Is there really anything in the bathroom that you want your child to access without your supervision?
The most simple solution that works for most bathroom doors is a hook-and-eye or safety chain lock. If you mount the lock well above a child’s reach, unsupervised entry into the bathroom is just about impossible.
Only ever let your baby in the bathroom when you are around to make sure he/she is safe. Try to establish this routine.
Never leave your little one alone in the bathroom. If you need to leave to answer the door or answer the phone then take your child with you.
If you find yourself noticing the slippery surfaces, cluttered counters, and all the other potential hazards, take a deep breath, there are ways to fix this with certain babyproofing essentials. You can enjoy peace of mind and keep your baby safe.
Many parents haven’t considered that the toilet can be a drowning hazard. However, children can drown in as little as two inches of water. When you add the heavy lids, bolts at the base of the toilet, and streams of toilet paper, it can be a potential disaster just waiting to happen.
Here’s how to childproof your toilet and bathroom is a few easy steps.
Toilet
Toilet paper saver. I’m sure you can easily envision a stream of toilet paper around your bathroom or stuffed inside your toilet bowl? A toilet paper saver is great in preventing little hands from having too much fun and wasting too much paper.
The most popular versions of this product was even invented by moms. Make sure you store your toilet paper somewhere inaccessible to your child, but easily available for you.
Toilet latch/lock. Children love to splash around in water — and an open toilet bowl provides a great opportunity.
Aside from potential drownings, toilet bowl lids can crash down on your little one’s fingers or bonk them in the head. If the toilet bowl is open, lots of items can get thrown in and flushed down.
The water in your toilet, and the toilet lid, can be a danger for a curious child. Remember to always keep toilet lids down and secured with a toilet latch. There have surprisingly been more than one story of a toddler bringing mommy or daddy a cup of water, which was consumed, straight from their favourite water source.
Bathroom
Manage Your Medication. It’s best practice to never take medicine out of its original childproof container. Try not to take medicine in front of your child or he/she might want to copy what you do. You can keep all medicines in a high, locked cupboard and avoid calling medicine “sweets”. Don’t flush old pills down the toilet, but rather get rid of them safely putting them in a sealed bag with something your child won’t want to eat — like kitty litter or coffee grounds — and throw it in the rubbish bin.
Baby proof your bath tub. The best thing you can do to prevent any danger to your child in the bathtub is to be there and supervise them. Two-thirds of drownings that occur in the home take place in the bath.
Besides supervision, there are a few other ways to ensure bath time remains safe and fun.
Spout Cover. You might notice that your toddler’s head sits right at the height of the water spout, ready for a knock on the head. This presents a potentially painful and dangerous hazard. There are many cute and fun spout covers to add some fun to the bath while offering protection from hot water drips and bumps against the hard and sharp spout. Covers fit over the spout and are usually made of rubber or silicon.
Although the spout cover looks rather fun, it’s important you emphasize it’s not a toy and cannot be easily removed.
Bathing Seat. When your baby is very small, you generally use a special tub or seat for bathing. As your baby gets bigger, you can still keep him/her safely contained in the full-sized bath by using a bathing ring or seat. These allow your baby to move and splash while sitting up. Never leave your baby in the bathtub alone, and teach him/her to stay seated while in the water. If you have to leave the room for a second, take your child with you.
Watch what you throw away. Even if the bin seems out of the way, it is a magnet to your kids. They’ll want to reach inside and see what’s available to grab. With this in mind, don’t throw away anything that could be dangerous, such as razors to old medicine.
Check your household water temperature. Set the geyser to a maximum of 49 degrees Celsius to prevent scalding water from harming a baby’s skin. You could also install anti-scalding devices on the faucets as another preventative measure.
Parents understand just how overwhelming childproofing the bathroom can be. We suggest starting with one area at a time. If you complete these few sections, you will have a safe and functional bathroom for your entire family.
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