It’s a typical, busy evening: You’re multitasking at the stove, the kitchen is filled with steam, and your child is playing right at your feet. It only takes a split second for a curious reach or an accidental bump to turn a routine meal into a scald emergency. With over 500,000 liquid-related burns occurring annually, it is a dangerous myth to think “this could never happen to my child.” Because full-thickness 3rd-degree burns can occur in just five seconds at 140°F, being proactive is your best defense. To help you transform your kitchen into a truly safe zone, here are 10 essential strategies to protect your family from hidden heat hazards.
be many hidden dangers for your child!
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Take a moment to digest these figures. Over 500,000 burns occur annually from scalding liquids. Although you may have gotten 2nd-degree burns from hot liquids, which are common, full-thickness 3rd-degree burns can be caused in only five seconds contact by liquids heated to 140°F (60°C) or hotter. Along with adults over age 65, children five years of age or younger are at the highest risk for scald injuries.
I’ve already written at length about certain aspects of fire safety regarding cooking oil fires, as well as the proper use of fire extinguishers. Some of the tips here, related to scald and burn injuries, overlap with fire safety in general so take the time to read those articles and educate yourself about kitchen fire safety, in general.
Much of what follows comes straight from the U.S. Fire Administration and their book Behavioral Mitigation of Cooking Fires, Behavioral Mitigation of Cooking Fires, where you can find much more information about fire prevention in the kitchen.
Scald Prevention Tips for Young Children
It may be necessary to have your toddler near you while you work in the kitchen, so you can supervise their play and make sure they are safe and happy.
Keep in mind the following guidelines:
1. Keep Play Areas in a Safe Location
- Make sure any play area is not near the path between the stove and the sink. You will often be carrying pans of hot liquid to the sink, such as when you drain pasta into a colander. The area between the stove and the sink is a hot zone! Make sure your child never plays in this area.
- A safer way to drain pasta or any other boiled foods is to use a stock pot with a strainer insert, such as this Update International 12 Qt Stainless Steel Pasta Cooker w/ Strainer.
2. Use High Chairs or Play Yards When Possible
- If possible, when you are cooking or serving food with your child is in the kitchen, have them in a high chair or play yard that is placed a safe distance from the stove-tops or counter, or any other hot surfaces or hazardous items or areas.
3. Keep Walkers out of the Kitchen (and Bathroom)
- NEVER allow child walkers in the kitchen or the bathroom. There are lots of overhead dangers in the kitchen, such as pot handles, knives set on counter edges, etc. Infants or toddlers in child walkers have a bit more height so are more likely to be able to reach up and grab onto these items, inviting disaster. Dangling cords are a danger in the bathroom. Use a baby gate, if necessary, to cordon off the kitchen.
4. Don’t Let Young Children Play with Cooking Pots
- If you are like me, you played with pots and pans and other kitchen equipment when you were little. A couple of pots and a wooden spoon or two and you had some great music! Alas, many of the things we did as kids are dangerous (we used to ride down the highway on the tailgate of a pickup truck — yikes).
- You shouldn’t allow children to play with pots, pans, or other cooking utensils in the kitchen. Young children can’t distinguish between the old pot that is a “toy” and the one sitting on the stove full of boiling water. Likewise, he or she may not see the difference between a spoon and a sharp knife. Make sure that “kitchen toys” are obviously toys. Small plastic play sets are probably a better choice.
5. When Children are Around, Try to Cook on the Back Burners
- Although clear plastic stove guards are available to help shield your child from hot pots on the stove, it is best to cook on back burners when children are around, to keep the pots as far away from them as possible.
6. Keep Pot Handles Turned In
- This tip is something that is for all ages. I am always obsessively turning pot handles in when they are sticking out. I’ve caught more than a few walking by and almost burned myself (and I have burned myself, both my hands are scarred). Pot handles sticking out from stoves are a main kitchen hazard. When children are present, the danger needle goes into the red. KEEP POT HANDLES TURNED IN WHILE COOKING! Make sure the handle is back as far as practical and not near the edge. Anything sticking out is inviting to a little kid…they just love to grab things.
7. Be Aware of Confusing Stove Differences
- Be aware of the confusing differences between various types of modern stovetops. Induction cooking stoves and smooth-top ceramic electric stoves could be a source of confusion for a young child. Make sure your child knows to NEVER touch the cooking surface of a stove.
- Imagine if your child is on a play date with a friend whose parents own an induction stove. Your child’s friend or even their parent shows your child how the cooking surface is not hot by placing a hand on the surface when the stove is turned on. Amazing!
- Later, your child may decide to experiment, to see for themselves whether stoves can be touched or not. Even more confusion could be caused by a smooth-top electric stove, similar in appearance to a conduction top, except that the surface is actually hot. Although it may seem unlikely for such a scenario to occur, children are unpredictable and are not as able to compartmentalize as you or me; they tend to generalize. So, the message is: never touch a stove while in use!
8. Do NOT Leave Young Children Alone in Kitchen While Cooking
- Children can be a lot like a puppy. You think your puppy is paying attention, but then he spots a chipmunk! No matter how often you have drilled the rules into them, or how safe you have made the kitchen, if you walk out of the room and leave something cooking on the stove, your child may become curious. Boiling or frying food can make interesting noise, emit steam, etc. which can pique your child’s curiosity. You may only be gone a few seconds but it only takes a few seconds for a child to suffer a burn. You know that hot oil can “spit” while foods are frying, so even from a distance, hot cooking oil can be a hazard.
9. Old Ovens Can be a Hazard
- Some ovens, when old and improperly insulated, may not only get hot on the inside. They may get hot enough on the outside to burn! My mother-in-law has such a stove. If you touch it in the wrong spot while it is turned on, it is like touching a hot pan on a stove. If your oven is like this, your child could lean or fall against it and be burned. If you have a low oven, to keep your child safe, test the temperature outside your oven and make sure that none of the outer surfaces become hot enough to burn. If they do, consider replacing your oven with a safer model.
10. Don’t Let Young Children Stand Near When Opening a Hot Oven
- I know that you have, at times, opened a hot oven and gotten a blast of super-heated steam in your face. It’s unpleasant, and if you wear glasses, you are temporarily blinded when the steam condenses on the lenses. Well, if your child is standing near when you open the oven, their face may be exactly at the level of the heat coming out and they may get a much worse blast of heat than you do while bending over to remove something. Make sure they stand well away when you open the oven door.
Beware of Hot Tap Water
It would be improper to mention the danger of scalds from cooking liquids without mentioning the danger of hot tap water. Despite the severe danger of scalding liquids from the stove, most scald injuries occur from hot top water. Consult the Burn Foundation for more information.
Make sure your hot water heater is not set too high. Set your heater to a maximum temperature of 120º to 125º F or less, and remember that this temperature is still too hot for a bath! Even lower temperatures can burn if the exposure is prolonged.
Look for More Tips!
The safety tips given here are some of the most important for you to implement, but there may be many other things to consider.
Some people are concerned, for example, about children playing with stove knobs. Sometimes stove knobs can be removed when not in use, but you must consider whether this is the safest alternative. There are also stove knob covers which may work for you.
This is only one of many possible considerations, including access to drawers and cabinets. If you are expecting a new baby, you may want to purchase a book on baby-proofing your home. A good resource is Safe, Secure Baby & Toddler: Effectively Baby Proof your Home and Car for the Safety of You & your Child.
See also: When Can Children Learn to Cook?
