Keeping knives out of reach from little ones

[vizsla]

Good evening
as my little ones nearly two now she's able to open doors, bags get in pockets etc and these are all places I use to keep sharp thing, my work bag is hung high out the way but I'm mainly concerned about my pocket knife as it's usualy in my trouser pocket. I'm just wondering what precautions others take to keep there little ones safe from there pocket knife
thanks

 

[sandbender]

My pocket knife has a strong clip, my son won't get off me without my noticing, if it isn't in my pocket it is clipped onto my bag which hangs well out of reach.

He does understand sharp and spiky things though, he's dragged himself through enough thorn bushes to stop and hesitate whenever I say 'Ouch'.

 

[Stew]

It's a nightmare! I think just habit and constantly remembering!!

Pocket knives left in trousers on the floor-drobe is a typical one for me that I have to be told off for. Too easy to forget. Strong springed slipjoints is a good idea!!

 

[Marmite]

When my daughter started showing an interest we got a wooden knife she could use (make great christmas pressies) and had to keep things a little higher to start with, then we installed an exclusion zone around me when I'm carving. As she grew older we did chopping and carving sessions in the kitchen with other less sharp knives (even carved a spoon from a carrot once ). Always taught sharps as a tool and when she asked if she could have her own was able at the time to get a small necker made to her requirements, camel bone and pink liners and she uses this under supervision (she knows it's hers and to respect them, also if she abuses the privilege it can evaporate pretty fast). At the moment her brothers are less interested but they all recognise the exclusion zone and I have been asked when can they get their wooden knife, so I guess so far it's working for us

 

[Harvestman]

I use the exclusion zone principle too. When the kids reached the age of 21 they were told to move out. Problem solved.

 

[bambodoggy]

When my daughter started showing an interest we got a wooden knife she could use (make great christmas pressies) and had to keep things a little higher to start with, then we installed an exclusion zone around me when I'm carving. As she grew older we did chopping and carving sessions in the kitchen with other less sharp knives (even carved a spoon from a carrot once ). Always taught sharps as a tool and when she asked if she could have her own was able at the time to get a small necker made to her requirements, camel bone and pink liners and she uses this under supervision (she knows it's hers and to respect them, also if she abuses the privilege it can evaporate pretty fast). At the moment her brothers are less interested but they all recognise the exclusion zone and I have been asked when can they get their wooden knife, so I guess so far it's working for us

Yep...we're pretty much a mirror image of this for bushcraft and wood carving tools


Other sharp things and matches are left out in our house though...all of our kitchen knives and scissors are within reach of the children as are the matches and fire lighters used for the stove. Neither of my boys has made any effort to touch any of these things unless directly instructed to do so.
It's odd though because before having kids I fully expected to have to remove everything sharp and dangerous from the house. We did this for a short time with the first one but things crept back and weren't touched and we didn't really move anything for the second child. They are only 3.5 and 6 years old so there is time for them to meddle but I don't think they will....maybe because they are just every day items to the kid that they are not interested in them....there's no mystique, it's just the matches that the boys take tens to light the wood burner with and sharp bits of metal that hurt if they cut....no biggy
I guess it does kinda help that I have mild OCD and know exactly how these items where left and at what angle and so I know if anything has been moved.....and so far, it hasn't
I expected to be a lot more causious about this sort of thing but it just hasn't happened that way....as I type this there is a part of me that feels I should be locking my sharps away...should be hidding the matches but as I say....life just didn't happen that way in our house.

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[bambodoggy]

Actually, it's just occured to me.....the only knives I keep away from my eldest are his own bushcraft knives and that's only because with him knowing they are his I suspect he would use them more freely.....carving his bed posts etc

Funny....coz he could do th ease with one of my Saks, work moras or any of the knives in the kitchen....but he doesn't

 

[santaman2000]

Limiting it to pocketknives? If he/she is old enough to open it, he/she is old enough to be taught how to use it. If he/she is old enough to talk, then he/she is old enough to understand orders not to touch unless under supervision; and is also old enough to understand that while an accident is a distinct possibility, punishment is an assured consequence.

 

[British Red]

Last couple o posts sound right to me. Nothing was hidden away from mine and she learned very early that when I said "no" I meant "no" and the consequences of disobedience were swift and certain and really, really not worth it. I can't see hiding away Bushcraft tools unless you keep your kitchen locked, your workshop locked, all hoousehold cleaners locked away, all gardening equipment....everything.

 

[weekender]

All sounds the same in my house my little boy whose 4 keeps well back if I'm chopping wood and using my knife ( the exclusion zone) and he's never really bothered with matches unless I ask him to pass them to me when lighting the fire, haven't let loose with a real knife yet I made him a wooden one and he's not taking in the importance of not playing with it so I'm glad it's wood and not real at the moment. Nice to hear what others are doing in this regard. 👍


Sent from somewhere?

 

[Squidders]

Same in our household... nothing hidden, Nathan has his own knife that we use together. We don't mess around with them, they come out, get used and go away and there is no interest other than when something needs to be made.

 

[mousey]

I got mine chopping veg early on, shows that a sharp knife is a tool with definite uses not something to be played with or waved around. It also strengthens their wrists and helps with motor skills.


