How Safe Is Your Bathroom?

For any parent, the greatest priority is to turn their home into a baby-friendly place from top to bottom, and this is where all those handy safety gadgets come to the rescue. Still, the bathroom always poses the greatest risks and it’s quite a tough cookie to handle, so it’s best to never let your youngsters visit the toilet on their own.

Meanwhile, to make sure that this particular corner of your home is as kid-safe as possible, here are a few tried and tested methods many families, my own included, have implemented to safeguard our little ones.

1.     Safety storage

What’s your first instinct when you see a bathroom shelf filled with knickknacks, bottles and tubes? Get them all out of your kids’ reach! Well, some bathrooms include cabinets below or by the sink, leaving plenty of opportunities for your little ones to reach in despite your best efforts to keep things away.

That’s why it’s essential to not only store all of your toothpaste, toothbrushes, electrical appliances, razors, medicines, cleaning supplies and toiletries, but also to keep them locked, with the help of the baby finger-friendly magnetic latch. They’ll keep the doors firmly shut, leaving no room to wiggle in and pinch their little fingers, let alone reach for the toothpaste.

2.     Slippery slope

Let’s face it, bathroom accidents are among the most prevalent ones, and even we as adults are guilty of reckless showering. Place a non-slip mat right in the bathtub, and you can also child-proof your tiles with the help of a nonskid rug. Always keep a mat close by to pick up any water that has splashed around the tub, to avoid slips and falls.

There are also various padding options for your tub, just in case your little ones lose their balance, or you can place a damp towel to serve as a cushion during the bath. I’ve used the towel for very long, so it works quite well, but some parents prefer the added padding for extra safety.

3.     Test the waters

And I mean it quite literally – especially families who live in homes with aged piping systems, water can carry many allergens, toxins and metal particles, which can cause an allergic reaction. We’ve used our trusty plumber in the Eastern suburbs back when we lived in Australia, so if you don’t have a professional you trust, perhaps you can ask around the neighborhood or check online reviews.

On the other hand, kids are curious creatures, and they will be mesmerized with all the knobs and buttons around. To reduce the risk of your kids turning on the faucets and burning themselves with hot water, there are childproof safety knobs and covers so that they also don’t rub against hot fixtures during their bath.

4.     Details that matter

While you worry about the huge bathtub and the toilet, some of the smaller, yet equally dangerous items can stay unnoticed. For example, your outlets you use for drying your hair can seem like a harmless opportunity to touch and play for you kids, so installing outlet covers is a must.

There are options to cover the outlet alone, which means it might be a hassle for you to remove it every time you wish to use it, but there are those that cover the entire plug-in system of your electrical appliances, which can be equally handy if you know how to store them away from your kids while they’re still plugged in.

5.     Changing and bathing safely

One of the most overlooked issues is water left in the tub after your bath. As surprising as it may seem, as little as two inches of water can be life-threatening for your little ones to drown, so always make sure to completely empty your tub.

Diaper pails can also be dangerous, but picking out one with a locking system can be of great help. The same goes for the toilet lock, because some may be too simple and your little ones can figure them out.

And most importantly, never leave your kids in the bathroom unsupervised, because no matter how much you invest in all of these preventative measures, your nestlings can still hurt themselves without your help. Prepare your bathing rituals beforehand so that you have everything under control, and you’ll enjoy every single of your baby-washing adventures!