Thanksgiving may seem like an innocuous enough time of year. You’re surrounded by family and friends, indulging in delicious food. Safety may be the furthest thing from your mind.

However, a lot can—and does—go wrong at this time of year, quickly turning a happy occasion into a trip to the emergency room. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we thought it was an appropriate time to review some child Safety Tips for the holidays.

Kitchen safety

You may be busily preparing 12 dishes simultaneously while sipping wine and listening to your in-laws tell you about their latest trip to Florida. The chance of distraction under such circumstances is high. Add Children to the equation, and you quickly have a recipe for disaster. Therefore, it’s important to establish ground rules for your kids—and for your kitchen—on Thanksgiving:

• When a range door is left open, it can be tempting for children to climb up on it, causing the range to tip over and lead to serious injury. Always keep range doors closed when not in use.
• To prevent burns, don’t allow your children within three feet of any cooking areas, hot foods or hot liquids.
• Always keep knives and other sharp objects out of reach of your children.
• If you use an electrical appliance for cooking, make sure the cord is never left dangling off the counter—within reach of a child.

Black Friday shopping

Black Friday brings out the worst in many shoppers—resulting in a phenomenon known as “retail rage.” Frantic shoppers in search of just the right gift at a bargain price often resort to violence to get what they want. Even without such outbursts, the sheer crowds on Black Friday can make the mall a dangerous place—especially for small children. If you take your children to a Black Friday sale, follow these safety tips:

• At each store you enter, decide on a meeting place with your children—in case you get separated. This meeting point should not be a high-traffic area, so avoid exits and departments that are typically busy.
• Verify that your children understand the meeting place by having them repeat it back to you.
• Make sure your children know how to identify store employees and security guards, whom they can reach out to for help, if necessary.

Following the above safety tips can go a long way in keeping your kids safe this Thanksgiving weekend.