100 million adults experience chronic pain in the United States. This includes conditions such as fibromyalgia, migraines and autoimmune diseases. While day-to-day life is significantly impacted by chronic pain, being a parent does add its own unique set of challenges. However, you’ll soon realize it’s all about organization, balance and harmony. As kitchens can already be the root of mishaps and chaos, here are three ways to cook with your kids while practicing kitchen safety.
Tips for kitchen safety with your kids while cooking #fibroparenting #chronicpain Share on X
Practicing Kitchen Safety with Your Kids
Get your kids familiar with the kitchen
While no parent will hand their three-year-old toddler a knife and expect a good outcome, familiarity in the kitchen is one of the best ways to foster a general interest. In this specific regard, there is no such thing as too young when it comes to getting your kids in the kitchen. The more familiar they are with how the kitchen operates and how food is made, the more confident and at-home they will eventually feel, which correlates directly with kitchen safety. Knowledge is power, and the sooner your children become accustomed to how tools are used, the less supervision they will need in the future, keeping you relaxed and stress-free.
Child-proof dangerous tools and appliances
Although cooking with kids has a wide variety of benefits, there are dangerous tools and appliances that should be avoided until your kids are older. Sharpened butcher knives or everyday appliances like pressure cookers can lead to accidents that can easily be prevented. Keep all sharp knives out of reach and always in their cases. Heavy-duty appliances can also be stored away except for when in use, and you can always keep them on the back burners as well as on the counters where your children cannot access them.
Stay organized to keep your kitchen chaos-free
The last thing any parent with chronic pain needs is a kitchen with too much going on. The best defense is a good offense and you can avoid messes and chaos in your kitchen by being organized. Find a few recipes with simple ingredients and directions that you can make with your children–even with toddlers under the age of three. This is a great way to get them comfortable in the kitchen early on, teach them some essential do’s and don’ts, and avoid adding unnecessary physical work and burdens onto yourself. Plus, you can all enjoy the fruits of your labor together afterwards.
While being a parent with chronic pain does include a host of challenges, cooking with your kids does not have to be one of them. By familiarizing your kids to the kitchen early on, child-proofing potentially dangerous tools and appliances, and remaining organized, you can truly have your cake and eat it too–as a family.
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