Make the Kitchen a Safe Place to Interact with Your Children During These Cold Months

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cherry Hill, New Jersey, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) February 1, 2012 -- Now that it’s cold in most areas of the country, parents are spending more time with their children indoors than they do in warmer weather. Enjoy spending time with your children in the kitchen by eliminating these common safety risks!

We would all probably agree that most parents know to insert plastic covers in electrical outlets - not only in the kitchen, but throughout the entire home. While very important, there are additional precautions that should be considered just as standard.

Start with keeping the counters, sinks, floors, etc. clean and disinfected. Cautions Michael Pouls, child safety advocate, “Germs and bacteria can easily be spread by a child touching an unsanitary counter or used dish towel, then putting their hands in their mouth or rubbing their eyes.”

Second, keep cords from appliances, such as toasters and coffee makers, unplugged and away from a child’s reach. The idea is to avoid temptation by preventing accidents rather than responding to them. Michael Pouls, explains, “The cords from standard kitchen appliances may look fun for a child to play with, so keep them out of reach to avoid injuries, such as a child pulling a heavy blender down on top of their fragile hands.”

Third, did you know that over 100,000 children are treated for burns every year? Most of these burns come from hot water or steam. To help prevent burns in the kitchen (and the bath), set the hot water heater in your home to no higher than 120 degrees, and put anti-scald devices on all your faucets. Also, taste test food and beverages given to your child. If it feels hot to your lips, it should not go in your child’s mouth.

Again, most parents know that it’s always a good idea to cook on the back burners and to turn handles away from the front of the stove. But parents must also teach their children that they may not even come close to the stove, let alone ever touch the stove. Children can easily pass by a stove, knock into a handle, causing burning hot liquids to spill. Michael Pouls suggests the following exercise: “When the stove/oven is off, have your child stand about three feet away from it. Remind him that this is the closest he may ever come to the stove.” Continues Pouls, “Never, ever, cook at the stove while holding a baby or toddler. They can too easily reach out and touch something hot while trying imitate Mommy or Daddy.”

Next, remember to keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, within ten feet of the stove. And never forget: do not put water on a grease fire. Instead, in the event of a grease fire, turn off the stove and cover the pot/pan with a lid to smother the fire.

Finally, remove tablecloths from tables. As Michael Pouls explains, “If your child yanks on a table cloth, and spills a cup of hot coffee on you and herself, you both may very easily get burned. Instead remove tablecloths and keep hot food and beverages out of children’s reach.”

For other child safety tips, please visit michaelpouls.info.

child safety     KITCHEN SAFETY