Baby proofing the kitchen

There are many potential possibilities for disaster in a kitchen. A few examples are: hot liquids and hot dishes, equipment that can cause burns, spills that make floors slippery leading to bad falls, cleaning chemicals that can poison, appliances that can threaten electrocution, and sharp and heavy objects that can cause injury. There are many times when the best kitchen childproofing consists of a gate at the door, to keep your child out of the room altogether. And if that is not feasible, then be sure to: never leave a small child alone in the kitchen.

A collection of tips on kitchen safety is available from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Send a postcard to kitchens, Washington, DC 20207.

Appliances and equipment

Turn the handles of pots and pans and toward the back of the stovetop so your child cant grab them and pull down hot food. Fry or boil foods on the back burners whenever possible.

Don't allow a baby to play on the floor by the stove when you're cooking or you're setting the stage for disaster.

Buy a stove guard so your child can't reach or touch the stove burners. Or look for a padded hanging apron, or ovens with a pulldown handle.

Make controls on the front of the stove impossible for a baby to use. Remove and store them where only you can reach them when needed. Or it might be more convenient to buy stove knob covers. Stove knob covers may even fit your oven controls as well.

Don't leave a boiling pot or a sizzling skillet unattended on the stove. Thousands of children suffer burns from hot liquids every year, mostly from kitchen accidents.

Turn on the oven light when the oven is in use, if the door is glass, and teach your child that, light on, means, hands off. Be sure to leave the light on until the oven has cooled.

Put out small stovetop fires by covering flames with a pan cover or an inverted pot which will act as a lid. Or throw baking soda on the flames. Never pour water on a grease fire! It will cause the grease to splatter and burn you.

Don't heat baby bottles in the microwave oven. The liquid may heat unevenly, and while the part you test may be fine, another portion may be scalding. Because of steam buildup, glass and some plastic bottles can explode when taken from the oven.

Get and apply and/or safety strap that will make it impossible for your child to open conventional and micro-wave ovens, the dishwasher, the trash compactor, and the refrigerator. If you are buying new appliances, look into those that are equipped with safety locks.

Always keep the dishwasher closed when you're not actually using it. You can count on your baby being hurt on a sharp corner the one time it's left down. Add detergent only when you're ready to run the machine, so your child won't have a chance to taste it. It's harmful if eaten. Whether your laundry appliances are in the kitchen or in a separate room, don't let your child play in or on them.

Never leave an ironing board setup or folded up were a child might be able to pull it over.

Countertops, cupboards and tables

Keep work surfaces is as clean as possible so you can spot sharp or dangerous objects easily.

Don't set your baby on a counter where he or she can reach hot or dangerous items. When the babies in the high chair, Keep foods near the center of the table or at the back of a counter where they can't be reached.

Keep appliance cords short by using cord shortener's which either wraparound or wind up. Be especially careful of cords around toasters and other appliances that heat; they can be damaged by excess heat.

Get in the habit of unplugging all counter top appliances after every use, in case your child manages to reach an on switch before you reach him or her. Put outlet covers on unused electrical sockets as an added precaution.

Get cabinet and drawer guard latches to keep certain reachable cupboard doors and drawers off limits to your baby. This may mean most of your cupboards. Remember that even such harmless seeming items as toothpicks or bottle covers pose choking and other hazards to a baby or small child. Look into the various kinds of latches available to find the ones most appropriate for your kitchen and best suited to your needs. One kind, for example, must be installed with screws. Some plastic latches allow an adult to open a drawer wide enough to slip fingers in and release the safety hook from the latch by pressing down on it with one finger. Other latches slide through handles and the pressure needed to keep them closed can be managed by an adult but not by a child.

Do store safe to play with pots and pans or plastic containers in one lower cupboard and let it be available for play, but be sure it is as far as possible from the stove and the busiest area of the kitchen.

General kitchen safety rules

Keep the kitchen trash container, with its hazardous sharp, pointed otherwise dangerous contents, locked up in a broom closet or under the sink. Consider buying a self locking garbage can or a trash compactor, which, as long as you keep it closed, keeps trash completely out of reach.

