Being a parent is a challenging job. You always have to stay cautious no matter what. Be it a bath or a splash play in a bathtub, children always love to play in the water. For kids, bathroom is a place for fun. Many parents safeguard the baby’s living room but forget about following the bathroom safety tips for toddlers. And that’s why, we are here to help you.
It is seen that many bathroom accidents such as drowning in the bathtub or bathroom injuries are more common especially if the child is left unattended. Parents mostly are too busy doing different chores or fail to notice the child at the right time which could lead to mishaps. You must follow a few safety rules in the bathroom to avoid the child facing threats due to bathroom hazards for toddlers. Wondering what are they?
Top 15 Bathroom Safety Tips For Toddlers
Bath time is a fun and playful time for your toddler. It is equally important to keep safety in their minds. The bathroom could have many unsafe substances. Hence it is vital to follow the safety measures in the bathroom. One simple idea for bathroom safety tips for toddlers is to keep the bathroom inaccessible to them without the supervision of an adult.
Your child might already be walking around the house, pulling out things from the drawers, and turning the house upside down. That is why it is significant to safeguard your home, especially the bathroom. Cosmetics, medicines, chemicals are all threats that could be accessed by the child easily. A bathroom is a place where your child is vulnerable to all sorts of dangers.
Related Reading: 10 Ways To Have A Safe Diwali With Kids This Year
With this in mind, we shall guide you through important bathroom safety tips for toddlers.
1. Bathroom safety for toddlers – always be around
Bathtub safety is a serious concern. Small things like leaving the child unattended when someone knocks or rings the doorbell could even cost the life of your child. It is recommended that you ignore the bell or wrap the child with the towel and take them along. Also, have an eye when the child uses the bathroom for play. The better option is to keep the bathroom door closed.
2. Keep the tub empty
It is recommended that you empty the bathtub after giving a bath to your child. One of the crucial bathroom safety tips for toddlers is to keep the water tub dry. Drowning is a common bathroom threat among children and hence it is recommended to follow this tip without fail.
Related Reading: When To Stop Bathing With Baby-4 Points
3. Lock up all cabinets
Bathrooms have cabinets that contain all hazardous items for toddlers. Dangerous chemicals are used in toiletries, medicines, makeup items, and sharp items like razors pose a huge threat to children. It is advised you lock up these cabinets so that the child doesn’t get access to it. By doing this, you need not worry about the child trying to reach out to something inaccessible. One of the best bathroom safety tips for kids!
4. Keep the water temperature in check
Children tend to play with water when they can access the bathroom. It is advised that you maintain the temperature of the water at a level that is neither too hot nor too cold for the child. Also, teach your child the colors of the tap marked for hot and cold. By doing this, you could protect the child from potential scalds or burns. You could also install an anti-scald device if preferred.
5. Drain out excess water
You could be an expert in giving baths to your child in a bathtub. Toddler safety in the bathtub is fulfilled only when the floor is dry and ready for the toddler to use. Puddles of water on the floor could cause slips and accidents. Since young kids are just learning to walk, it is impossible for them to balance after a slip and thus wet floors pose a risk of serious injury.
6. Install anti-slip stickers in bathtub or shower
Bathtubs and floors can get slippery when they are wet. To prevent your child from falling you can install anti-slip stickers that would safeguard the baby from falling. You can also invest in shower slippers or simple non-slip shower mats. They help to keep the floor dry and prevent the fall due to wet floors.
Related Reading: 10 Safety Rules To Teach Your Kids At Home
7. Bathroom safety- avoiding shocks
One important bathroom safety tip for toddlers is to ensure you cover the electrical outlets with safety covers. Do not leave electrical items such as hairdryers, curling irons unattended when not in use. Put them out of reach of children. Hot curlers and dryers could easily cause burns to the child.
A few electrical items are capable of producing shock even when not in use. Make sure they are kept out of reach of your precious little one lest some untoward incident takes place.
8. Keep mouthwash out of reach
Children tend to copy the behavior of their parents. Your child might not know that mouthwash is meant to spit after use and not to be swallowed. Its appearance may look like that of a soda or an energy drink. The alcohol content in it could be dangerous for the child if ingested.
One of the bathroom safety tips for toddlers is to keep this out of child reach and to gargle your mouth when the child is away.
9. Redo hardware
Bathrooms and toilets are not safe places for your child. Ensure your bathroom door has a sturdy latch that your child can’t open. Also, you can fix the latch a little higher so your child could not reach it. Follow the bathroom safety tips for babies by placing the taps and faucets at a good height.
Kids jump in the bathroom and can easily hurt themselves by the bathroom taps and faucets made out of metals leading to serious injuries.
10. Padding and baby proofing
Toddlers are jumping jacks who bump into things and trip. To avoid accidents, it is better to babyproof all sharp items with baby profound materials available in the market. Conceal sharp edges to prevent the baby from getting hurt. You can also smooth rough edges by painting them.
Related Reading: 18 Baby Proofing Ideas To Ensure There Are No Accidents
11. Use good quality and gentle products
When it comes to the safety of kids, the products you use play a crucial role. You can keep a toddler safe in the bathtub by using soaps, powder, paste, and shampoos that come with less or no chemicals.
There are many kid-friendly soaps and products available in the market that are naturally made and free from chemicals. Always opt for such products.
12. Things to avoid
There are a few things that you need to avoid when it comes to thinking about implementing bathroom safety tips for toddlers. If you don’t have a bathtub and you are planning for one, now is not the right time for installation as that is prone to causing accidents.
Soaking your kid in soap water for a long time could cause infection. Also, if you have shower curtains it is better to remove them as the child may get entangled.
13. Give your baby full attention
When you are in the bathroom with your toddler you have to stay extra cautious with undivided attention. With slippery floors, metal taps, and faucets it is an area where the child can easily get hurt and meet with accidents. Never multitask while you are with your kid in the bathroom. If something is very important, wrap the child with a towel and take them along.
Related Reading: 10 Toilet Training Tips For Your Baby Girl
14. Overfilling the tub
There is nothing more fun than a bathtub filled with water up to the brim. While your child could enjoy the water play by splashing all over, it could also possess the threat of drowning. Using water more than a few inches is dangerous for children. Kids can easily drown in water that is 3 to 4 inches.
Do not let your child play in a full water tub. Also, as stated earlier, do not forget to empty the water tub and lock the bathroom door when not in use.
15. Using old toys
Adding toys to the water tub is fun. Your child might enjoy the bath time or might themselves give a bath to their favorite toy. But you must choose the right toy to play with. Small toys are easily subjected to choking hazards.
Leave behind bath toys like sponges that could retain water. They become a breeding ground for bacteria if it is not drained and dried completely.
Related Reading: The Top 10 Most Common Parenting Mistakes
Conclusion
Bath time could be joyful as well as a bonding time for the mother and the child. But it is also to be noted that drowning and scalds are the two major risks while giving a bath to the baby. It is crucial to supervise kids/babies and toddlers below five years of age during their bath time. Don’t let the child under their sibling’s supervision as they aren’t skilled enough.
Get everything such as towels, soaps, lotions ready before bath time so that you can stay with the child throughout. Turn your mobile to silent and leave it outside the bathroom. Never leave your child alone in the water. Always keep the child within arm’s reach.
Also, don’t forget to test the water temperatures before giving a bath to your child. In case of burns, provide first aid by cooling the burnt area under running water for around 20 minutes. Follow our bathroom safety tips for toddlers for a happy bath time.