How do you keep your kids out the kitchen while you are cooking?

I know this is one of those "duh" questions but I finally feel the need to ask. lol. I have 1 1/2 yr old twins and we all know they move super fast and are always under our feet! I don't "cook" that often, especially with DH gone (military) BUT in the event...I need them to be safe. I am considering putting a gate up either at the edge of the kitchen or even at the edge of our dining area (which is beside the kitchen) because the boys also love to use my chairs as junglegyms.
I guess I usually either "lock" them in their playroom, with a gate. lol or put them in their boosters and give them snack or dinner while trying to cook everything. I am just wondering how you do it!? and if I need to invest in another gate to block off the kitchen or if what I'm doing is ok.
I think this is the event that made me ask the question....last week I was boiling water and (the boys were in their boosters at the time) took it to the sink (clear across the kitchen...that's the problem) and in doing so I splattered boiling water on the hardwood floor. ouch! It didn't damage the floor but it made me very aware of the safety issues IF the kids were ever in the kitchen while cooking. PLUS, they love to play w/ the stove (the door is always locked) and always seem to know when the oven is on...they try to stick their hands in the cracks around the door.
Ok, let's see how you handle the kitchen.
TIA

faith

 

Mine aren't quite a year yet but I've started putting up a gate at the kitchen/diningroom door if I'm doing something that I really don't want them getting underfoot. At the moment we use the dining room as a play room so I can keep an eye on them while cooking. They have a ton of toys in there (and an older sister) to keep them busy. Otherwise I put them in their chairs and give them a snack.

 

The family room has a connecting door to the kitchen, and we keep a gate up in that doorway whenever the girls are awake, since the family room is pretty much their domain. They do come and hang over the gate and whine sometimes, but our kitchen is pretty small and it's a hassle having them underfoot, and also a safety hazard. They generally play well on their own in there and just kind of do a "drive by" next to the gate every once in a while to say hi. And then sometimes they're cranky and hang on the gate crying "eat, eat, eat!" but oh well.

 

I have the kitchen gated off and can "lock" them in the living room, but most of the time I let them in the kitchen with me while I am cooking dinner. Otherwise, they stand at the gate and whine the whole time. I usually give them tupperware or plastic utensils to play with.

 

At that age, I would put a gate up and it was tv time. My kids would often watch 30 minutes of Mickey Mouse, Backyardigans, etc while I cooked. I could see them and they would periodically come to the gate to see what I was doing, but they usually just watched their show. Now that they are a bit older, I don't keep the gate up anymore. Some days they watch tv, some days they play (I drag their play kitchen into the kitchen and they cook along with me). I still keep a close eye on them if they stove is on, but otherwise they are pretty good about not taking things off the counter or getting underfoot.

 

I alway put a gate up. I am very clumsy and have enough problems not tripping over my own 2 feet so I did not want 2 babies underfoot.

 

I am thinking of getting a gate b/c I'm having the same problem. DH went thru the other day & put locks on all the cupboards, except the one with pots & pans. And they just LOVE to get in there while I'm cooking.....and of course, it's directly under the stove. Usually what I end up doing is putting them in their high chairs for a snack & turning on a Baby Einstein movie. I really hate gates.....at just barely 5', it's hard for me to get over them easily!

 

Our kitchen was gated until the girls turned 2.

FWIW, now they are happy to be watching tv or 'reading' books while I cook, and sometimes they 'help'.

 

I don't cook while they're awake. It is annoying because we can't ever have a hot dinner all together (unless it's a crockpot meal), but it's just so much easier. I will reheat things and do basic prep (cutting fruit, etc.) with them underfoot, but I won't carry anything really hot or heavy.

It helps that I'm rarely home alone with them (DH and I both work FT). So if it is necessary for some reason to cook while they're awake, one parent can entertain them while the other cooks. They still always want to be in the kitchen though.

We do need to get a gate for the kitchen door, but I can also imagine that we won't use it much, because we hate having them whine.

 

I just let mine walk around. We have a gate on both sides of the kitchen, so the only place they can go is the eating area, familyroom, and kitchen. So they just play or walk around the kitchen. It does get hard at times, but I manage.

 

I've been battling with this, too. I don't know an answer. If I put them in their playroom, sometimes they will play; other times they will scream to get out. On really bad days, I put in a movie like Einstein. If it's close to dinner, I put them in their seats and give them reading material or their veggie as a starter. Most of the time, I guess, I just avoid really, really cooking. Good luck! Let us know if you find a solution.

 

Kitchen/Living room is open concept so there's no way to put a gate up. we usually just throw on a kids show for 20 minutes and that seems to distract them just long enough...

 

At that age just the sight of a gate would cause mass hysteria in both of my girls , so I had to improvise. I cleared out a cupboard in the kitchen away from the stove and put all kinds of fun things for them to play with in it--wooden spoons, tupperware, pots, lids etc. That would keep them occupied while I made dinner. They also liked to play with magnets on the fridge as well. They usually stayed out from under my feet this way, AND they wouldn't freak out because mommy (heaven forbid) was on the other side of a gate. .

 

We also use the gates ALWAYS. They never come down, I just can't stand having the girls pulling EVERYTHING out of the cabinets and trash. They do stand at the gate and cry sometimes, especially in the morning while I'm making their breakfast. I just ignore it though.

 

QUOTE(Babies4Susan @ Jun 6 2007, 08:40 AM) [snapback]281349[/snapback]
I have the kitchen gated off and can "lock" them in the living room, but most of the time I let them in the kitchen with me while I am cooking dinner. Otherwise, they stand at the gate and whine the whole time. I usually give them tupperware or plastic utensils to play with.

This is exactly what I do. Sometimes I'll put them in their high chair and give them a snack.

 

Mine are NEVER in the kitchen when someone is cooking until they are at least three. The thought of them getting burned by splashing or spitting grease/water makes me cringe. We have always used a gate at the door to the kitchen so they can't get in the way. They go through phases of crying at the gate but I just talk to them. I tell that that I'm cooking so they can't be in the kitchen right now. I also will sometimes put on a video to distract them if I need to be in the kitchen for more than a few minutes at a time. There are plenty of different gates out there, for all configurations, so you should be able to find one that fits your kitchen set up.

 

This gate!! It has saved my sanity!!

 

I just ordered this gate. The thing I like about it is that it's retractable. I don't want the kids blocked out of the kitchen all the time...just the 20 minutes before/after a meal. I got tired of never being able to get a meal on or off the table with them climbing in the frig, tugging at our feet, climbing the dishwasher.

The boys know when someone's in the kitchen a meal's a comin' and they have the patience of a ...well... 14-month old. They uh-uh-uh-uh in that whiney, make-your-spine-twitch tone. It's AWFUL. When there are 2 of us at home, DH cooks and I take them out on a walk the 30 minutes before dinner, or sometimes we'll put in Signing Time DVD or take them out on the deck with the water table.

 

My kitchen is gated too. The boys only have access to the kitchen if "we" are refilling our sippy cups or on our way to their booster seats at the table. Too much worry for me. I bought them a play kitchen to pull out pots and pans, oven doors, and playing in the sink . They are pretty good about being patient while I'm in the kitchen. I make sure they aren't starving when I head off to start making a meal.

HTH
Mendy