Kids are attracted to dishwashers like moths to a flame. There's all sorts of fun sights, sounds and things to touch all on their level. It makes it an ideal candidate for messy projects where clean up is as easy as closing the door.
Dishwashers are fascinating to kids, not just because interesting things happen inside that mystical appliance, but because it's on their level. It's something to stand up against, hold onto and makes for a rather unique place to stage a craft project or place to let them help you mix things up in the kitchen.
Chrissy over at Parenthacks had been hesitant to let her 4 year old help out in the kitchen. Always wanting to help, she's more of a "wild stirrer" and flour flinger than an aid to any sort of cooking. Her dishwasher door happened to be open and the idea was born. Now she can help out without any extra clean up, all she has to do is shut the door and wash it away with her next load of dishes.
Sure you can create taller stools or learning towers for little one's to help out, but if space is short and there isn't a safe place for your little one to help out up high (or store such an apparatus) then try going low instead.
(via: Parent Hacks)
(Image: Flickr member eyeliam licesend for use under Creative Commons)
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Comments (12)
I would like to add a caveat to this post...
While fascinating and fun, dishwashers can also be a very dangerous place for a child to explore. Like a fridge, a child can climb inside a dishwasher, get stuck and suffocate. Obviously, you have to keep an eye on your little one at all times, but even if you do I can tell you that allowing my toddler to "explore" the open dishwasher while I'm in the kitchen with her has left me with a dishwasher that has become unscrewed from the frame, causing the door to not shut fully and me scrambling around to find a repairman! Maybe I should have just gotten the learning tower!!!
Ha, that could be my son in the photo...the little guy was obsessed with the dishwasher for a few months! We'd close it and he'd cry and cry.
I don't think the dishwasher is a safe place to let kids play - for them or for the dishwasher! They could break the door by leaning or climbing on it - and my 2 year old nearly had his pinky toe ripped off by doing exactly that!! He climbed on it and when he was getting down his tow caught on the raised edge around the door and it sliced right through it!! Dishwashers Kids = NO!!!
I'm always a little wary of "toys" that aren't always toys. Like giving your kid an iphone at a crowded restaurant but then not wanting them to touch it when you're at home. Mixed signals are confusing and frustrating for most kids. So I think it could be more trouble than it's worth to convince your child that it's fine to play with a dishwasher one day and then it's not fine to play with it the next day (when it's chock full of sharp knives and dirty plates).
Though a dishwasher can be a safety hazard, so can many things around the home when not using proper supervision. We'd like to think that if you're having a mad finger painting session with your little one, that you'll have a careful eye on them no matter what to ensure paint doesn't end up on your ceilings :)
I'm unfortunately with Jensational. I thought I was so smart, installing Alphababy to my Macbook to occupy her sometimes. Big mistake. Now my toddler thinks she has free reign to whack my keyboard anytime she chooses. Although playing in/on the dishwasher seems like a good idea at some times, children will naturally think they're entitled to horse around in it at their leisure. Not only could that be dangerous if it's full or if they close the door on their fingers, it will undoubtedly end up biting Mom and Dad in the butt when they later try to say No. Consistency is key!
A guy I know used to let his kid play with the dishwasher ... until the kid fell on the plastic part that holds the dishes and they poked two holes in his face, barely missing his eyes.
I'm not usually a freaker outer, but the dishwasher is off limits for me. There are plenty of other ways to play.
I think most of the commenters are misinterpreting the suggestion, and the photo isn't helping.
The suggestion isn't to use the dishwasher door as a toy, but as a surface to put things on (and catch any mess that would spill out of the bowl being used). Also, it was meant for kids who are old enough to help a little, but still too zealous in their helping that they tend to make a mess. This girl was 4, not 2. And I highly doubt she was allowed to use it unsupervised.
So long as the dishwasher is empty when used for this purpose and locked when there are dishes in it, why not? By 4 a child can learn when no means no, and not use it without his or her parents' permission and supervision.
Dishwashers aren't fastened in securely like cabinets. They're often held in place by a single screw and gravity.
Some friends' young Labrador puppy (not a full-sized dog) jumped on their dishwasher door. The tiny single screw holding the dishwasher in place pulled out (look under the counter to see if this is how your dishwasher installs- all 3 we've owned have been this way). The dishwasher came free of the counter and slammed shut over the dog. The dog was scared, but unharmed because it was on the center of the door. A child probably wouldn't be so lucky.
The picture on this post really makes me cringe.
Even without all the safety concerns, I am not sure how this idea is helpful. When my children are messy on a table they are messy on the floor too, and if you are going to clear paint/flour from the floor, you might as well clean the work surface too.
Sounds like a perfect way to break off your dishwasher door. No matter if the child is 2 or 4, he or she will lean on the door when working on a project and sooner or later... snap. No thanks.
WTF? Terrible idea for all the reasons other people have listed above and then some.