We all know that the kitchen can be a fun place for kids to learn about food and cooking. Unfortunately, it can also be a dangerous place for them. As parents, you need to take steps to ensure their safety when in the kitchen. To help you know which areas to look out for we have teamed up with interior design and installation experts Bespoke Interiors. They have experience helping people with all kinds of home design needs, and you can visit them in person at their kitchen and bathroom showrooms Newcastle location.
1. Sharp objects should be out of reach
The first area to be aware of is to make sure all dangerous sharp objects are well out of reach. Knives are the most obvious item which should be kept away from children at all times. An accident with a large kitchen knife could be disastrous. There are many ways of keeping knives out of the reach of children. Perhaps the safest is to have a lockable case in which they are stored. This may be impractical for some kitchens, so a similar way is to store sharp and large knives on a high shelf. This way, young children can’t access them easily. When using sharp knives, you should always be mindful of where you leave them while cooking, and if you can, wash them and put them away as soon as you’re finished using them.
2. Have vinyl flooring
Kitchen floors are prone to having things spilt on them. It’s only natural for a room where liquids and foods are being moved around, sometimes in a rush, for them to be spilled on the floor occasionally. This can result in floors becoming slippery, and for young children who are not yet fully steady on their feet, this can be dangerous. For this reason, you need a floor which can be cleaned quickly and will not absorb any liquid spilt on it. Vinyl flooring is an excellent option for this, and there is now a huge amount of stylish options available which can fit in with your kitchen design. Gone are the days when your kitchen floor was just one long roll of vinyl. Now luxury vinyl flooring comes in a range of tiles which can be installed in patterns such as parquet. Vinyl flooring can be cleaned quickly, is long-lasting and needs little maintenance.
3. Cushion sharp edges
Sharp edges should be an area of concern for any parent in all rooms of the house. The kitchen is no exception. Protective guards and or cushioning can easily be installed in the kitchen, but there is also a straightforward way of solving this problem. One of the most common ways children can be injured by a sharp edge or corner, is with open cupboard doors. The height of these doors is often at eye level for young children, so making sure the doors are closed at all times is vital. By installing self-closing mechanisms, you can ensure your doors are always closed and not at risk to your children.
4. Don’t let children go near the oven
Finally, there are several steps you should take to protect children from the oven. Checking that the oven is in good and safe working order is the first step. If you have a gas oven, making sure the gas is not leaking and that the pilot light functions correctly, is vital. You also need to be aware of any areas which get hot, as children love to touch all areas. The other key area to be mindful of is making sure children are not nearby when you open the oven door. The amount of hot air which can come out of an oven can be dangerous. They also may want to touch the food coming out of the oven, which will be very hot! Even worse they may reach to touch inside the oven as it’s an area they may not have seen before. For this reason, it’s crucial an oven door is closed as soon as any food is taken out and the oven turned off so it can start to cool down.
Final Words
There are many other areas where the safety of a kitchen can be improved but starting with the ones listed above is crucial when you have children at home. One of the best ways to improve the safety of your children is to be more vigilant and keep a close eye on them when they are in the kitchen, and there are dangerous elements around.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
