Kitchen safety tips for kids

Kitchens can be wonderful gathering places to both share and prepare food. But they can also present some unique dangers for kids.

According to Lamiya Islam, Program Coordinator of Injury Prevention at Children's Health℠, the most common kitchen-related injuries in children include burns and scalds, cuts and poisonings.

"At Children’s Health, we see a significant number of burns and scalds that happen when kids are removing hot ramen noodles from the microwave," says Islam. "And the most frequent kitchen-related cuts we see are from kids trying to cut apples."

If your child is old enough to help prepare meals, it's important to match kitchen tasks to their age and skill level to keep them safe.

Islam shares kitchen safety tips that can help parents and caregivers feel more comfortable preparing meals as a family.

Tips to keep your kitchen safe

Kitchens pose several safety hazards for kids that you can take steps to minimize.

In general, the biggest kitchen hazards are:

• Hot surfaces (stove, oven, microwave)

• Sharp objects (particularly knives used for everyday tasks like cutting fruits)

• Hot liquids and foods (especially liquid-based foods like soup or ramen)

Childproof your kitchen

To childproof a kitchen for younger kids, you can:

• Install safety locks on cabinets and drawers

• Use stove knob covers and oven locks

• Store hazardous chemicals out of reach

• Secure the refrigerator with a childproof lock

• Cover sharp corners and edges

• Remove or secure any freestanding shelves or furniture

Learn more about childproofing your home or about poison prevention at home.

Establish kitchen safety rules

Establishing rules can go a long way towards keeping children safe in the kitchen.

Important rules you can teach your child include:

• Asking for an adult’s permission before starting any cooking activities

• Not running or engaging in horseplay in the kitchen

• Using an apron as an extra layer of protection when cooking

• Tying back long hair when cooking or handling food

• Wearing non-slip shoes to prevent slipping on spills

Make food prep safer for kids

There are lots of kid-safe – and kid-sized – kitchen tools you can find online. These tools can make kitchen tasks both safer and easier for kids and include:

• A non-slip step stool

• Child-safe knives (with rounded tips and edges)

• Wooden knives

• Cut resistant gloves (to add a layer of protection if working with a sharper knife)

• Crinkle cutters to chop veggies

• Palm peelers (to fit better in small hands)

• Kid-sized whisks, spatulas and rolling pins

• Kid-sized oven mitts and aprons

"I always recommend a non-slip step stool because it allows your child to be stable and at the right height to safely participate in tasks like mixing and chopping," says Islam.

Knife safety for kids

Before your child is old enough to handle a knife, teach them that knives are tools, not toys. Make sure they understand that knives are dangerous because they can be sharp enough to cut our skin.

Then, somewhere around 5 to 7 years old, you can introduce your child to child-safe knives and teach them to:

• Use a "claw" grip when holding food they plan to chop (so their fingers are safely tucked away from the blade)

• Cut on a stable surface

• Cut away from their body

"Using a claw grip to hold food while chopping – especially for hard foods that tend to roll, like carrots – is the best way to help prevent a child from cutting their fingers," says Islam.

Some foods are easier for kids to chop than others. Islam recommends that you:

• Start using child-safe knives to cut softer foods like bananas and avocados.

• Move on to strawberries and zucchini.

• Slowly work up to harder foods like potatoes and carrots, using a sharper knife.

Treating a cut

If your child gets cut:

• Rinse the wound under warm water to clean it.

• Apply direct pressure to stop bleeding.

• Apply a bandage once bleeding slows (for minor cuts)

• Seek prompt medical attention (for major cuts)

Preventing burns

According to the WHO Global Burn Registry, about one-third of burns in children are cooking-related. Burns from hot liquids are particularly common.

To help prevent burns, parents and caregivers can:

• Establish a "kid-free zone." Teach younger kids to stay three feet away from the stove, oven and other hot surfaces – unless they’re helping with a specific task you are supervising.

• Demonstrate proper handling of hot items. Teach kids how to use oven mitts or potholders (not dish towels). And teach them to turn pot handles inward to prevent accidental spills.

• Teach them microwave safety. Tell them that food containers heated in the microwave always need to be opened slowly and away from their face – to avoid steam burns.

"Many kids want to be able to make their own food in the microwave. But it’s important for them to first be able to reach it safely, which may require a step stool," says Islam.

Treating a burn

If your child gets burned or scalded:

• Immediately cool the affected area under cool running water for 10-20 minutes.

• Remove tight items like jewelry or clothing from the burned area.

• Cover the burn with a clean, dry dressing or cloth.

• Seek medical attention if the burn does not heal, shows signs of infection (like redness) or gets worse.

Learn more about preventing and treating burns in children.

Teaching your kids what to do in case of a kitchen fire

In case of a kitchen fire, you can teach a child these steps:

1. Immediately alert an adult.

2. Do not try to fight the fire on their own.

3. If safe, turn off the heat source (stove or oven).

4. If they’re old enough (and no adult is with them), use a fire extinguisher or baking soda to try to put out the fire.

5. If the fire is spreading, leave the house immediately and call 911.

"It's always a good idea for parents to regularly check smoke detectors and make sure there is a fire extinguisher that hasn’t expired close to the kitchen," says Islam.

To teach children over age 12 the steps for using a fire extinguisher, Islam recommends using the acronym "PASS":

• Pull

• Aim

• Squeeze

• Sweep

Learn more

Our team of Injury Prevention experts study the most common causes of injuries in children. And they use that information to help keep children safe from dangers like car crashes, drowning, sleep-related injuries and gun injuries.

Check out more expert articles on how you can help keep your child as safe as possible.