Switching out the kitchen cabinet handles and knobs may be your first task to keeping your young children safe.
Every parent's goal is to keep their children as safe as possible; starting with when they are babies lasting throughout their lives. Parents start by carefully choosing the safest cribs and other nursery accessories. Child proofing your home is an ongoing process, as a parent you are always on the look out for possible danger spots in your home. Start childproofing before you bring your baby home and continue in earnest when you child starts crawling about. One of the least safe rooms you should really work on is the kitchen. Kitchens cabinets contain poisonous chemicals, dangerous kitchen tools and kitchen appliances. Children at this age are inquisitive and love to explore. They love to put everything they find into their mouths which can prove to be dangerous. Start child proofing by getting down to your child's level and see all the objects that they would consider fascinating. The lower level kitchen cabinets and their contents serve as a beacon to curious hands. These are the kitchen cabinets that homeowners use to store their cleaning chemicals. Keeping children out of these cabinets can be as simple as switching out the kitchen cabinet handles and knobs.
Cabinet pull handles are extremely easy for any child to open especially the handles on floor level cabinets. These cabinets, especially the cabinets under the sink are where we store the poisonous chemicals. You can purchase special cabinet locks that can be attached to the cabinet door handles. There are also some locks that can be attached to the inside of the cabinets that can only be unlatched by an adult. Besides purchasing additional child proofing equipment you can install cabinet locks for a more permanent solutions.
Installing childproof locks decreases the risk of children getting injured or poisoned in your kitchen, but do not assume that your children are safe. Still keep an eye on them. You can also remove all breakables or poisonous chemicals to the cabinets that are out of your child's reach. Even simple cooking products like spices or cooking oils if ingested in bulk can be a concern. Leave only pots and pans and plastic wares in the lower cabinets. The kitchen cabinet handles in this case do not need any modification.
Some experts recommend leaving one kitchen cabinet for your child. Decorate the cabinet door handle to interest the child and draw their attention to their cabinet. Keep toys and plastic storage containers in there. This will keep the child busy while the parent is in the kitchen. This tactic is also supposed to discourage children from exploring other kitchen cabinets.
The best solution to keeping your child safe in your kitchen does not involve cabinet handles; it involves keeping your child out of your kitchen. The kitchen and the bathroom are the two most dangerous rooms in the house. Never leave children unsupervised in these two rooms. Always ensure your child proofing equipment is properly installed. Children are observant and will watch an adult unlatch the safety equipment and try it on their own and eventually find a way to get into cabinet.
