The always-useful Parent Hacks blog posted this simple, elegant way to keep children safe in the kitchen today. It was too useful not to pass on:

Mark the stove's "hot zone" with painter's tape

Kristin's simple visual cue keeps her kids safe in the kitchen while letting them stay involved:

I have a three year old, two year old, and 12 week old. They all like to play in the kitchen when I am cooking, and with all the baking I am doing this time of year, we talk a lot about staying back when I have the oven open or hot pots/pans on the stove.

I put a blue "box" on the floor with painter's tape and they know that if the light is on, they need to stay behind the line. It allows them to still watch what's going on -- they are very interested in cooking -- and works better for us than just repeating "stay back" a thousand times! I also know that when I have the oven door open, the line is far enough back that they can't reach over and get burned.

If you aren't yet a regular Parent Hacks reader, take one peek and you'll be hooked!

Stores selling storage and organization accessories appeal to our fantasy selves. With the right box, rack, sorter, labeler, or over-the-door-gift-wrap-organizer our lives will finally become peaceful, or beautiful, or sane.

Rather than give your hard-earned money away to the empty-promise plastic gods, look in your recycling bin for scads of “organization” tools.


Most folks are all about the box, but I’ll take a nice set of cans any day. They come in every size, from sardine and tuna fish to whole peeled tomato. With the labels peeled off, they work for the stainless steel aesthetic or the country-chic aesthetic. Nail a few in the laundry room for household essentials like scissors, tape, dust rags, etc. Decant dog biscuits into one by the back door. Use a clean tuna can for your keys. Not everything needs a box!

But boxes are wonderful, which is why we all keep buying them. Plastic boxes can be very helpful, especially in the attic, basement, and garage, but don’t overlook the utility of the everyday boxes you might automatically throw away. Even the prosaic shoe box can provide decades of storage, and after decades, its print will start to look charmingly retro. Don't you wish you'd saved your Air Jordans box now?

Glass jars are the free, non-toxic alternative to plastic food storage. Write directly on the jar with a dry erase marker to remind yourself what’s in it. In some parts of the country you can still buy your berries in wooden baskets and your oranges in crates. A dozen cans in a crate makes a wonderful catch-all for wrapping or craft supplies. Plastic containers, like the oblong arugula or mixed green boxes, or the tub from miso paste are great for holding small toys, like Legos or Playmobile. Tubs that once held baby wipes can now hold puzzles, bathroom supplies, or hardware.

Cans and boxes take on even more possibilities with some paper and glue. I use Mod Podge, a glue made especially for decoupage (a fancy words for pasting paper to things). Modpodge is the perfect consistency. But Elmer's glue, diluted with a little water, works well too. With either product, take your chosen paper (try old wrapping paper, beat-up children’s books, sheet music, or a foreign language newspaper), brush glue on the back. Paste it down. Brush glue on the front. Let dry. If you want, you can seal it again with shellac, spray lacquer, or varnish, but it isn't necessary. Fabric works well too, especially on cans.

This is a great project for children. They’ll see their handiwork become a vital part of running the household.

Do you have any other ideas for recycling the recycling? Please share them below!

Do you really need a tiny set of All-Clad pans and silicone froggie oven mitts to inspire your little baby chef? Naw... but you do need to use common sense. Kids love to cook and want to get their paws into everything you're doing, so it's important to set some parameters before you start your own Iron Chef Toddler competitions.

Prep Ahead of Time

• Give your kid something fascinating to do while you go to town on your mise en place - chop everything you need and place it in little bowls


• Pull out all your ingredients


• Read and reread your recipe with kid eyes - what will be fun to do together? High-maintenance? Do the high maintenance items yourself, perhaps even ahead of time.

Have Black and White Kitchen Rules
Whatever works for you is fine; I know some chef parents have their kids slicing and dicing by three, but for us the rules for our five-year-old are:

• Knives are for adults (you can put your hand on mine)


• Stoves are for adults (when I'm opening the oven door, you're in the kitchen doorway watching; when I am stirring and I say ok, you can put your hand on mine)


• Electric mixers, blenders, and food processors are 100% operable by kids and parents need to show proper deference

Messes Are Part of the Fun

• Things that might screw up my recipe but won't hurt any humans are fair game (eggshells, spilled milk, whatever!)

Allow Your Kid to Make Choices

• Adding something to the pancakes? Let your kid pick whether it's frozen blueberries, sliced bananas, or fresh raspberries


• Deciding what to make? Enlist Junior's help to figure out what's for dinner (guide with menus of possibility based on refrigerator contents)


• Let your kid decide what ingredients need tasting, except any batter with raw eggs (salmonella's no fun)

Don't Break the Bank On Kiddie-Focusted Kitchen Gadgetry

• If something will do double duty in the play kitchen, knock yourself out, but really it's no more work to make a whole pie than a 3" one, and there are a LOT less leftovers


• You don't need specially-designed products that fence your child in to be safe - we used a wooden chair with arms flipped backwards and then a basic step stool from the hardware store with our kids

Finally, one last random tip: onion goggles rock. Have fun! And don't forget to make some edible play dough!

What do you do to keep curious helpers safe in the kitchen?