Want to Make Your Kitchen Kid-Friendly? Here’s 7 Tips What to Do
The kitchen is the perfect gathering place for your family when everybody is at home. However, when you have kids in the house, a regular kitchen might not be the ideal hangout spot for the entire family.
With all the electronic appliances, sharp tools, and hot stovetops, it might seem like keeping your kids out of the kitchen is the best option. Fortunately, you can safely have your little ones around the kitchen by child-proofing it. Here are six ways to do this and ensure that your kids are not getting into accidents or distracting you while preparing dinner.
1. Install Child-Proof Worktops
If you’re going to be having your kids in the kitchen often, you need to make sure that your surfaces can take a little mess. Opt for non-porous, durable, and scratch-resistant materials such as laminate and quartz for your countertops.
These are easy to clean up too, which is a huge plus because kids are bound to spill a lot of substances on them. Surfaces made of more delicate materials will end up staining faster and losing their luster when you have kids in the kitchen.
2. Choose Textured, Non-Slip Flooring
Spills and slips are common accidents in the kitchen, especially when there are kids involved. Protect your kids from such accidents by installing non-slip flooring. Good examples of kid-friendly floors are those made of cork, vinyl, or ceramic tiles.
3. Create a Kid Corner
Create an area in the kitchen where your kids can have fun while you’re busy with the cooking. Get them a small-sized table they can sit at and play with their toys to keep them occupied and prevent them from wandering towards the cooking area.
To make it more fun for them, mount a blackboard next to the table where they can write or draw. This board can double-up as where you list down the daily menu or shopping list, so it’s useful for everyone.
4. Buy Kitchen Appliances With Child-Lock Features
The last thing you want is your child opening the fridge and trying to climb up to reach for a snack or getting their hands on the stove controls and turning it on.
To avoid these safety hazards, purchase appliances with the child-lock feature. This feature deactivates the control panel so that even if your child gets their hands on the buttons, they’ll not be able to open doors or turn on appliances.
For cabinets and drawers containing sharp tools or cleaning supplies, always keep them locked when you’re not using them.
5. Get Safe and Convenient Cookware for Your Little Helpers
When your kids are at an age when you can safely involve them in meal preparation or cooking, get safe and convenient cookware. Non-stick cookware by Crumble is great when you’re teaching your older kids to cook, as it’ll ensure they don’t burn as many meals as they attempt to prepare. For other kitchen tools, get kid-sized options that they can handle safely.
6. Declutter the Kitchen
When hosting kids in the kitchen, it’s a safety hazard to have tools, ingredients, and other stuff out on the surfaces or the floor. Keep the pathways free of obstructions which can be tripping hazards. Don’t leave tools or containers on the counters as a curious kid is bound to come by and attempt to reach up for it.
Also, with everything safely stowed away in drawers or cabinets, you’ll not be pressured to keep a constant eye on the little one, afraid they’ll get their hands on something.
7. Make Your Kitchen Welcoming For Everyone
With a kid-friendly kitchen, you’ll spend less time looking over your shoulder while you cook, and your kids will be able to hang around without getting into accidents.
Also, when they’re enthusiastic about helping in the kitchen, it’ll be more practical for both of you as you’ll already have tools that are suitable for them. With these tips, your kitchen will truly become a place where your family bonds.
