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The bathroom is known to be the place where more accidents happen than in any other part of the home. It is also a place used several times a day by every person living in the house, which only makes the risk even greater. Our job is thus to make the bathroom as risk-free as possible.
This is particularly important when it comes to children, who are often unaware of potential dangers (at least while they are still very young). That’s why we have to make the bathroom childproof and prevent any potential accidents. Here are some general tips on making it safe for the young ones:
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Restrict access
The easiest way, of course, is not to allow your children access to the bathroom when they don’t need it. This is usually done by installing some kind of lock that a child can’t reach, such as a hook-and-eye lock mounted high enough, but there are also other, more sophisticated solutions available.This method alone is not perfect, since you’ll definitely forget to lock the door at some point and your child might use that opportunity to enter the bathroom and possibly hurt themselves. So, make sure you also use other methods.
Don’t leave them unsupervised
Just like you wouldn’t leave your child without supervision around a pool, you should never let them be alone in the bathroom either. If your phone rings, or if you need to answer the door, take your child with you. Don’t be lazy and assume that nothing will happen during those few seconds, because it might. Also, teach your child from an early age that they should not use the bathroom when you’re not around.
Slippery when wet
The combination of tiles and water is an accident waiting to happen. Your child can slip and hurt themselves, but you too can find it hard to keep your balance on a slippery floor, especially if you’re holding your child. The solution is quite simple. A non-slip rubber mat with small suction cups will prevent the mat from sliding, thus providing more stability. What you need to do regularly is dry the underside of the mat, so that no mould grows underneath.
Be careful with large amount of water
Every now and then you’ll let your child enjoy a longer bath in the tub. This is both a great experience and a potentially dangerous one, since it’s well known that a child can drown in under an inch of water. Many modern baths have been designed in a way that makes it more convenient for parents to give baths to their children, but unless parents are vigilant, accidents can happen. As soon as a supervised bath is over, pull the plug and make sure there’s no water left.
Appliances are hazardous
Each bathroom has sockets for various appliances that grown-ups use. Those sockets need to be protected so that a child can’t poke some metal object in them. Also, make sure you unplug all appliances once you’re done using them and store them away out of the reach of children. Remember that there’s no love lost between water and electricity.
Prevent access to medications and cosmetics
As you’ve probably already noticed, much of childproofing is related to hiding stuff so that your children can’t see them and use them. All sharp objects, medications and cosmetics must be kept somewhere safe, where young ones can’t find them. Children are curious by nature and are likely to open a bottle of prescription drugs if given the opportunity, and possibly even ingest them, which could be extremely dangerous. Even toothpaste and mouthwash are very dangerous. So, if there’s something you don’t want in your child’s stomach, hide it.These are some general tips and recommendations for childproofing your bathroom that you need to take into account if you wish to avoid accidents. Like in all other aspects of life, prevention is better than cure, and you certainly don’t want your child to be in any kind of dangerous situation. So, make sure your bathroom is as safe as possible.