Help please! Advice re cupboard locks!!

Hi,
I have my pre-reg looming. I have been advised by the Childminding Development Officer from my LA that I definitely need cupboard locks. Having just spent quite a bit on a new kitchen, we are not overly keen on drilling holes in the new doors and the handles are too far apart to use the locks over those (are magnetic locks any use??). To compound matters virtually all our cupboards are low level and we only have a couple of higher up ones!! Having read some previous posts on here there seems to be very mixed views on the use of cupboard locks. Could anyone who has recently had a pre-reg or inspection advise on on what the 'current' Ofsted thinking on cupboard locks is please?
I will be using a separate playroom and I am planning on using a gate across the playroom door and another one on the kitchen door and supervision when in the kitchen of course!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Many thanks.

Hiya
I was told that any chemicals/knives/glass need to be locked away. I'm not sure if this is just my Local Authority's idea or not. Makes sense to me, although my three children survived childhood with no cupboard locks whatsoever....

I have used a mix of magnetic ones and stick on strap types. I like the magnetic ones. They were a bit pricey and fiddly to fit (took me a whole morning), but I like the way they are invisible and can be disabled when no minded kids are there. I had a couple of drawers that simply didn't fit the magnetic ones, so I used stick on strap type locks. My kitchen isn't new, so I'm not too fussed. I also have two cupboards with china in that I 'lock' by putting a sturdy elastic band over the handles.

On my pre-reg I explained all this and she seemed ok with it.

I hope you find something you're happy with :)

I have one magnet lock on my bin/cleaning cupboard, the 'key' is on my cooker hood, knives are in a knife block at the back of the work top, and all the children are taught they are not allowed on my kitchen, at all, ever! I have a 12 mth old, an 18 month old, and a 2 yr old, and not one of them has ever been in there.
I do have baby gates, but, have yet to use them, this is still my home primarily, and I don't want to have to screw holes everywhere!
Any medicines are on top of a wall cupboard so well out of anyone's reach (including mine lol)

My DO advised me to childproof everything with locks and baby gates, but I risk assessed and decided it was unnecessary for me given the layout of my downstairs and the likelihood of a child being able to get up the stairs or in the kitchen without me stopping them.
I do RA any new children, and if needed, I would take whatever precaution required at the time, touch wood, I can stand by my decision to date (3 years so far) I also explained this to my inspector a year ago and she was fine with it


Just as a funny The 18mth old was chasing my teenage DD with the toy crocodile this week and DD, to escape, legged it into the kitchen from the living room. LO ran after her and stooped dead at the door threshold, looked at her, looked at me, looked at her, then dropped his head and, in true Kevin and Perry style, stomped off back into the living room - I was roaring with laughter, it was so funny

I was in the same position as you regarding not wanting to drill holes in my new kitchen cupboards. Hubby found some in Tescos (think they were on line) and they looked like big (about 20cm) white paper clips. We just loop them around our handles - not sure how far apart your handles are though. My inspector checked every cupboard which didn't have a lock on it (not the high cupboards though). If they are not locked you just need to make sure there is nothing dangerous in them. She did look at all my casserole dishes which are kept in a deep, low level kitchen drawer and said that the children could access them and maybe drop them on their toes, but then came to her senses and said "But I'm sure you always supervise them" and didn't mention it in my report.

I have a bolt on my kitchen door. I only look after under 5s and feel the should not be left unsupervised in a kitchen and it means just one lock.

my playroom is off my kitchen, and we go through the kitchen to get to the downstairs toilet and front door. we also play in the kitchen, using it for messy play etc, plus meals.

I have a lock on my under the cupboard sink that has cleaning stuff in. every other cupboard the children COULD get to. they do get their own cutlery & crockery out but rarely open the other doors, and yes, a multitude of china and glass could get smashed on the floor. from the moment a child starts they are told no, IF they show any interest in my cupboards, but they rarely do! knives are in a block at the back of the work top, out of reach.
should a child be more persistant, then I would put elastic bands on the cupboard knobs etc.

Sorry to hijack this post for a minute but I'm watching it with interest as my own children are sick of drawers and doors in the kitchen with locks on. Their argument is I have a gate at the kitchen door to stop children coming in so why do I need all these locks as well. My answer "I have to have them to stop minded children from getting into them" when I had pre reg Mrs O never said they were too much so I took it they all had to be there and DO never even did a safety check or gave advice on it.

As others have said before no mindees would be allowed in their unsupervised and the gate is always secure. Would putting a bolt on the door along with the gate be ok so that I could take all the locks off? I would just leave the one on the drawer with knives etc in.

If my kitchen was new like yours though I would definately not be doing that again.

Kiddleywinks where do your mindees eat and do baking/cookery if you don't allow them in your kitchen, do you have a separate room for it all? I don't have a spare room so have to use my kitchen for certain things.