Likewise, keep all cleaning materials, pesticides and other dangerous substances locked up.

Avoid pinched fingers by removing a swinging door between kitchen and dining room or securing it in an open position with a hook, latch or a door stop your child can't remove.

Never leave and even partially full bucket, especially in the 5 gallon size, on the floor were a curious child might fall into it headfirst and drown. Don't feel that this advice is overly precautionary. There are documented cases of such drownings.

Use unbreakable dishes and glasses for feeding a young child.

Keep Pet bowls and dishes out of your child's reach. A cats dish might be kept on a small table or counter that's not used for food preparation and a dog food and water might be put in his outdoor fenced in area or in the basement or garage.

Keep your playpen, if you use one in the kitchen, at least 2 feet away from work stops and the stove.

Put your stepstool away when it's not in use. It can give a toddler a boost to the dangers of stovetop or counters.

Clean up spills on the floor immediately so neither you nor your child will slip and fall. And don't use a wax that makes your floor slippery.

Don't ever hold your baby in your arms while you cook; the possibilities for disaster are multiple. In the same vein, never try to carry your baby and a cup of coffee or other hot liquid at the same time.

Kitchen storage

Store all cleaning materials and other dangerous substances in their original containers and more familiar food containers such as milk or juice cartons, even though you are sure that they are securely locked away were your child cannot get at them.

Keep plastic wrap, and all sizes of plastic bags out of your child's reach, especially garbage in dry cleaning bags. When you dispose of these items, tie them in a not so that they cannot possibly be wrapped around a child's face when held and cause suffocation. From 1980 to 1987, 112 children died when plastic bags covered their faces. 80% of them were under one year old.

Remember to keep boxes of kitchen wraps out of your child's reach. There serrated cutting edges are as dangerous as your knives. Keep all potentially dangerous kitchen utensils in securely latched drawers. Don't forget include such items as Apple corers, egg beaters, vegetable peelers and grapefruit spoons.

Don't store crackers, cookies or other goodies above the stove, tempting your child to attempt to climb to reach them.

Install a hook on the wall to hold long phone cords that a child could trip on or try to play with or get caught around the neck.

The high chair

One of the most necessary pieces of baby equipment is also one of the most potentially dangerous. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that in one year of over 7000 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms as a result of accidents involving high chairs.

Check the high chair you buy carefully to be sure that it has a wide base and a tray that locks securely. Waist and crotch straps should not be attached to the tray. The buckle on the restraining strap should be easy to fasten. Caps and Plugs on tubing on a Metal Chair Should Be Firmly Attached.

Be Sure the Tray Is Locked after You Put the Baby in to the High Chair and Always Lock up the Restraint System. It's Important to Keep the High chair Clean, Stuck on Food Can Interfere with the Locking Mechanics and Cause Deterioration of the Restraint System.

Watch Your Baby's Fingers As You Slide the Tray on. When Your Child Is Old Enough to Understand, You Might Use the WatchWords, Hands up, to Help Make Sure Fingers Are Out Of Harm's Way.

Put Bathtub Decals or a Rubber Sink Mat or on a Slippery High Chair Seat so Your Child Is Not Prone to Slipping down the Seat.

Be Sure an Item Attaching a Bottle or Small Toy to the High Chair Is No Longer Than 12 Inches. Pacifiers Can Be Attached to Clothing and Pacifier Holders Can Be Purchased in Baby Departments. The Ribbon Should Be No Longer Than 7 Inches. Longer String Is a Strangulation Hazard.

Never Leave a Baby Alone in a Room in the High Chair, Even with the Safety Strap Securely Fastened.

Keep the High Chair at a Safe Distance from the Table or Counter -- Any Child Can Tip It over by Pushing off with Hands or Feet. Standing up in the Chair or Rocking a Back-And-Forth Can Also Cause It to Tip.

And Teach Older Children Not to Climb on That High Chair with or without a Baby in It. That's Equally Dangerous.