Kitchen-gated or not gated?

[Storks]

At the moment my kitchen isnt gated, but the door is shut when the children are about.....DO says not a problem as long as i RA it........now my pre reg visit is due any time now i'm bottling it!!!

P.s I have no locks on cupboards or drawer.....

Arggggghhhh shall i just go and get gate and catches???

anyone been brave......

Thanks Tracey

xx

[jelly15]

Mine is gated so that the children can play in the hall when I am preparing food. I still have locks on the kitchen cupboards and draws to just to keep inspectors happy.

[mama2three]

My kitchen is semi open plan so cant easily be gated.
Only 1 cupboard has a lock - where bleach etc is stored. The others - pans , food etc arent any real risk anyway.
You just need to be able to tell inspector how you aim tho keep the children safe..

[sarahjane]

Mine is gated and the children aren't allowed in there at all as my dog is in there staying safe.
My friend uses her kitchen with the children all the time, it's huge and has locks on all cupboards and drawers, her last inspector checked everyone of them!

[mrs_scottydog]

Hi Tracey,
First of all don't panic too much about your pre reg visit, easier said than done I know. The inspector is there to help you and make sure you're aware of everything you need to do. She will inspect your house but you don't need to have everything place when she gets there, as long as you can tell her about the things you still need to do.
I do have a gate on my kitchen but I haven't got a door. I only have a lock on the cupboard under the sink which has all my cleaning and hazardous things in. If you're worried ask the inspector if you need a gate or not. Hth Hx

[Linda Mc]

Hi Tracey,

Did you say your pre-reg visit? If you're not actually minding yet I wouldn't worry about it at the moment.

When I had mine last September I told Mrs O I wasn't buying any equipment until I knew the ages of the children I would be minding & it wasn't a problem.

As long as you can show the inspector that you are aware of what you need for a baby/toddler ie cupboard locks, stair gates etc I'm sure she'll be fine.

I did have my first aid kit & my travel first aid kit though & my fire blanket, what she was more interested in was my house & garden risk assessment & she had a look around the house & garden.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

[AliceK]

I have a gate on my kitchen to keep the dog from running into the rest of the house when I'm working. It also makes me feel safer when I'm cooking, walking around with pots / knives etc as I know the mindees are not going to be under my feet. I let the mindees in there with me to do messy play / baking etc but otherwise the kitchen is not a play area. I have a cupboard lock on my under sink cupboard where all the cleaning products are stored (just in case)

xxxx

[chez]

My kitchen is gated and no children enter it at any time this means I have all my knives down in "normal" draws and cleaning products are kept where I want them etc

If we have a mindee that can open the gate we may have to reconsider this sytem.

Our kitchen isnt very wide at all and I would not feel comfortable having children in there while we prepared food etc. I don't see that there is anything in there that would be of intrest for them to access. We do all cooking in our laminated floored hall on a low table and they can see the cooker from the gate. They can also stand at the gate and watch me in the kitchen.

[singingcactus]

My kitchen is ungated, and I have no locks on the cupboards. I have no sharps or breakables low down where the little kids can access, but I do have a knife block with LOTS of knives and scissors on the corner bunker. It's out of easy reach, but could still be accessed by a schoolie if they so chose. I don't keep cleaners downstairs so that is not an issue.
I do have in my paperwork that I teach the children to use items safely rather than forbidding their use, and in order to do this they do need to be able to access things that carry more risk.
Denying all access to anything that carries potential risk does not at all in any way teach the children how to handle risk. You will be doing them no favours if you organise your home in such a way that there is no learning potential there. They need to have the chance to safely learn to obey rules, and to be shown how to use more hazardous tools and implements. Just grade the risk, higher risk goes higher out of reach so only older kids can access. So don't store haz-mat low down, but also don't make the kitchen a complete no go zone just be prepared to remind the little guys of the rules - no adult, no kitchen.
This is how it is in my house any way and I've never had a OFSTED lady have a problem with it, and I've never had even a minor incident in the kitchen. But I do have kids who can use scissors, hobs, microwaves, knives, toasters etc.

[Monkey26]

Mine is ungated and the only cupboard lock I have is on the big one under the sink which houses alcohol (bottom shelf) and cleaning products (top shelf)

I only have one gate and that is at the bottom of the stairs :-) xx

[onceinabluemoon]

I have a gate which serves to keep both my dogs and my mindees out of the kitchen. I do not have locks and catches on any of the doors or drawers as children are not allowed in there unsupervised.

I don't have cupboard locks or drawer catches because my son has dyspraxia and wouldn't be able to get in them. Explained this to mrs O and she was fine as I was keeping the children safe by not letting them in.

Just out of interest what do environmental health say about the dogs being kept in kitchens? Mine gave me a telling off because I had the dog's water bowl in there (and a washing machine bizarrely), I think he would have had heart failure if my dog had been kept where I prepare food for the kiddies. Are yours more lenient?

[Linda Mc]

I have a gate which serves to keep both my dogs and my mindees out of the kitchen. I do not have locks and catches on any of the doors or drawers as children are not allowed in there unsupervised.

