, these must also not be freely accessible. The same applies, of course, to medicines.
Fire Hazard: Always Keep In Mind
Matches do not belong in children’s hands. But there are other sources of danger around fire and flame. These include the small tea light as well as the candles on the Advent wreath in the run-up to Christmas. Of course, the hot stovetop is also a danger if the offspring have spread out the picture they have just painted for mom or dad to look at. Good tip for all parents: simply look at the kitchen once with children’s eyes. Then such traps often literally jump into the eye.
Sharp And Sharp: Consider The Double Meaning Of The Word
Sharp objects such as knives or scissors must be kept out of children’s hands. If the tots want to help with cooking and baking, the blunt wooden spoon will do just as well as the harmless plastic knife. But sharp has another meaning in the kitchen: Spices must be kept safely under lock and key. This applies to the pepper shaker as well as to the fresh chili pepper that may have just been brought home from the market.
Long List, But Don’t Panic
Of course, parents come to gulp at the dangers that can lurk for children in the kitchen. Nevertheless, safety can be realized without banning the little ones from the kitchen. In fact, this is the wrong way to go in any case. The right thing to do is to make the little ones aware of danger in the kitchen area in a manner appropriate to their age, but not to spoil their enjoyment of a room in which so many wonderful things happen. Of course, this also applies in a similar way to all other rooms in the house and the garden.
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