Simple Tricks for Child-proofing Your Kitchen

Safety is a major concern for those parents of toddlers. With a little preparation you can child proof your kitchen in ten minutes or less.

Garbage cans with built in latches are a simple solution to keep out tiny little hands. The swing top garbage can offers flexibility for both parent and child. When you want the can to latch you simply do so with one swift motion by clicking the locking device into place. When you want the garbage can to swing once again you just need to unlock it, again this takes only a few seconds and can be done with one hand.

When we think of child-proofing, child locks for the cabinets, come to mind. Now a days they sell magnet based ones so you do not need to worry about screws breaking the cabinet doors. Make sure you buy a separate one for the lazy Susan since the other under the counter cabinet locks are not designed to fit properly. Drawers, even though they hold many dangerous items (knives and scissors) are often overlooked, so do not forget to lock these as well.

Universal outlet covers are another must. Overtime the designs are definitely improving. Now with this new screw on safety plate technology you no longer have to worry about broken finger nails and you do not have to fight with them to get them out of the socket. Before your child's hands were most likely small enough to pull them out anyways. Now with these new safety designs when you pull out the plug the safety plate automatically slides over to cover the electrical socket.

Magnetic lock release latches are great for the refrigerator. These locks are easy to use; simply push them in with one hand while pulling open the refrigerator door. If you are cooking or gong to be using the refrigerator a lot the lock can be disenabled while still on the refrigerator.

Plastic splash guards are an excellent way to keep away hot substances from your little ones. The plastic splash guard is designed to hook to the top of your stove right in front of the first row of burners. As we know children are often tempted when they see something on the stove boiling. Now if they went to reach for the pot the plastic splash guard would prevent them from actually coming in contact with it. Plastic stove knob covers are another quick solution when child-proofing your kitchen. These little plastic covers slide right over the knobs on your stove to prevent the burners from being turned on. When you want to use the burners yourself simply take the plastic covers off; no tools required. Do not forget to secure your oven with a No-Tip Furniture bracket. Two small brackets attach easily to the back of your oven. Then you use a safety strap to attach the oven to a stud in the wall. The stove is potentially one of the most dangerous items in your kitchen; nothing should be overlooked when child-proofing it.

The No-Tip Furniture brackets also work well to reinforce your child's favorite chair or stool. When your child climbs up to help you cook or climbs up to eat breakfast at the counter you do not have to worry about their chair flipping over.

Window safety, even in the kitchen, should not be overlooked. There are devices that allow you to open your window and then they actually lock back in place. Since you are controlling how far the window is opening you can set it at a depth where your child cannot fall out.

Custom cut foam pieces are another quick and easy option for making your kitchen that much safer. These pieces are designed to fit on the corners of tables, the edges of counters, and around any other sharp and potentially dangerous hazards in your kitchen.

When child-proofing with children (or animals for that matter) it is always a good idea to consider changing your cleaning products. House hold cleaning products that are "green" or state "non-toxic" are the best. As always keep all your cleaning supplies locked in a separate box or in one of your locked cabinets. However, when it comes to cleaning products and the possible consumption of them it is always good to be as safe as you can.

When you are finished child-proofing your kitchen step back and take a moment. Get down to your child's level and make sure everything that looks fun is safe and secure. Children are curious and they have a way of finding things that we would never think of.