[10+] Top Kid Friendly Kitchen: Effective Ways to Ensure Safety and Fun?

Kid Friendly Kitchen: The kitchen has long had to accommodate a wide range of family activities, and in more recent times, it has once again taken centre stage in the house. Little children often like helping their parents prepare meals and spend time in the kitchen. Their innate curiosity drives them to observe, absorb, and provide a hand by copying their parents’ actions. Many parents believe that teaching their children the joy of cooking and eating is a crucial life skill, so the kitchen must be carefully designed with this value in mind. However, your children won’t stay young for long, so it’s both necessary and affordable to have a room that can expand with them is essential as well as cost-effective. By designing your kitchen with our top 10 kitchen design tips for families with kids, you can create a happy and child-friendly space. BTW, check out our Kitchen Design Ideas section if you need more design inspiration.

There are many different and necessary ways to child-proof your kitchen, from oven and fridge locks to all manner of cabinet guards. However preventing your child from exploring the kitchen safely is preventing them from having a great learning experience. Make the room inviting by giving them areas that they are allowed to explore, with fun colours or elements to make them feel that it is their room as well as yours.

The kitchen is a potentially dangerous place, especially while working with hot liquids and the oven or hob. Make sure that you have an area where the kids can observe you without obstructing the work triangle. A kitchen table or an island is a great way to segregate the kitchen into a play zone or homework area on the one side and a workspace on the other, while still allowing your kids to see what you’re doing – and allowing you to keep an eye on them as well!

Countertops are difficult to access for little ones and while this might be a desirable trait, you may want to involve them in tasks that would require them to comfortably reach the work surface. A kitchen stool or step ladder is a great way for them to get up close. A folding metal version could be dangerous for smaller children to manage so it’s best to get a child-friendly version with less chance of fingers getting caught. A step up to the sink is also an easy way to encourage washing of hands, fruit and veggies.

Make recycling a life-long habit by involving your little kids in the sorting of trash. And because recycling bins can add a really fun element to the kitchen, your kids will love it! Make sure that the bins have lids that can seal, and if you are working with glass and tin, be sure to help smaller kids to avoid injury.

While your kids are very small, you would not want them touching any of the equipment in the kitchen. But as they get older, they will want to start getting their juice and snacks, and at some point, even their breakfast. Make sure that you have an easy-to-reach cupboard for their cups, plates, placemats and a plastic cutting board. Also, dedicate a base cupboard or low shelf in the pantry where you store their parent-approved snacks and cereals.

06. Plan your Layout well for a Kid-Friendly Kitchen

There are several kitchen layout options that you can choose from. L-shaped counters work well in small family kitchens, as they allow you to keep an eye on the kids while you carry out the chores.

U-shaped counters are ideal for large and open kitchens as they shut off the access at one end while accommodating special kids’ zones in the layout. Other layout options include single countertops and G-shaped countertops; each of these can be adapted to suit the family’s needs.

07. Add a Whimsical Blackboard Surface to make your Kitchen Kid-Friendly

For family-friendly kitchens, add a blackboard surface for quick notes, messages, or even recipes to follow while cooking. This simple, engaging addition will encourage the family to spend more time in the kitchen. It can keep kids occupied and entertained for hours while you cook in the kitchen. Whimsical blackboard surfaces are the best child-friendly kitchen ideas.

Kids anyway love to draw all over the place; this might just prevent them from doing that. You can incorporate a blackboard along a wall, in a cabinet, on a breakfast counter, or the backdoor. Wherever you position it, make sure it’s within comfortable reach of the kids.

08. Switch to Kid-Safe Kitchen Appliances

Kitchen appliances can be risky when you have kids around. Apart from being perfectly functional, they also need to be kid-safe. Induction hobs, for example, are safer alternatives to conventional stoves as they tend to remain cooler even while cooking.

When you’re buying new appliances, opt for kid-safe kitchen appliances that have child lock features. Smart kitchen gadgets, such as newer refrigerators, ovens, and microwaves have this safety feature that makes them safe to have around kids. You can even use child-lock systems such as stove knobs to make your existing appliances safer.

09. Go for a Kid-Friendly Countertop with Soften Edges

Kids are bound to play around in whichever space they inhabit. While they do that, they may end up taking a fall or banging their heads against surfaces. Now, we know you cannot stop them all the time, but what you can do is make your surfaces softer.

10. Install Touch-Free Faucets in Kid-Friendly Kitchen

Kids have a hard time operating faucets. They may end up switching on hot water that, if not set at the right temperature, will lead to scars and burns.

To avoid such accidents and make a kid-friendly kitchen, install touch-free faucets that come with pre-set temperature options. This will not only ensure ease of operation for kids when using water but will also help avoid mishaps.

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