Designing a kid-friendly kitchen is essential for parents who want to ensure safety in the area. When cooking and spending time in the kitchen with your kids, you want to ensure the surrounding area is as safe as possible. Here are some simple tips to make your kitchen a safe and welcoming space for your kids.
1. Make a Kid-Friendly Station
Children love to help and the kitchen is a fun environment for them to experiment with new things. Remodeling your kitchen to have a kid-friendly workstation allows them to get involved without any worries about safety. Create a small area with low countertops or a table where your kids can mix and enjoy taking part in kitchen activities. It will help teach them many skills while having fun.
Especially on days they can’t get outside, finding other ways to play is essential. Play improves the cognitive, physical, and emotional well-being of children and teaches skills they will need in the future. Ensure their designated area is easily accessible with child-sized chairs so they can comfortably do tasks. You can even provide kid-friendly utensils to keep things extra safe.
2. Consider the Layout
Keeping an eye on your kids is important in an area like the kitchen. A kitchen design with an open layout is perfect to see where your kids are and ensure they aren’t getting into anything they shouldn’t be at all times. Whether they’re helping you with the cooking or not, awareness allows you peace of mind and increases safety.
You may need to get project approvals before you start if you are removing walls and barriers that separate your kitchen from other room areas. You should also try strategically positioning cooking appliances so the higher traffic areas like doorways and walkways aren’t crowded while using them. Make sure your stove and other cooking appliances have lots of space around them to prevent injuries.
Related: 10-Steps to a Successful Kitchen Remodel
3. Use Child-Safe Materials
When making selections for your kitchen, it is important to use child-safe options and avoid things like sharp edges on countertops and cabinets. Your children can hit their heads on sharp corners and get an injury. Try looking for rounded or beveled edges to avoid accidents.
You should also use non-toxic and durable materials. There is no denying there will be spills on the countertops and floor, so make sure the materials are scratch and stain resistant. Get solid surface countertops, laminated flooring, or ceramic tiles to clean and maintain areas prone to spills.
4. Keep Dangerous Items Out of Reach
Although you’re probably used to keeping risky items out of reach, it’s still important to mention. Find creative ways to make things safer, like adding a wall rack to the backsplash on your counter to store sharp items out of reach. Anything harmful should be placed where kids can’t reach it. You should also have a stove with child locks so they can’t turn anything on if they are messing with the buttons and knobs.
5. Use Storage Solutions
Keeping your kitchen clean can help with overall safety since there will be less clutter for younger children to get into. Get an extra storage solution that holds items for your children, like sippy cups, snacks, and other kid-friendly items. You can use these storage areas to keep the kid’s stuff so they stay away from other regions of the kitchen.
Also, consider installing childproof locks to keep them out of the drawers and cabinets with cleaning items and sharp objects. Not all kitchens have enough space to keep things far out of reach, so this is a good solution for those with minimal space. They won’t be able to rummage through drawers you don’t want them in, whether it is dangerous or not.
Related: Tips For Remodeling a Small Kitchen
6. Have a Well Lit Kitchen
Good lighting is vital for anyone that uses the kitchen, but when making a kid-friendly place, it’s even more important. Find ways to bring in more natural light or add overhead lighting to brighten up the space. Your children will also benefit from better lighting — as they’re trying to learn new things, you want the space to be as clean and bright as possible so they can see what they’re doing.
Consider adding a desk lamp or anything to brighten up their areas if you can’t install more lighting fixtures. It will make it easier for them to prep meals and reduce the risk of accidents. They can focus clearly on their task at their station when it is lit up for them to see.
7. Incorporate Fun Designs
You can make the kitchen a lively place your kids want to spend time with you. There are so many fun ways to brighten it up and make your children feel more welcome to accompany you while preparing meals or asking to learn something new.
A fun thing you can add to the kitchen is a chalkboard or whiteboard. You can use it to write down your grocery list while your kids help and add items they want. You can create recipes throughout the week and have them write suggestions for what they want to try. The board can also be used as a pastime or a place to hang artwork for them when hanging out in the kitchen with you but don’t feel like doing anything else.
Adding more color and playful decor is another way to perk up the area. Whether it is your kitchen supplies or your children’s having fun, bright patterns can help colors enhance the experience for both of you. Children love using things that come in their favorite designs and colors, so it will excite them to help.
Start Your Kid-Friendly Kitchen
Overall a kitchen is where the family comes together and joins delicious meals that result in bonding. Making a space safe and comfortable for all family members will let you connect and create delicious food and memories together. Depending on your budget for a kitchen remodel, you can decide which of these elements you’d like to include. At the end of the day, a kid-friendly kitchen will make your space safer for your kids to spend time with you without worrying.
When it comes to planning a kid-friendly kitchen remodel, you shouldn’t have to go it alone – GreatBuildz can help simplify your remodel experience.
GreatBuildz is a free service that connects homeowners in Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura or San Diego with reliable, thoroughly screened general contractors and provides project support from start to finish. Call now (818.317.3567) to chat with a real person about your next remodel project or visit our website for more information: www.GreatBuildz.com
Author:
Rose Morrison is a home & construction writer from Pittsburgh, PA. She’s the managing editor of Renovated, a web magazine for the real estate industry. She’s most interested in sharing home projects and inspiration for the most novice of DIY-ers, values she developed growing up in a family of contractors.
