Burns and Scalds Prevention Tips

How to Prevent Burns in the Kitchen

Create a kid-free zone. Teach younger children to stay at least 3 feet away from your cooking space. If you need to watch babies while cooking, place them in a highchair outside of the kid-free zone where you can see them.
Keep hot objects out of children’s reach. Cook on the back burners of the stove and turn pot handles away from the edge. Keep hot foods and liquids away from the edge of your counters and tables.
Teach older children to cook safely. Make sure they know to never leave the kitchen while cooking and always use oven mitts or potholders to carry hot pots and pans.
Avoid using microwaves to heat baby milk or formula. Microwaves can heat unevenly and create hot spots, so heat bottles by placing them in warm water. Check the temperature using inside of your wrist.

Set your water heater to a maximum temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Check bathwater temperature. Before placing your child in the bath, check the water temperature with the inside of your wrist just as you would with baby’s milk. The water should feel warm to the touch, not hot.
Place your child in the bath facing away from the water faucet. This way they won’t be tempted to touch the hot faucet or turn on the hot water.

Make sure your gas fireplace has a safety screen or safety gate. These barriers help keep children away from the hot glass on fireplaces. If you need a safety screen, contact the fireplace manufacturer or retailer for the best option for your home.
Keep fireplace remote controls out of children’s reach and sight. Make sure children also stay away from on and off switches for gas fireplaces.
Think about places outside of your home with fireplaces. When traveling to other homes, restaurants, hotels or resorts, there may not be a safety screen or safety gate installed. Keep children away from the fireplace and teach them not to touch the glass.
If there is an emergency, call the doctor or 9-1-1 immediately. Physicians can give you information on how to treat a burn correctly.

Store matches and lighters out of reach. Teach kids it is not safe to play with matches, lighters or fireworks.
Keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that can burn. Blow them out when you leave the room or before you go to sleep
Unplug and safely store irons, flatirons and other appliances. These appliances can become very hot and take a long time to cool down, so don’t leave these appliances unattended when in use. Make sure to turn off and unplug appliances when you are not using them.

Keep devices with button batteries out of children’s reach. When swallowed, a child’s saliva triggers an electrical current which can cause a severe chemical burn in their esophagus. Learn more about button battery safety.
If a child swallows a button battery, go to the emergency room right away. Do not let them eat or drink and do not induce vomiting.