The kitchen is often considered to be the heart of the home. It’s a space where family and friends tend to gather to catch up, indulge in good food, and cook.
However, with so many dangerous electrical appliances, chemicals, and utensils within arms reach it can be a hazardous environment, especially if you have little ones. Let’s face it, those inquisitive minds are into everything and anything and it’s so true what they say, you definitely have to have eyes in the back of your head when you have kids!
Like many spaces within your home, when little ones arrive, it’s important that you childproof those hazardous areas that could prove to be harmful to your favourite little people. And that particularly applies to your kitchen.
Here are our top tips on how to make your kitchen child-safe. We hope you find them helpful…
Appliances
Your kitchen is often a hub of activity. It’s a space where meals are prepared, cooked, and enjoyed together as a family. But when you have a curious toddler running around, those appliances can pose a threat to your little people (especially if they are already turned on).
However, there’s lots you can do in order to kid-proof your appliances including ensuring that all of the cords are out of reach (make sure you consider this in the design of your kitchen) and that any heavy appliances such as coffee machines, microwaves, and bread machines are positioned out of reach. Obviously, it also helps if you ensure that your appliances are turned off after use.
Cover electrical sockets
It goes without saying that this is one of the first things you should do when your little ones start to crawl, particularly in the areas of your home that contain electrical and open plug sockets.
However, if you have a busy kitchen area, why not think about creating a designated drawer for all of your electrical products such as phones, laptops and other kitchen gadgets? This means you can keep them plugged in within the drawer without your little ones reaching for them.
Block off your kitchen area with safety gates
A great way of securing your kitchen is to use safety gates, especially if your kitchen has only one point of entry. Obviously the effectiveness of this will depend upon the layout and size of your kitchen but it can be a great way of implementing an effective safety measure.
However, if this is not possible and you’re looking to create more of a permanent fixture, why not think about integrating Dutch Doors as an alternative to safety gates?
Dutch doors are not only super-functional, they will also allow you to cook whilst keeping a close eye on your little ones in the adjoining room. They also look great too and will instantly inject an element of intrigue into your kitchen space.
Secure everything
Remember that your little ones are often cleverer than you give them credit for!
With this in mind, it’s important that your kitchen units are secure, durable and able to keep all of your kitchen utensils, cleaning products, and other potentially harmful tools out of site.
A great way of doing this is to integrate practical, built-in storage that has been designed to accommodate all of your kitchen tools. From built-in storage for your bin to integrated wall shelving, it’s possible to ensure that your kitchen is a safe place for your little ones.
Here at Kenneth Installations in Glasgow, we are experts when it comes to kitchen design and can help you achieve the perfect space based on your exact needs and expectations.
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