KarenYour kitchen is the heart of most homes, only coming second to the living room. There is no exception even when you have small children, so you have to ensure that it’s safe and family-friendly. Follow these tips, whether you’re planning a full remodel, or simply want to add a few safety features to your kitchen.
Easy-To-Clean Countertops
When you have small children, spills, stickiness, and messes just come with the territory, so you have to ensure that your countertops can be easily cleaned. Although glass can be cleaned easily, it is likely to crack or chip if your child drops something on it, which could pose a hazard. Quartz, however, is much more durable and easily wipe clean, so would be a perfect option for your countertop material. Laminate countertops are generally stainproof too and are a much better option if you’re on a low budget.
Move The Knives
It’s important to have sharp knives out of reach if any small children. Most people tend to keep their knives in a knife block, but this isn’t the safest option when a chair is enough to assist your child in climbing onto the counter. Instead, I suggest you keep them secured up high, perhaps in a knife case, or store them in a drawer and install a safety catch to it.
Make It Open Plan
If a full renovation is in order, then perhaps you may want to consider an open plan kitchen and living room. This will ensure that you know that your child is safe in the living room, while you are cooking in the kitchen and vice versa.
Get A Wine Cooler
If you’re allowing your child to get a snack out of the refrigerator alone, then it may be a sensible idea to keep any alcohol out of the fridge, and put it in wine coolers instead. This isn’t to say that they’ll drink it, or even touch it if you tell them not too, but they could slip and knock a bottle out of the fridge, which could be very dangerous, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Get A Fridge With Drawers
Alternatively, you could buy a refrigerator that has drawers in it. This way, you could stock on of the drawers full of snacks for your kids, and let them know that this is the only part of the fridge that they can touch unless told otherwise.
Install A TV
If the open plan idea didn’t suit your fancy, or you simply don’t have the money to remodel your house, then installing a TV in your kitchen might be a good idea. This way, you can have your kids with you in the kitchen so that you can keep an eye on them while you’re cooking, even while their favourite cartoon is on.
Making a room with as many potential hazards as a kitchen family-friendly is no easy mission, but it’s definitely not impossible. Just move what you can and explain to your children what they can and can’t do in a kitchen, and they’ll soon learn.
