It’s that time of year again! There are several holidays coming up. We’ll have lots of opportunities to share recipes, bake treats, and enjoy family time at the dinner table.
Kids love helping in the kitchen. They also benefit from it. It can reduce picky eating, help kids connect with cultural traditions, and encourage healthier food choice.1-3 It’s also a great opportunity for kids to build confidence!
Involving kids in the kitchen helps them build skills as well as try new foods.
Here are some tips to keep young chefs safe:
1. Watch out for kitchen hazards
Things can get busy. It is easy to bump or spill something. Move all pots to a back burner and turn pot handles inward where they’re safe from being knocked over. Keep sharp knives and cutting boards away from the edges of counters so they don’t fall. Also, make sure cords and electric appliances stay far away from water and are unplugged when not in use to avoid accidents.
2. Watch out for splatter
Have a family recipe that calls for deep frying oil? Or a big pot of boiling stew? If possible, add a lid to avoid splatter to little heads that may be standing below. Have adults carry heavy pots or pots filled with hot food or liquid.
3. Talk about knife safety
Teach kids how knives are useful kitchen tools rather than toys. Kids ages 5-7 might be ready to use child-safe knives 4. Child-safe knives are usually duller and made of plastic, nylon, or wood. Other common safety features include finger guards or serrated edges designed to learn the sawing motion while keeping a good grip on slippery foods like tomatoes.
There are many important safety skills to teach. These include tucking fingertips away from blades when cutting, finding a big cutting surface with plenty of space, and cutting away from the body. Always supervise children even when they use child-safe knives.
Using child-safe knives to learn cutting skills is a good tool for starting out.
4. Make the kitchen kid friendly
There are a lot of ways to make the kitchen more accessible and safer for children. Non-slip stools help kids stand at the counter, which can make cutting and mixing easier. Look for tools and utensils that are designed for kids. Consider using fun aprons to add to the excitement of getting involved in the cooking while helping protect younger chefs from splatter.
5. Keep dangerous substances and equipment out of reach
Try to keep cleaning products, dish soaps, alcohol, medications, blenders, hot plates, and other hazardous items locked up and in places where children cannot easily access them.
6. Have conversations with your kids about food and kitchen safety
Younger children require a lot of supervision and guidance when it comes to cooking. However, children at any age can learn ways to create safe meals. Some topics to cover:
- Tying back long hair
- Fully cooking all raw meat, poultry, or eggs products
- Making separate areas to cut raw meat and other ingredients
- Establishing good and frequent handwashing habits
- Cleaning up any spills that happen
- Setting aside distractions like phones and screens while focusing on cooking tasks
By following these 6 kitchen safety tips, kids can safely share in the fun of preparing holiday meals. Stay safe in the kitchen, and happy cooking this holiday season!
Feel free to check out these other helpful resources:
Non-slip stools and helper towers like this one can help kids stand at counter height.
Additional Information
For more information about keeping your children safe in the kitchen, call the Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Miami, a program of Jackson Hospital and University of Miami Funded by the Children’s Trust at 305-243-9080 or visit www.injuryfree.org.
- Citations
- The Impact of Cooking Classes on Food-Related Preferences, Attitudes, and Behaviors of School-Aged Children: A Systematic Review of the Evidence, 2003–2014 (Nov 2014). Preventing Chronic Disease.
- Family food involvement is related to healthier dietary intake in preschool-aged children (Mar 2018). Appetite.
- Involvement of children in hands-on meal preparation and the associated nutrition outcomes: A scoping review (May 2021). Journal of human nutrition and dietetics.
- Age-appropriate tasks for kids in the kitchen. Children’s Health.
