A lot of what you'd rather a toddler didn't reach lives in the kitchen: cleaning products under the sink, knives and pans in low drawers, and a hot oven door. This range covers them with hidden magnetic locks for cupboards and drawers, an oven lock, safety straps for the fridge, freezer and bin, corner protectors and a baby gate.
The magnetic locks fit inside the cupboard, so nothing shows from outside, and the door only opens when you hold the key against it. The straps cover what a hidden lock can't, such as the fridge, the oven and the bin, and the oven lock keeps the door shut, though the door itself still gets hot while you cook.
To keep your toddler out while you're cooking, put a baby gate across the kitchen doorway or fit a door handle lock. The gate pressure-fits openings from 76cm to 83cm, and everything else sticks on, so there's no drilling.
Questions, answered.
How many cupboard locks does a kitchen need?
Most kitchens need between six and ten, once you count the cupboard under the sink, the cleaning cupboard, the bin drawer and any low cupboard with glass or heavy pans in it. You don't have to lock everything: leaving one low cupboard of plastic bowls and wooden spoons for your toddler to explore takes the pressure off the rest.
Will magnetic locks fit my cupboards and drawers?
They need two flat, smooth surfaces, the inside of the door and the frame or shelf it closes against, which covers most kitchen cupboards. Panelled or shaped doors may not give a flat enough spot. On a stack of drawers with no rail between them, you may only be able to lock the top and bottom ones.
Do I need an oven lock if my oven has a child lock?
Check what yours locks. A built-in child lock usually stops the controls being changed, but the door still opens, and our oven lock keeps the door itself shut. If your oven already locks its door, you're covered.
How do I stop my toddler opening the fridge or the bin?
Use the safety straps: one end sticks to the door or lid and the other to the frame or side, and a clean, smooth fridge door is the ideal surface. Textured or painted surfaces hold far less reliably, so check where you'll fit them.
Will the adhesive cope with kitchen heat and steam?
In normal use, yes, but fit everything to a clean, dry surface and give it 24 hours before you rely on it, and fit the oven lock to a cold oven. Heat and steam can loosen fixings over time, so check them now and then, and use the screws that come with the cupboard locks on the ones you open all day.
