How to Childproof Your Appliances

When you have a child, nothing is more important than their safety.  Any parent has probably read about childproofing or their pediatrician has advised them about childproofing.  Most people know to plus the outlet covers and lock the cabinets that contain anything dangerous to children like chemicals, cleaning products, silverware or other things.  But, one thing many people do not give as much consideration to is how to childproof their appliances.  You may think, “they are a baby (or toddler, or child)…they are not really capable of opening the refrigerator, or getting into the washing machine.”  But, what if they do, and injure themselves?  When it comes to childproofing, better safe than sorry should always be the approach.  Read more about how to properly childproof your appliances below. Refrigerator:  Depending on the configuration of your refrigerator, you can secure your refrigerator doors with latches.  If it is a side-by-side refrigerator, install latches (you will need two) on the doors that are out of reach of the children.  If it is a traditional refrigerator with one door and a freezer on top, secure a latch for the freezer and one for the door separately.  If you have a refrigerator that has side-by-side doors on top and a refrigerator drawer on the bottom, you will need three separate latches to properly secure your refrigerator.  If you store medication in your refrigerator, keep it on the top shelf so that it is out of reach of children in case they do manage to get into the refrigerator. Oven:  If knobs are on the front of your oven, and children can reach them, you should install knob covers or locks to prevent little hands from reaching up and turning burners on the stove on.  When cooking, use back burners whenever possible to prevent children from reaching up and trying to touch the top of the stove, resulting in accidental burning.  If you are using the front burners, turn the handles of your pots and pans away from the edge and towards the wall so that children cannot reach up and pull a hot pan down on themselves. Dishwasher:  Dishwashers have two things you do not want your children to get into: chemicals and sharp objects.  Install a dishwasher lock to keep curious little hands out.  Also, keep silverware pointed down so that sharp edges are not sticking straight up.  Lastly, start your dishwasher as soon as you put dishwasher detergent in to prevent your children from getting into it and accidentally ingesting it. Washer and Dryer:  Many modern washers and dryers contain “childproof” settings that can be enabled to prevent children from opening the machine during a wash and dry cycle.  It will also prevent them from making any changes during cycles because they try to press the brightly colored buttons on the front.  You can also install an exterior safety lock on the machine that will be one additional preventive measure against children getting in.]]>