Child lock (key or padlock)
Locks the controls so the oven cannot be switched on, or a running programme changed, by accident.
What it is for
Homes with small children — the reason every maker cited here gives for it.
Makes differ, check your oven’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly which elements run and how hot.
- What it looks like
- A key lying on its side (Neff, Siemens, Hotpoint) or a padlock (Smeg).
- Names makers use
- Child lock (Neff, Hotpoint, Smeg); Childproof lock (Siemens)
Where makes differ
How you set it varies: on Neff ovens you hold the key symbol for about 4 seconds to lock and unlock. Smeg says its lock stops tampering once the cycle has started.
Often confused with
Sets a time. On Neff and Smeg ovens the minute minder switches the oven off when the time is up; on others it opens the time settings or runs a countdown.
Sources
No single published standard defines oven function icons, so this meaning is taken from 4 makers’ own guides, each fetched and checked on the date shown:
- Neff: NEFF UK — Oven symbols explained: your complete guide — “Child lock symbol”: a key; press for around 4 seconds to turn it on and off. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Siemens: Siemens Home UK — Oven symbols guide — “Childproof lock” pictogram (a key): prevents children from switching the oven on or changing a running programme. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Hotpoint: Hotpoint UK — Understanding the different symbols on a Hotpoint oven — “Child lock”: the symbol with a key; prevents accidental changes to the settings. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Smeg: Smeg UK — A guide to oven symbols and what they mean — “Child Lock Symbol”: a padlock or key; children cannot tamper with settings once the cycle has started. Checked 2026-09-23.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.