Again CSR2014 sorry for the hijack :D

My kitchen and Dining room are one room and the Playroom opens out into the dining room. They were only built 4 years ago and I have a new kitchen which like you I had no intention of putting door or drawer locks on! I haven't. I have 12 drawers and two under counter cupboards, they have the water softener which has a basket in front of it with my tea towels and towels in. The other had my Cast Iron Casseroles and j cloths and green and metal scouring pads. My knives are in a big block at the back of the work surface.

The children have access to the whole area and they learn to respect it. They are never unsupervised. I have no gates separating any of the areas

I am lucky enough to have all my cleaning stuff in a small Utility room in cupboards and because all sorts, Boiler, megaflo tank, ironing, all cleaning stuff are in there I door have a small self adhesive magnetic alarm on the door.


I was inspected a year after we had had all the work done and the Inspector loved the space and had no problem with not having door and drawer locks on everything.

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Originally Posted by mum67

Kiddleywinks where do your mindees eat and do baking/cookery if you don't allow them in your kitchen, do you have a separate room for it all? I don't have a spare room so have to use my kitchen for certain things. Again CSR2014 sorry for the hijack :D

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My downstairs is open plan pretty much, so my dining room doubles as my play room and we do all our crafts stuff, baking and eating at the dining table - it works for me ;-)

Never had locks on mine all lower cupboards contain stuff that is safe for children to have anyway.

I have some cupboard locks but my kitchen is very old so it doesn't bother me. It's all about RA and knowing the children you take care of. If you are happy with your RAs and feel the children are safe you could manage without them, just make sure you can explain your decisions on inspection as others have said.

I don't have any locks anywhere.

In my kitchen there are only plastics in lower cupboards

I have put a hook and eye on my larder and moved all my chemicals to that because i didnt want to drill the cupboards either.

My knife block is up high also. Especially as i don't allow mindees into my kitchen. For 1 its too small to fulfil any purpose for them and for another I'm quite ocd about where things go so wouldn't cope if they moved anything lol

I moved my cleaning items to a cupboard in the utility room (which isn't registered and the children don't go in) and the only lock I have is on a drawer where we keep tablets etc. Our knives are also in a block at the back of the worktop.

I had my pre reg in August and she was happy with this. Just as a heads up, I waited until she came to do the fire blanket as I didn't really want it in sight. She said it's fine on the inside of a kitchen cupboard door...which is where it is.

I asked at my pre reg about cupboard locks as wasn't too keen on having them either and they said I don't need them as children wouldn't be unsupervised in the kitchen anyway. During my graded visit they didn't question it either so I would say it's ok not to have them x

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Originally Posted by chocolate.chip

I asked at my pre reg about cupboard locks as wasn't too keen on having them either and they said I don't need them as children wouldn't be unsupervised in the kitchen anyway. During my graded visit they didn't question it either so I would say it's ok not to have them x

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BUT:

Depends on your house layout- if it is open plan kitchen/lounge/playroom/dining room then you can not 100% supervise children in kitchen. You answer door, pop to loo, answer phone, change nappy, see to child in lounge... and the kitchen is then NOT supervised.

It all depends on your own cupboard contents and your house layout. Everyone needs to make their own risk assessment.

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Originally Posted by JulieH

I moved my cleaning items to a cupboard in the utility room (which isn't registered and the children don't go in) and the only lock I have is on a drawer where we keep tablets etc. Our knives are also in a block at the back of the worktop.

I had my pre reg in August and she was happy with this. Just as a heads up, I waited until she came to do the fire blanket as I didn't really want it in sight. She said it's fine on the inside of a kitchen cupboard door...which is where it is.

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No it isn't!

It needs to be on the wall as near to your hob in the kitchen where it is most likely to be needed.

It is useless inside a cupboard door because by the time you actually got to it, deployed it and got back to the hob it would be too late. If it is in a cupboard you may as well not have one to be honest. The whole point it is out and available to use!


I think you would find if you had a Fire Safety Check done by your local Fire Brigade they wouldn't be happy about it.

Sorry to sound harsh but it is the truth.

I don't have any locks as I too have a new kitchen. I do have a stairgate on kitchen door to stop anyone going into the kitchen.

Anything hazardous is either in utility high cupboards or well away. The only things that are in low cupboards are cereal, plastic cups/plates and cups and plates.

Thanks to everyone who has replied!!
As always there seems to be some variance depending on who your Inspector happens to be!
I am still pondering on this as it needs to be solved in case my Inspector is very pro-cupboard locks.
Thanks again!!

Sorry...just saying what the inspector told me to do. :-) Also in fairness I have it inside a cupboard door next to the cooker.

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Originally Posted by rickysmiths

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No it isn't!

It needs to be on the wall as near to your hob in the kitchen where it is most likely to be needed.

It is useless inside a cupboard door because by the time you actually got to it, deployed it and got back to the hob it would be too late. If it is in a cupboard you may as well not have one to be honest. The whole point it is out and available to use!


I think you would find if you had a Fire Safety Check done by your local Fire Brigade they wouldn't be happy about it.

Sorry to sound harsh but it is the truth.

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