10 Ways to Protect Your Toddler While You Are Cooking

All parents know the difficulties that we have when it's time to cook dinner and your toddler is underfoot the entire time. It can be hard to get your meal completed and keep an eye on someone who is only knee high. You need to make sure that they aren't getting into things that they shouldn't and that you don't accidentally knock them down while running from fridge, to stove, to sink and back again. How can you cook and protect your toddler at the same time? If can be done and here are 10 ways to protect your toddler while you are cooking.

1)Talk to Your Toddler About the Word HOT - Toddlers need to be taught about the word HOT as soon as you can. They need to know that when something is hot we shouldn't touch it. Explain that hot things will give them "boo-boos" and that they should never touch the oven or stove top because it could be hot. You will need to be consistant in your efforts to teach your toddler about HOT and you will probably have to remind them over and over about not touching the oven when it is in use, but it will all be worth it in the end.

2)Keep Handles Turned Away - When you are cooking you should always keep the handles of the pots and pans you are using pointed away from the edge of the stove top. By turning the handles inward you will be reducing the chance that your toddler will reach up and grab a pot full of something boiling and bring it down on their heads. A pot of boiling water can cause serious burns on your toddler of they were to spill it on themselves.

3)Keep Cooking Utensils Out of Reach - Just like with the handles above, you should keep your cooking utensils out of reach. When a toddler sees something interesting they will always go right for it and that goes for the spoon that you just used to stir raw meat or the knife that you just used to cut up some raw chicken. A toddler can really injure themselves by grabbing a knife off of the countertop or become very sick from touching something that has been used on raw meats.

4)Use a Baby Gate - If you are unable to keep a close eye on yoru toddler then consider using a removable baby gate to block your toddler's path into the kitchen. This has been a lifesaver for me over the years. Sometimes you have to focus all of your attention on what you are cooking, maybe it's an extravigate meal or something that needs you to constantly stir it. Whatever the reason, a baby gate can help keep your toddler safe and keep you from burning your special meal.

5)Add Child Locks to Cabinet Doors - Every household, with children, should have child safety locks on their kitchen cabinets and any cabinets in the house that may hold items dangerous to your toddler. By keeping child locks on your kitchen cabinets you won't have to worry about your toddler dragging things out when you are focused on cooking dinner. There will be no more tripping over clean pots and pans or worrying about your toddler getting into the flour and covering the floor with it. Child safety locks make your life as a parent a little easier while keeping your toddler safe from things they shouldn't be messing with.

6)Keep Lids on Things That Splatter - We all know that some things will splatter while cooking them. Things like frying burgers or boiling water or simmering pasta sauce can pose a danger to little ones. You may think that your toddler is far enough away from the stove to prevent anything splattering on them, but grease can splatter pretty far - up to a couple of feet. So try to always keep a lip on things that splatter while cooking.

7)Cook on Back Stove Burners - If you are only cooking a few items, it is a good idea to cook on the back burners of your stove top. By doing this you will reduce the chance that your toddler will reach up and come in contact with a hot pan or a hot burner.

8)Beware of Hot Food Taste Tests - Everyone likes to sneak a little taste of the food they are cooking and your toddler is no different, especially if he or she sees you doing it. We all know how it feels when we take a bite of something that is far too hot to eat. Your tongue gets burned and you will feel the effects of that bite for hours, if not days. Things right out of the oven are just too hot for anyone to taste, especially your toddler. So beware of taking, or giving, hot food taste tests.

9)Keep Ingredients Out of Reach - Always keep your cooking ingredients out of reach of your toddler. Sometimes having access to your cooking ingredients can be dangerous to your toddler and/or disasterous to your kitchen. That large can of diced tomatoes can crush the bones in your toddler's foot if they pull it down onto their feet.

10)Keep Kitchen Towels Out of Reach - You are probably wondering how a kitchen towel can be dangerous to your toddler. Well, on it's own a kitchen towel is probably not going to injure your toddler, but if it is hanging off the egde of the countertop and there happens to be a hot lid sitting on it, your toddler could pull the towel and down comes the hot lid also. The towel can also be dangerous if your toddler decides to try to throw it back up onto the countertop and accidentally gets it on a hot stove top burner. Don't forget about you using the same kitchen towel to wipe up some spilled raw chicken juices.

These are only a few things that can be done to protect your toddler in the kitchen while you are cooking. Always be observant of where your toddler is at all times. Do not rely solely on one or two ways to protect your toddler. Be cautious when using the oven and stove top and always keep your toddler away from the oven when it is being used. Be safe!

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