Lauren HollandBy Lauren Holland

The kitchen is the heart of many homes, but for a toddler it is a room full of fascinating and fast-moving hazards. Hot surfaces, dangling cords, and brightly colored bottles under the sink can draw a child’s attention in seconds. Because toddlers at this stage can walk, climb, and reach farther than many caregivers expect, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes that this is a very dangerous time in a child’s life, and that most injuries can be prevented with the right steps.

Quick look: Focus on burns, cleaners, and cords to reduce the most common kitchen risks for toddlers.

Creating a safer cooking zone

The AAP’s safety guidance for 1- to 2-year-olds states that the kitchen is a dangerous place for a child during meal preparation. Hot liquids, grease, and hot foods spilled on a child can cause serious burns. The organization recommends keeping your child out of the kitchen while cooking, or placing them in a playpen, crib, stationary activity center, or buckled into a high chair where you can still see them. Safe Kids Worldwide echoes this advice, suggesting that it is better to put your child in a high chair where you can see them rather than carrying a child while cooking on the stove.

When you are cooking, Safe Kids Worldwide advises creating a kid-free zone. Teach younger children to stay at least 3 feet away from your cooking space. If you need to watch a baby or toddler while preparing food, place them in a highchair outside of that zone where you can see them. The same organization recommends using the back burners of the stove and turning pot handles away from the edge to prevent hot food or liquid spills. Keep hot foods and liquids away from the edge of your counters and tables, too.

Children who are learning to walk will grab anything to steady themselves, including hot oven doors, wall heaters, or outdoor grills. The AAP says to keep your child out of rooms where there are hot objects that may be touched, or put a barrier around them. If you have a gas fireplace, the AAP and Safe Kids Worldwide both stress that the glass doors get extremely hot and can cause severe burns. Safe Kids suggests making sure your gas fireplace has a safety screen or safety gate, and keeping children away from the hot glass.

Storing cleaners and chemicals out of reach

Young children explore by putting things in their mouths, and the AAP’s safety guidance for 1- to 2-year-olds notes that a toddler can open doors, drawers and bottles easily. All household products and medicines should be kept completely out of sight and reach. Safe Kids Worldwide adds that young kids are often eye-level with items under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, so cleaning solutions kept there should be moved out of sight and reach.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends using safety latches and locks on cabinets and drawers in kitchens to help prevent poisonings and other injuries. These latches can help prevent children from gaining access to medicines, household cleaners, and sharp objects. The CPSC notes that even products with child-resistant packaging should be locked away and kept out of reach, because that type of packaging is often not childproof. The AAP’s poison prevention page reinforces that cleaning products should be stored in locked cabinets or containers, out of sight and reach, and that a safety latch that locks when you close the door should be installed on child-accessible cabinets.

Both the AAP and Safe Kids Worldwide emphasize keeping all products in their original containers. Safe Kids warns against putting a potentially poisonous product into something like a plastic soda bottle where it could be mistaken for something else. The AAP’s poison prevention resource lists specific kitchen-related items to lock away: all-purpose cleaners, bleach, dishwashing detergent (liquid, powdered, or single-use packets), drain openers, and furniture polish. If you suspect your child has ingested a poisonous substance, call Poison Help immediately at 1-800-222-1222. Do not make your child vomit.

Dishwasher detergent and laundry packets

Detergent in single-use laundry packets is very concentrated and can be toxic, according to the AAP’s poison prevention page. Even a small amount can cause serious breathing or stomach problems or eye irritation. The packets dissolve quickly when in contact with water, wet hands, or saliva. Biting a packet can cause it to burst, shooting detergent into a child’s mouth, throat, or eyes. The AAP advises sealing the container and storing it in a locked cabinet after each use, and making sure the container is out of sight and reach of children. The same caution applies to single-use dishwasher detergent packets or tablets, which are listed among the hazardous cleaning products to lock away.

Appliance cords and range safety

Dangling cords from countertop appliances can tempt a toddler to pull, potentially bringing a hot appliance down. The AAP’s childproofing tips for grandparents suggest removing any dangling cords, such as those from the coffeepot or toaster. Safe Kids Worldwide advises keeping appliance cords out of children’s reach, especially if the appliances produce a lot of heat. Unplugging and safely storing items like irons, curling irons, or hair dryers after use is also recommended, because these appliances can become very hot and take a long time to cool down.

Free-standing ranges and stoves pose a tip-over risk. The CPSC states that ranges can tip over and crush young children, and that deaths and injuries occur when children climb onto, fall against, or pull themselves up on these appliances. The CPSC recommends that free-standing ranges and stoves be installed with anti-tip brackets to prevent scalding and crushing injuries. This is a simple hardware step that can be checked during a room-by-room safety review.

Fire safety near the stove

Safe Kids Worldwide reminds caregivers to keep anything that can catch fire, such as dish towels or wooden spoons, away from the stovetop. Having a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and knowing how it works is also part of their home safety tips. The AAP and CPSC both stress the importance of working smoke alarms on every level of the home, especially near sleeping areas. The CPSC recommends checking smoke alarms once a month and changing batteries at least once a year, or using sealed, 10-year batteries. Safe Kids suggests testing batteries every six months. Create and practice a home fire escape plan with two ways out of every room, and once you are out, stay out.

A quick checklist for your kitchen

Use the points below as a reminder when you walk through your kitchen. No product can replace supervision, and the CPSC notes that no device is completely childproof; determined toddlers have been known to overcome or disable safety devices.

  • Place your toddler in a high chair or play yard outside the kid-free zone while you cook.
  • Cook on back burners and turn pot handles toward the back.
  • Keep hot foods and liquids away from counter and table edges.
  • Store all cleaners and chemicals in their original containers, locked and out of sight.
  • Install safety latches on lower cabinets, especially under the sink.
  • Keep single-use detergent packets in a sealed, locked container.
  • Remove or secure dangling appliance cords.
  • Check that your range has anti-tip brackets installed.
  • Move dish towels and other flammables away from the stovetop.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and know how to use it.
  • Post the Poison Help number, 1-800-222-1222, and know that for injuries you should call 911 or your doctor.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just use a safety gate to keep my toddler out of the kitchen?

A safety gate can help, but it is not a substitute for supervision. The CPSC cautions that no device is completely childproof, and determined toddlers have been known to overcome or disable them. If you use a gate, choose one that meets current child safety standards and, for the top of stairs, only use gates that screw to the wall, as the CPSC advises. However, the kitchen still needs to be set up with the other precautions described here, because a determined toddler may still get in.

What should I do if my child grabs a hot pan or spills something hot?

The AAP says to immediately put cold water on the burned area and keep it in cold water for a few minutes to cool it off. Then cover the burn loosely with a dry bandage or clean cloth and call your doctor for all burns. If the injury is severe or the child is in distress, call 911.

Are child-resistant caps enough to keep cleaners safe?

No. The CPSC states that even products with child-resistant packaging should be locked away and kept out of reach, because this type of packaging is often not childproof. The AAP also recommends storing all household products in locked cabinets, out of sight and reach, regardless of the cap style.

For more room-by-room guidance, visit our kitchen safety page, explore the broader room-by-room safety section, or read the full toddler-proofing room by room article. You may also find helpful information in our burns and hot surfaces and poison prevention guides.

Sources

Lauren Holland

About Lauren Holland

Lauren Holland is part of our editorial team and reviews and edits our childproofing guides, checking product details against manufacturer specifications and owner feedback.