I don't have cupboard locks or drawer catches because my son has dyspraxia and wouldn't be able to get in them. Explained this to mrs O and she was fine as I was keeping the children safe by not letting them in.

Just out of interest what do environmental health say about the dogs being kept in kitchens? Mine gave me a telling off because I had the dog's water bowl in there (and a washing machine bizarrely), I think he would have had heart failure if my dog had been kept where I prepare food for the kiddies. Are yours more lenient?

Know where you're coming from because at my pre reg visit Mrs O saw my cats water bowl in the kitchen & shook her head. :panic:

Now poor Annie is fed before mindees arrive & then her food/water bowl is put outdoors away from the children - know she's not happy about it! :laughing:

[rickysmiths]

At the moment my kitchen isnt gated, but the door is shut when the children are about.....DO says not a problem as long as i RA it........now my pre reg visit is due any time now i'm bottling it!!!

P.s I have no locks on cupboards or drawer.....

Arggggghhhh shall i just go and get gate and catches???

anyone been brave......

Thanks Tracey

xx



I have a huge Kitchen Dining room that is connected to my Playroom by double doors. It was all brand new 18 mths ago and I vowed I would not be putting a lock or clip on any cupboard or drawer. I have 12 of the large under counter drawers as well. All my knives are in a huge knife block at the back of the work top well out of reach.

I am lucky enough to have a Utility room so all my cleaning stuff is in there and as it has a folding door I have put a self adhesive alarm on the door.

I have risk assessed and as the children are never in the kitchen area without me anyway it is not a problem. I was Inspected in Sept and no comment was made at all.

It would be very difficult to gate and I have not and I did not with my old kitchen either.

[kellib]

I have an open planned kitchen/living room and I only have cupboard locks on one cupboard (the one where all the cleaning products are etc). I didn't have any problems with my layout, I had a big speech planned about how great it actually is as it means I can see the children playing while I'm cooking lunch etc without having to actually leave the room, not leaving children on their own in another room while I'm cooking etc.

[miffy]

I don't have a gate on the kitchen door - if children are in the kitchen when I'm cooking then they have to be sat down doing colouring or crafts.

I don't have cupboard locks either - I didn't have them for my own kids so I won't be having them for minded children, but I don't keep cleaning stuff in the kitchen, that's all out of reach in the utility.

As long as you can explain to Ofsted why you do what you do and that the children are safe you should be OK

Miffy xx

[lozzy23]

I have an open planned kitchen/living room and I only have cupboard locks on one cupboard (the one where all the cleaning products are etc). I didn't have any problems with my layout, I had a big speech planned about how great it actually is as it means I can see the children playing while I'm cooking lunch etc without having to actually leave the room, not leaving children on their own in another room while I'm cooking etc.

Exactly the same as me.

[jayne518]

I wouldn't worry about it, they will just make a recommendation to get it done but it wont stop you being registered, i had my inspection last week. i have got a gate and locks, if anything i would say the cupboard locks are more important but having a gate on the kitchen door is so handy. just make sure you have poisons and sharp utensils out of reach and you will do fine.

[jumping j]

when Ofsted came out i didn't have a gate on my kitchen and it wasn't commented on, I have now!
But more for my safety than anything else. I don't have a big kitchen and and on the days when I have 3 unders 5's I was finding that I was tripping over them while preparing lunch, or the toys they had brought in to show me then left on the floor!!!
I do use the kitchen with some of the older ones to bake cakes so the gate isn't always shut, only when I'm making lunch!!!

[zippy]

Completely agree, I do nothing different from when I have had little kids, do not use a gate, the children ate welcome in the kitchen at all times even when I'm cooking, although I do ask them to leave when opening oven door. I beliveve in educating the children at an early age, of course you still have to risk assess this, my cleaning products are stored high. I do have breakables (crockery) down low, but again I teach the children about what cupboards are for them. I've never done cupboard latches, as I believe this only stops them for as long as they don't want to get in. I have never had any problems on inspection. C
My kitchen is ungated, and I have no locks on the cupboards. I have no sharps or breakables low down where the little kids can access, but I do have a knife block with LOTS of knives and scissors on the corner bunker. It's out of easy reach, but could still be accessed by a schoolie if they so chose. I don't keep cleaners downstairs so that is not an issue.
I do have in my paperwork that I teach the children to use items safely rather than forbidding their use, and in order to do this they do need to be able to access things that carry more risk.
Denying all access to anything that carries potential risk does not at all in any way teach the children how to handle risk. You will be doing them no favours if you organise your home in such a way that there is no learning potential there. They need to have the chance to safely learn to obey rules, and to be shown how to use more hazardous tools and implements. Just grade the risk, higher risk goes higher out of reach so only older kids can access. So don't store haz-mat low down, but also don't make the kitchen a complete no go zone just be prepared to remind the little guys of the rules - no adult, no kitchen.
This is how it is in my house any way and I've never had a OFSTED lady have a problem with it, and I've never had even a minor incident in the kitchen. But I do have kids who can use scissors, hobs, microwaves, knives, toasters etc.