Safety tips for toddlers in the kitchen

It’s a picture you know too well: You left your child in the other room playing with their toys and as you are busy frying or grilling dinner, you feel a tap on your legs. Within a split second, they have made it to the kitchen and are busy exploring what they can play with. This situation can quickly turn disastrous as they reach the counter and overturn a boiling kettle or burn from the oil that jumps off the pan as you cook. Keeping an eye on your child and cooking dinner at the same time can be a challenge, but by following these safety tips you can prevent your toddler from being burnt by hot liquids in the kitchen.

Prevent your child from burning

According to Safe Kids USA, an average of 500 children under the age of 14 die as the result of fires or burns each year. Scald burns that occur in the kitchen are the most common type of burn-related injuries among toddlers and young children. Children under five years of age are more likely to be injured by hot liquids than by any other kind of burn. Toddlers and hot fluids are a dangerous combination. These simple guidelines can help keep your child from becoming a burn statistic. The picture is not all bleak, though. There are several steps you can take to help your child avoid becoming a statistic.

Keep the toddler out of the kitchen

Cordon off the kitchen with a baby gate or door to prevent your toddler from wandering around the kitchen. If they still find their way to the kitchen, make sure you don’t leave them unattended.

Keep the toddler away from the stove

Toddlers listen when you tell them that the stove is a dangerous place to be around. You can also repetitively tell them they will burn, if they don’t keep their distance from the stove. If your home is built in such a way that you can’t keep your child away from the kitchen, buy a roll of red duct tape and use is to create a boundary of at least three feet around the stove. Tell your child that, no matter what, he or she is not allowed to cross that barrier. Remember, though, that kids will be kids. They are curious about the world they are discovering and everything in it. Even the most obedient of toddlers will sometimes forget or break the rules, so if the stove is on and your child is in the kitchen, watch her like a hawk.

Boil water and other hot liquids on the back burner

Children are by their nature curious and will find ways to climb and reach the kitchen counter or stove. You need to always keep a watchful eye on your child. If you boil water or cook, use the back burner as it is too far for most toddlers to reach, so that even if they do make it into the kitchen and up to the stove, they won’t be able to touch the hot pan or pot.

Point handles towards the back of the stove

Making the handle of the pot more difficult to reach is an important safety tool and one that new parents who aren’t used to toddlers may tend to overlook. One of the most common scalding scenarios is that a child playing by the stove looks up, sees the handle of the pot or pan dangling just above her head, reaches out to grab it, and ends up pulling the entire pot of boiling liquids onto herself.

Don’t ask your child to handle hot liquids

Toddlers love to help around the kitchen, and it’s a great way to involve them in household chores. When assigning tasks, however, don’ t ask your toddler to stir hot liquids. Instead, perhaps he or she could fold napkins, stir a room-temperature cake batter, or help you dry the plastic dishes.