Kitchen Safety For Young Kids

Kitchen Safety For Young Children

The kitchen can be a dangerous place for young kids. It is important to carefully supervise your child in the kitchen as he or she begins to walk and become curious. In daycare centers it is important that infants and toddlers be restricted from being in the kitchen. Prevention is the key to avoid injuries, burns, and even fatality. The following items are ways to protect your child and the children in your care, in the kitchen from the oven, microwave, and appliances.

Oven and Ranges:

]	It is important to keep pot handles turned in towards the back of the stove. This will prevent a child from grabbing onto the handle and pulling the pot onto themselves.
]	Hot items should be kept at a safe distance from children by using highchairs, child safety gates, and playpens. Check to see where they are before you move a hot or heavy item.
]	If toddlers are present, tablecloths and placemats should be removed because they can pull everything down on top of themselves. Be sure that children cannot climb onto cabinets, counters, or rangetops.
]	Children should be kept out of the kitchen when the oven is being used. The oven door could burn the child as they lean or fall against it especially if they grab onto the door as they are learning to walk. They may be unable to let go and will get burned.

Microwave

t The location of the microwave should be inaccessible to young children. This will help prevent them from being exposed to microwave radiation from a malfunctioning oven.

t It is important not to use the microwave to warm up bottles for infants. This procedure can burn the infant when the formula reaches a higher temperature than the outside of the bottle.

t Check food before heating it in the microwave. The food may be wrapped or contain pieces of aluminum foil which could become extremely hot and ignite.

t Children should be tall enough to take food out of the microwave in order to prevent facial burns from their face being level with the microwave. Access to the microwave should only be allowed with adult supervision.

t Food that is heated in the microwave may not appear to be as hot as it really is and consequently, children can be seriously burned from microwave food.

Appliances:

v If appliance cords are allowed to dangle or hang over counter top or table edges then children can pull the appliance onto them and get injured.

v Protect children from an electric shock by covering attainable outlets with plastic plug-in protectors.

American Public Health Association, American Academy of Pediatrics. Caring For Our Children. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Edwards Brothers. 1992.

City of Phoenix. "Kitchen Safety." Phoenix at Your Fingertips. 1995.

Related Web Site: http://www.ci.phoenix.az.us./FIRE/kitchen.html (22 Nov. 1998)

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t	The location of the microwave should be inaccessible to young children. This will help prevent them from being exposed to microwave radiation from a malfunctioning oven.
t	It is important not to use the microwave to warm up bottles for infants. This procedure can burn the infant when the formula reaches a higher temperature than the outside of the bottle.
t	Check food before heating it in the microwave. The food may be wrapped or contain pieces of aluminum foil which could become extremely hot and ignite.
t	Children should be tall enough to take food out of the microwave in order to prevent facial burns from their face being level with the microwave. Access to the microwave should only be allowed with adult supervision.
t	Food that is heated in the microwave may not appear to be as hot as it really is and consequently, children can be seriously burned from microwave food.

v	If appliance cords are allowed to dangle or hang over counter top or table edges then children can pull the appliance onto them and get injured.
v	Protect children from an electric shock by covering attainable outlets with plastic plug-in protectors.