Make your kitchen a child-safe place

The kitchen is generally considered the most hazardous room in the house when it comes to child safety.

The risks to children come primarily from boiling liquids, hot surfaces, poisonous cleaning agents, sharp implements, and heavy objects. Fortunately, there are ways to make your kitchen a safer place for your children.

Opt for an induction hob

An induction hob has copper coils beneath the surface that generate heat only when in contact with a pan. When you remove the pan, the hob turns off.

This makes induction hobs much safer for children as only a small surface area becomes hot, making it harder for them to burn themselves. Another benefit of induction hobs is that many now come with child safety locks, so it’s difficult for a child to switch the hob on.

A simple precaution you can take with any hob is to make sure the handles of pots and pans are turned so that they don’t hang over the edge, in reach of small hands. Position the pots at the back of the hob with the handles moved towards the back of the cooker.

And, of course, when you’re cooking, don’t leave a hot hob unattended.

Put locks on low cabinets

Cleaning fluids, dishwasher and detergent tablets should be locked away. Toxic chemicals are found in so many cleaning products, and it’s unfortunate that many dishwasher and laundry additives come in the form of tablets that can look like sweets.

Washing powders, detergents and other cleaning fluids are heavy items, and it’s not always practical to keep them in a high cupboard. Therefore, you should have one low cabinet that’s lockable and use it to store all your toxic household products.

As well as poisonous liquids, you could also keep any plastic bags in your lockable cupboard out of harm’s way.

Fit magnetic child locks

Magnetic child locks can be fixed to the inside of a door with no handles or knobs on the outside. You need a magnetic key to touch the right place in order for the door to open.

This type of lock is simple to fit and can be used on cabinets and appliances. Make sure the key is kept hidden away.

Also, to avoid crush injuries, it’s a good idea to have soft-closing mechanisms on your doors. This helps prevent young children from getting their fingers caught in slamming doors.

Store dangerous items in high cabinets

Glasses and any implements with sharp edges should be stored in high cabinets that are out of reach of small children. If glasses are accessible, they can be smashed on the floor. And as shattered glass has a habit of flying everywhere, it can be difficult to find every last shard.

As well as obvious sharp objects like knives, keep other implements with sharp edges out of the way in a high cabinet. This could include food processing tools, graters and peelers.

Heavy items with a cord that can be pulled, such as toasters and coffeemakers, could also be placed in a cupboard when they’re not in use. An additional safety precaution is to switch off electrical appliances at the plug to prevent inquisitive children from turning on kettles or blenders.

Choose softer edges

Children love to explore. They like to reach up and grip furniture, worktops or anything that comes to hand. To prevent painful bumps and bruises, try and incorporate softer lines in your kitchen, such as worktops with smooth rounded edges.

Tables, chairs and other kitchen furniture will be less like to topple if they’re heavy. Young children often view every item of furniture as a climbing frame, and lightweight items can come crashing down on them.

Let us help you design a child-safe kitchen

German Kitchen Store provides high-quality German kitchens at trade prices with an easy online ordering system.

The beauty of our ordering system is its simplicity. Choose the range and door style/colour – the process is easy. Carcasses, accessories and appliance package options are clearly displayed, allowing you to build a kitchen that’s designed to your specifications.

Our customer service team is on hand to help with any questions or queries regarding your order and delivery.

Call us on 01525 851 642 or email hello@germankitchenstore.co.uk