I keep medicine in an unlocked cupboard [albeit a high up one] alcohol easily available if they had a mind to nick it [which they have on two occasions - not since though...] the one place they have never gotten anything out of is the under sink cupboard, something which was impressed upon me as a child and I've carried forward - Do Not Go In There!

 

[sandbender]

I started with scissors with my daughter, it is a tool, you use it at the table, you put it away when done, you carry it like this etc. etc.

She left them where her young brother could find them and lost the use of them for a week, ever since they always go back in the pencil case.

 

[Goatboy]

A lady friend of mine brought her children around a while back and the little fella was into everything, opening display cabinets and the likes. He pulled out a particularly spiky piece of WWI trench art and mum made a lunge for him, she then turned to me and said "I see you did a great job of child proofing the house before we arrived!" To which my reply was "I see you've brought up your child well enough to not go raking without asking!"
It was a light natured exchange and I had gone through the house and made sure that chemicals and the likes were out of the way. I don't have kids but sometimes feel that we wrap them in cotton wool a little too much. Rather than sterilising the house of all danger my folks took the radical step of telling me not to touch certain things and how to handle things properly when I was allowed too.
I like the idea of the wooden knives for the kiddies. I was lucky enough to be allowed to handle knives and sharps from a pretty early age, helping my grandfathers out in gardens and on little engineering projects. It taught me a lot of respect for things and others property. (I'm not saying that I never did anything wrong and I did sometimes get a little cut, but I also got a clout round the lug if it was found that I'd done it without permission.)
So yes I think keeping stuff out of the way is good, but also education a wee one as to what they are and aren't allowed to do is an equal part of it.

 

[British Red]

So yes I think keeping stuff out of the way is good, but also education a wee one as to what they are and aren't allowed to do is an equal part of it.

I think you were in the right and your friend in the wrong GB. It amazes me the number of parents (and weirdly grandparents) who think you youth is a licence for bad behaviour. That includes running around under peoples feet in shops, touching things they are not theirs, weird shrieking, and a whole gamut of behaviour that was not, until recently, acceptable to anyone. Now its acceptable only to those who cannot be bothered to fulfil their role as a parent.

People are told firmly that our place is not "child friendly" nor do we make allowances for children. If people cannot teach and/or supervise their children, I would rather they left their children at home (or in a kennel which seems to be where they belong). Sure you can "child proof" your home - but I assume that the child is never allowed out of that home to play unsupervised or to visit another child, farm, whatever? So the child loses out because they cannot be taught to be trustworthy. A great shame.

 

[Goatboy]

Cheers Red,

I was worried that I came across as a grumpy old man. I have many discussions with parent and teacher friends about how I fear that their kids loose out on the precious attitudes of society towards kids. My Calvanistic grannys sage words of "He'll learn!" when I was doing something still ring in my ears. If folk are to slot into a society they have to learn the rules on how to get on and not get hurt.
We were actually talking last night about a child who's parents were complaining that he's been punished for being late three times. If you never learn as a kid not to be late then your first few jobs on leaving school are going to be short ones. Learning to be responsible is for everyones benefit. Talking of kennels I believe that folks pets should be the same too, I trained both my dogs not to be a nuisance to others. And when one parent complained that I'd warned her child about playing with dangerous things in my shop she went on to talk about a dog being there. I pointed out that that it was a customers dog and it at least was under control and behaving unlike her offspring.She left, I was happy.
Sorry Visla if I'm slightly off topic but I feel it's relevant to the wee one around sharps. I understand your worry. It was drilled into me to be careful around pointy things and stuff that went bang from an early age and as such I respect them and didn't get badly hurt.

 

[British Red]

I think your point is a valid one GB - and relevant to the topic.

As some of you know one of the subjects I teach is risk management. There was a fascinating paper written a while ago that children, when over protected, lose the ability to judge risk in their lives and it is very damaging for them later in life as they either lose out on experiences or become entirely reckless since they cannot judge appropriate risk.


My daughter and I laugh that she participates in the most dangerous sport in the UK and I in the safest.

She rides horses, I compete in practical shooting (running with loaded firearms). We both understand the risks of our sport and do what we can to minimise them - but acknowledge that in her sport, the participation of three quarters of a tonne of live animal mean that they cannot be eliminated.

Your granny was right - but taking risks that may hurt (but not kill) us as children, we do indeed learn.

 

[Bowlander]

Good to see common sense prevails. The only thing locked away in our house are guns, and if they are out for cleaning, Sam (6) knows not to touch them unless he asks first. He has used knives since he was able to hold them, chopping veg, whittling sticks etc. In sharp contrast to his 3 cousins who aren't allowed to touch dangerous things - when they do hold a knife it makes me wince as they are so kack handed with them.

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[Crassy84]

Its fantastic to see that there are some folks left teaching their kids that Knives are acceptable and an invaluble tool. My son is four and I am educating him in that as my father and grand father did for me. I've been using a knife since I was knee high and grew up with respect for the tool it is. i've had many a debate with those lesser accepting that just because it's pointy does not mean I will use it as an offensive weapon!

 

[rik_uk3]

Good evening
as my little ones nearly two now she's able to open doors, bags get in pockets etc and these are all places I use to keep sharp thing, my work bag is hung high out the way but I'm mainly concerned about my pocket knife as it's usualy in my trouser pocket. I'm just wondering what precautions others take to keep there little ones safe from there pocket knife
thanks

When you come home put your knife in the bag.