Kitchen safety

Kitchen safety
Quiz for parents and carers
Safety tips
Young children are hugely curious – and
one of the ways they learn is by putting
things in their mouths. While childresistant
caps are helpful as they slow
young children down, they are not
completely child-proof. Some three and
four-year-olds can open them in
seconds. So keep all cleaning products
on a high shelf or in a cupboard with
child-resistant locks.
Young children can mistake tablets for
sweets, so take care not to leave them
out on work surfaces or in unlocked
kitchen drawers. And try to avoid taking
them when young children are watching
– as they may want to copy you.
Most medicines that need to be stored in
a cool place don’t need to be kept in the
fridge. Check the label. If it does need to
be stored in the fridge, keep it as high up
and hidden as possible.
A young child’s skin is much thinner
than an adult’s, so they burn much
more easily. Little hands can grab at
hanging leads, so use a kettle with a
short or curly flex. And keep it pushed
to the back of your work surface.
A mug of tea or coffee can still scald a
young child 15 minutes after it’s been
made. So keep hot drinks well out of
young children’s reach. And don’t hold a
baby on your lap when you’ve a hot
drink in your hand – in case they grab at
the mug, and end up badly scalded.
Pan handles can look intriguing from a
toddler’s point of view. So use the rings
at the back of the cooker, with the
handles turned towards the back, so
little fingers can’t grab them. And keep
children away from the oven door to
prevent nasty burns.
If chip pans catch fire, they can cause
horrific injuries and even start house
fires. It’s safer to replace your chip pan
with an electric deep-fat fryer. Oven
chips are also a safer alternative. If you
can’t do this, don’t fill your chip pan
more than one-third full with oil.
If you have young children around, it
may be safer to keep them out of the
kitchen until you have finished
preparing the meal. You can use a
safety gate across the kitchen door to
keep small children out of harm’s way.
If you have room, a playpen in the
corner of the kitchen can also provide a
safe haven.
Small children's throats are much
narrower than adults, so they choke
much more easily. Cut food into small
pieces and teach children to sit down
when they are eating. Remember that
even soft things like grapes may be too
big for a small child’s throat – so put
safety first by cutting them up.
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