Thanksgiving is a day to be thankful, watch football and eat lots of good food - but apparently it's also the day to start a fire.
Mercy Health says Thanksgiving is the leading day of the year for fires involving cooking equipment.
Which makes sense considering lots of different dishes are being prepared, sometimes all at once.
Here are some tips to make sure your family stays safe while the turkey is cooking:
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop so you can keep an eye on the food.
- Stay in the home when cooking your turkey and check on it frequently.
- Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay 3 feet away.
- Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
- Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags.
- Keep knives out of the reach of children.
- Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.
- Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet.
- Never leave children alone in room with a lit candle.
- Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.
Kitchen safety is especially important when they are a lot of people in your home.
Experts recommend to have fun activities, such as puzzles, games or crafts to keep kids occupied.
If kids want to help prepare the meal, you can have them help with recipes that don't require them to be in the hectic kitchen.
