Cooking safely with tots
WITH many kids being home nowadays, parents have been finding novel ways to keep them entertained, while still imparting life skills. One of those life skills is learning to prepare meals, and these instructions can start as early as the toddler years.
However, helping out in the kitchen also comes with some safety rules, like the ones shared below by Safe Kids Worldwide. The non-profit organisation works to help families and communities keep kids safe from injuries, and works with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the United States and with partners in more than 30 countries to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more.
Here are a few tips for cooking safety with tots.
•Teach your children to stay a safe distance from hot stoves and appliances.
•Avoid carrying or holding a child while cooking on the stove.
• Kids love to reach, so use the back burner of your stove. Turn pot handles away from the edge.
•Remind yourself to check on food frequently by using a timer, especially when baking or simmering.
•Check to make sure appliance cords are coiled and away from counter edges. Take an extra second to make sure hot foods are away from the edge of your counters as well.
• Stay close when you are using a grill or deep fryer.
• Wear short, close-fitting or tightly-rolled sleeves when cooking.
• Take a minute to test your smoke alarms.
-•Teach your older kids how to cook safely. Make sure they don’t leave the kitchen while cooking and use oven mitts or potholders to carry hot pots and pans.
