Child Proofing the Kitchen – start with the knobs and pulls
The kitchen is a place where great things can happen, family meals, birthday cakes, and Easter egg dying. But, it’s also a place where tragedy can strike if you have children in the house and you have not kid-proofed the space.
Take a moment to really look around the kitchen. When it comes to kids, it’s one hazard after the next. First what’s inside the cabinets that you have all around the room? Numerous heavy things that if they fell down on a child, could cause injury. This is not to mention all the chemicals and deadly cleaning concoctions that are often in the under-sink cabinets. It doesn’t take much. Kids are always curious and will yank on any knobs and pulls they see, just to see what’s inside. It almost seems like knobs and pulls are an enticement to kids, they always want to know what’s behind them. One way to prevent this cabinet and drawer hazard in your kitchen is to look at child-safe latches or catches for your cabinets and doors. Latches are just that, they are a hook or bolt that when in place will hold the drawers or cabinets shut; no matter how many times the little one grabs the knobs and pulls. The other option is catches. These are little friction hooks inside the drawer or cabinet. When you shut it, it snaps in place. When an adult pulls on the knobs and pulls they will open, because there is enough strength and leverage being used, but when the little ones try to open them, they can’t.
Next, look at your countertops. If your kitchen is like most of the other ones around the country, it is filled with all the latest appliances. Most of those appliances have to be plugged in to work, and some of those plugs may be dangling off the edge of the counter. To a child, this is like dangling a carrot. It is something that is hanging down within their reach, and gives some resistance when they tug on it. So they’ll keep tugging until that appliance eventually falls. Not only can they get hurt from the initial drop of the appliance, but things like blenders have the threat of shattering glass as they hit the ground. To avoid this, there are cord rollers on the market that keep the cord as tight as it needs to be so you can plug it into the wall, but the rest of the cord is not dangling in front of little fingers.
Finally, look at those electrical outlets. They are all over the kitchen, so you have the convenience of having electricity where you need it. But that also means threats of electrocution all over the kitchen. Children like to poke at things, and electrical outlets are no exception to this. If the outlets are not in use, they need to be covered. There are a number of outlet covers on the market. Some can be permanently installed and swivel to the side when you need to use the outlet, then be put securely in place, blocking the holes, when not in use.
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