Help! My Toddler Just Microwaved an Action Figure: Creating a Child-Proofed Kitchen

Anyone who has kids knows that when they are little, they find a way to get into everything.  Turn your back for a split second and they have somehow flushed a toy down the toilet, applied all of your makeup to their little faces, and cut their baby brother’s hair.  We won’t even talk about what happens when they get ahold of the flour canister.  So, when I design a kitchen for families with young children, I like to remind them of these three ways to make their kitchen more child-proofed. 

First, I know that the range or cooktop with those gorgeous knobs is really calling your name.  I know this, because I want one of them also.  They are sleek and have a very upgraded look that really helps a kitchen stand out.  But trust me when I tell you not to buy one.  Your small children will be forever touching the knobs, lighting the burner or leaking gas.  You will end up doing one of two things: buy ridiculously ugly knob safety covers that you can barely turn or you will remove the knobs all together, only placing them back on while you are actively cooking.   So not worth it.  Do yourself a favor and buy a cooktop with knobs on the counter or a range with knobs on the back control board.  It may be less pretty, but you won’t regret it.

When designing a kitchen in a home with kids, the next thing I always recommend is to stay away from the under-counter microwave drawers.  Yes, it is nice to not see the microwave up on the wall.  That is true.  However, even when ignoring the greater likelihood that your drink or soup will slosh about when you pull to open and close the microwave (think about placing your drink in your utensil drawer and opening and closing it), and that the drawer unit and specialty cabinet will be triple or quadruple the price of the standard wall unit, there is still one other major reason to install a wall microwave instead.  Your little kid.  Do you really think that they won’t enjoy pushing all of those accessible buttons that are right at their height?  That they won’t find it to be great fun to put their toys, food, and maybe even utensils in there?  Seems almost like a game.  Most kids love opening all of the drawers and cabinets and pulling things out and putting things in, and this drawer is extra fun because it has lights and buttons.  Very fun indeed.  Therefore, for your own sanity, I would always recommend installing a wall microwave or placing the microwave inside a pantry-style cabinet and avoiding the neat looking drawer microwaves if you have small children.

Another thing to consider while designing or setting up your kitchen when you have little kids involves the cabinet under the sink.  This is a spot that you should use for storage, maybe garbage, but never chemicals.  Do not store your cleaning supplies or dishwasher pods there, even with child safety latches.  Kids are pretty ingenious and will most likely eventually learn how to get past those safety features.  Plan to have a shelf or cabinet high up that is designated for those supplies. Or build a broom closet in or next to your kitchen with a top shelf to store any chemicals.  Safety is more important than convenience when it comes to your kids.  In this same tone, make sure you are storing all knives either in the very top drawers or in a block on the counter (unless you have a climber.  Then you should lock them in a drawer), to keep them away from little hands.  This includes other sharp kitchen utensils like scissors, peelers, cherry pitters, and cheese slicers.  Remember, while it is absolutely necessary to put safety features and locks on your kitchen cabinets and drawers that have dangerous items in them, removing those items from reach in case the lock malfunctions or they learn to bypass it is the best way to have some peace of mind.

My last tip for making your kitchen a more child-proofed space is a bonus tip.  And it has nothing to do with the design of the kitchen.  Probably the best tip I can give you is the emphatic use of the word ‘no’.  Make sure your child/children know that there are things they are not allowed to touch and things they are not allowed to do in the kitchen for their own safety.  A tough “no, you can’t do that or touch that because you will get a bad boo boo” is really the best way to child-proof your kitchen in the long run, especially when used along side all of the preventative measures discussed above.  Making sure your children know something is dangerous is always a part of good parenting, just as ensuring that their surroundings are safe for them.

Those are some of my favorite kitchen child-proofing tips.  Do you have any great child-proofing techniques or tips you would like to share or have any funny stories of things your kids got into that they shouldn’t have?