🔥 Preventing burns in the kitchen and daily life

Useful safety checks

• Keep kettles, rice cookers, irons and their cords beyond reach. Watch for steam from rice-cooker lids.
• Use a bath thermometer and agree on the same safety habits with everyone caring for your child.

Everyday habits

1. 1. Make cooking a child-free zone

   Use back burners where possible and turn handles inward, away from other burners. Never carry your child while cooking, pouring hot water or carrying hot drinks.

2. 2. Keep meals out of reach

   Avoid tablecloths a child can pull. Keep hot dishes and drinks away from edges, and let food cool before serving.

3. 3. Prepare bottles safely

   Powdered formula is not sterile. Following WHO guidance, use safe water at least 70°C when mixing and the product's exact water-to-powder ratio. Keep baby away during preparation, then cool the bottle before feeding and test its temperature. Never microwave, prop a bottle or save leftovers from a feed.

4. 4. Check bath water before baby goes in

   Mix the water thoroughly and check it with a thermometer; around 37°C is a useful guide. Check again with your wrist or elbow and stay within arm's reach throughout the bath.

5. 5. Know what to do after a burn

   Cool the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes while keeping the rest of the child warm. Do not use ice, toothpaste or oil, or remove clothing stuck to skin. Seek prompt medical advice for a child's burn; call 911 for a serious burn or breathing difficulty.

Same topic

• 🧸 Babyproofing the house (when baby goes mobile)
• 🍬 Preventing choking and swallowing hazards
• 🛁 Water safety and drowning prevention
• 🪜 Preventing falls at home

Read next

• 🛁 Safe bath time: a dad's practical guide
• 🍼 Measuring and preparing a formula bottle
• 🚨 Getting trained in infant & child first aid