Baby-proofing your kitchen: a complete guide

The kitchen is where family life happens, and it's also where heat, sharp edges, chemicals and small bits of food all sit within reach of a curious baby. Once your little one is crawling, pulling up on cupboard doors or toddling after you while you cook, it's worth looking at the room with fresh eyes.

This guide pulls together advice from the NHS, the HSE Child Safety Checklist and other recognised safety bodies, organised by hazard so you can work through your kitchen one area at a time.

Quick check: crouch down to your child's height and look around the kitchen. Which cupboard doors, handles, flexes and surfaces can small hands reach? That's your to-do list.

Why the kitchen is a high-risk room

Young children are curious, quick and don't yet understand danger. RoSPA notes that children under five are at particular risk from burns and scalds, partly because of their curiosity and thinner skin. The NHS says that each year thousands of under-5s are admitted to hospital following accidents.

In the kitchen, the main risks to plan for are:

• Burns and scalds from hot drinks, kettles, the cooker and hot food.
• Poisoning and chemical burns from cleaning products, dishwasher tablets and liquid laundry capsules.
• Cuts from knives, scissors and broken glass.
• Choking on food and small objects, including small magnets.
• Falls, especially from high chairs.

Hot drinks, kettles and the cooker

RoSPA runs awareness campaigns reminding parents to keep hot drinks like tea and coffee away from young children, and the NHS points out that a hot drink can still scald 15 minutes after it was made.

• Put hot drinks down out of reach before you pick up your baby, and never hold a hot drink and your child at the same time.
• Keep mugs away from table and worktop edges. A toddler only needs to grab a handle or a tablecloth to pull a drink down onto themselves.
• Use a cordless kettle, or one with a short or curly flex, as the NHS advises, and push it to the back of the counter.
• Cook on the back rings and turn saucepan handles towards the back of the cooker, so they can't be reached or knocked.
• Consider a cooker guard. The HSE checklist suggests one to help keep your child from reaching the hob.
• Skip the chip pan. The HSE lists chip pans as a fire risk. If you do use one, the NHS says never to fill it more than one-third full of oil, or to use a deep fat fryer instead.

Toddlers love opening things, and the oven is no exception. An oven door lock is a simple extra layer that's designed to help keep little hands from pulling the door open. Ours fits with adhesive, so there's no drilling involved.

Cleaning products, dishwasher tablets and laundry capsules

Many cleaning products end up stored under the sink, right at toddler height. The NHS warns that liquid laundry capsules and dishwasher tablets can cause chemical burns, and that they're often packaged in child-friendly colours that look a lot like sweets.

• Store cleaning products high up and out of reach, including toilet cleaners. The HSE advises keeping laundry and cleaning products, including liquid detergent pods, in their original containers, up high.
• Choose products with a bittering agent where you can, as the NHS suggests.
• Keep the dishwasher closed when it's not being loaded. The HSE notes the risks include sharp objects and detergent, and suggests using safety locks.

If products have to stay in a low cupboard, magnetic cupboard locks are one option (see our comparison of magnetic locks and adhesive straps). They fit invisibly inside the door with adhesive, open with a magnetic key, and can help keep a determined toddler out of the cupboard under the sink.

Knives, cupboards, drawers and the fridge

• Keep knives, scissors and razors out of children's reach, as the NHS advises. The HSE checklist adds that knife blocks should be out of sight and reach.
• Lock cupboards and drawers holding knives, scissors and breakable or dangerous items, as the HSE recommends. Store glassware up high, since the NHS notes broken glass can cause serious cuts.
• Think about the fridge and freezer. The HSE checklist suggests fridge, freezer and cupboard locks so your child can't get to food or drink that isn't suitable for them.

For fridges, drawers and cupboards with flat fronts, adhesive cabinet straps can help. They fit with adhesive pads, need no drilling, and adjust to fit different surfaces, while adults can still open them quickly. Fit them on a clean, dry, smooth surface and give the adhesive 24 to 72 hours to bond before use.

Choking, magnets and small objects

The NHS says food is the most common thing for babies and toddlers to choke on. Babies can choke on small, sticky or slippery foods, and the NHS advises not giving young children hard foods such as boiled sweets or whole nuts.

• Stay with your child whenever they're eating, as the NHS recommends.
• Keep small objects out of sight and reach, as the HSE advises.
• Watch out for magnets. (Our guide to hidden hazards at home covers these in more detail.) The UK Office for Product Safety and Standards advises keeping products with small or loose magnets away from young children. If more than one is swallowed, they can pull together inside the body and cause serious damage. The NHS also advises keeping magnetic toys with small pieces away from young children, so it's worth moving any small fridge magnets up high or putting them away while your child is little.
• If your child has tummy pain, vomiting or a fever and you think they might have swallowed a magnet, OPSS advises taking them to A&E straight away or calling 999.

High chairs, appliances and flexes

• Use a 5-point harness every time your baby goes in their high chair, and keep using it as they grow. Both the NHS and HSE recommend this.
• Keep appliance flexes short and out of reach. The HSE advises this for kettles and other electrical items, and recommends unplugging equipment when it's not in use and keeping it in good condition.
• Put irons and hair straighteners out of reach while they cool down, as the NHS advises.

If a burn or scald happens

Accidents can still happen. The NHS and HSE agree on the most important first step: cool the burn with cool running water for 20 minutes.

1. Cool it. The NHS advises holding the burn or scald under cool running water for 20 minutes, starting as soon as possible (it can still help within 3 hours). The HSE advises running cool water over it for around 20 minutes straight away. Keep the rest of your child warm with a blanket or layers, keeping the covering off the injury.
2. Remove clothing and jewellery near the burn, but not anything stuck to the skin.
3. Cover it loosely. Once cooled, the NHS suggests laying cling film over the burn without wrapping it around.
4. Don't put anything else on it. No ice, butter, creams, oils or sticky plasters, and don't burst blisters.

When to get help: the HSE advises going to your nearest emergency department if a baby or small child has been burnt, and calling 112 or 999 for an ambulance if the burn is above the neck or on the hands, feet, joints or groin, or if your child is having trouble breathing or is unresponsive. The NHS advises calling 999 or going to A&E for large or deep burns, burns on the face, genitals or bottom, and chemical or electrical burns. In the UK, you can call NHS 111 for advice for a child under 5. If you're ever unsure, get your child checked.

Take it one step at a time

No kitchen can be made completely risk-free, and no lock, strap or guard replaces keeping an eye on your child.

Start with the biggest risks: hot drinks, the cooker and the cupboard under the sink. Then work through the rest of this guide and our room-by-room baby-proofing checklist, and check again every time your child reaches a new stage, from crawling to pulling up to climbing.