The kitchen is a room used mainly for adults, who socialize with friends and family in this area and prepare food. However, the kitchen should also be a space where kids can enter freely and not something off-limits. The good news is that with the right tips in mind, you will be able to design a kitchen that is safe and accessible for kids. As children have curious minds, it is important to remember the safety features and not offer them access to parts that can hurt them, including sharp knives, hot stovetops, and breakable glassware. Additionally, choosing easy-to-clean and durable surfaces will always be a great idea, as they will help you clean up the mess faster.
Here is everything you need to consider when designing a kid-friendly kitchen.
Choose the best layout
The kitchen can pose risks to your kids’ safety, so you should always keep an eye on them while they are in this room. Additionally, choosing a layout that will allow this is important, and an open one might be exactly what you are looking for. An open layout is an excellent solution, as you will not need to keep your back on your kids, and you can see them while cooking.
Additionally, an open layout will allow you to be more versatile regarding the placement of the kitchen cabinets, resulting in a stylish and functional cooking space. However, to make this area kid-friendly, make sure to position the appliances strategically to prevent your little one from getting injured.
Consider a kid-friendly workstation
Children are curious beings, they ask all kinds of questions and love to lend a helping hand whenever possible. They also like to experiment when they see you doing something, so it might be a good idea to create a kid-friendly workstation that will get them involved without worrying about their safety. The workstation can be made by offering them a small area with a tiny table and low countertops where your little one can experience the life of a chef. Cooking is an activity that will make them have fun while also developing a lot of essential skills. Plus, cooking will also help them improve their physical, cognitive and emotional well-being and prepare them for adulthood. If you want to add an extra safety feature, you can also offer them kid-friendly utensils.
Don’t forget about child-friendly materials
When designing a kid-friendly kitchen, it is vital to use child-safe options and avoid anything that can pose a risk to their safety. For example, you shouldn’t have sharp edges on cabinets and countertops, as children can easily hit their heads on these corners and injure themselves. Instead, it is better to choose something rounded that will prevent accidents of these kinds.
Additionally, kids are curious and will want to touch anything, so there is a high chance that they will split something on surfaces in your kitchen. So, choosing stain- and scratch-resistant materials is a good idea, as they are durable and will help you spend less time cleaning up. For instance, ceramic tiles, solid-surface countertops, and laminated flooring are excellent options.
Store the dangerous items away
To make the kids feel free around the kitchen, you should store those dangerous items away so that nothing bad will happen to your little ones. Place the sharp items out of reach, whether they are somewhere high where kids don’t have access or hung on a wall rack. Additionally, you should also choose some child locks for stoves and cabinets that have toxic products so that nothing bad will happen to your kid.
Keep your kitchen clean
A clean kitchen is safer, as there will be less clutter around your kids. If you have a small kitchen and don’t have a lot of space to place everything, then you can get creative with storage solutions that will keep everything organized.
Don’t forget to install childproof locks in those cabinets that store toxic products and sharp objects, and in this way, you will have a more kid-friendly kitchen where your little ones will always be safe.
Illuminate your kitchen
Good lighting is crucial for anyone using the kitchen, but especially for children, who need to see everything around them. So, you should search for ways to add more light to the kitchen, whether natural or artificial. As the kitchen is a space where kids experiment, you want to make them see what they are doing so that everything will go as smoothly as possible. If you can’t install more lighting fixtures, adding a desk lamp while they help you cook might be good. In this way, they will focus better on their tasks and see everything they need to do.
Make the kitchen a funny room
If you want to make your kids spend more time in the kitchen, opting for fun and interesting design features will brighten the room and make kids feel more welcome. The simplest thing you can try is to add a whiteboard or a chalkboard and let them write or draw anything they want. You might make them choose something different for each day, as in this way, they will become more creative and spend time preparing something else.
Additionally, you can add playful décor and color to make the kitchen more friendly, including bright patterns that will help kids fall in love with the kitchen.
Concluding thoughts
Designing a kid-friendly kitchen is the best solution to encourage your children to participate in cooking activities, which will also help your family bond more. We hope the tips from this article will aid you in this process.
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 