Читать книгу Baby Proofing Basics - Vicki Lansky - Страница 8

Keep work surfaces as clear as possible so you can spot sharp or dangerous objects easily.

Don’t sit your baby on a counter where he or she can reach hot or dangerous items. When the baby’s in the highchair, keep hot foods near the center of a table or at the back of a counter where they can’t be reached.

Keep appliance cords short by using shorteners that either wrap or wind up. Be especially careful of cords around toasters and other appliances that heat. Cords can be damaged by excess heat.

Get in the habit of unplugging all counter top appliances after every use, in case your child manages to reach an “on” switch before you reach him or her. Put outlet covers on unused counter electrical sockets as an added precaution.

Get cabinet and drawer guard latches to keep all reachable cupboard doors and drawers off-limits to your baby. This may mean most of your cupboards. Remember that even such harmless-seeming items as toothpicks or bottle covers pose choking and other hazards to a baby or small child.

Look into the various kinds of latches available to find the ones most appropriate for your kitchen and best suited to your needs. Most must be installed with screws. Some plastic latches allow an adult to open a drawer wide enough to slip fingers in and release the safety hook from the latch by pressing down on it with one finger. Other latches slide through handles. The pressure needed to keep them closed can be managed by an adult but usually not by a child.

Don’t let latches become play items. Given enough time a toddler could learn to open them.

Store safe-to-play-with pots and pans or plastic containers in one lower cupboard. Let it be available for play, but be sure it’s as far as possible from the stove and the busiest area of the kitchen.