Kiddipedia
Every parent wants to ensure that their home is as safe a place as possible for their little ones. Whether you’re building a new home, remodeling, or you’re simply looking to up your safety efforts around the house, it’s important that you take the right approach for every room in your home.
On that note, there are several areas of the home that can often be troublesome for young children, especially toddlers. For starters, any room where you can expect the floors to be slippery is a concern – yes, we’re talking about kitchens, laundries, and bathrooms here, with a particular focus on bathrooms as the most high-risk room of the three for families with curious toddlers.
With running water, slippery surfaces, sharp corners and hazardous objects like razors and scissors almost always present, the bathroom is one area of your home you should really focus on when it comes to safety. Let’s take a look at a few helpful bathroom safety tips that families with toddlers can implement immediately.
Install Child-Proof Tap Locks
One of the main dangers in any bathroom is the running water from the faucets. Once kids see that twisting the tap makes the water come out, you can be sure they will want to try it for themselves. Under supervision, this might not be a big deal but you definitely don’t want your toddler turning on the tap when you’re not paying attention. Not only can it lead to your home flooding fast, but if your child turns on hot water taps, they could find themselves getting scalded.
Installing child-proof tap locks is undoubtedly the easiest and quickest solution to this common issue. To get the job done quickly simply jump online, search for ‘plumber near me’, find someone with solid reviews and give them a call to make an appointment so you can childproof your taps.
Never Leave Your Toddler Alone In The Bath
It goes without saying but young children should never be left in the bath alone. The sad truth is that children can drown in just a few inches of water so even when your bathtub is not full, there is still the chance that the worst could happen.
If the doorbell rings or the phone starts ringing and you can’t ignore it, take the time to take your kids out of the bath, wrap them in a towel to keep them warm and take them with you. Leaving kids alone in the bath for even a few seconds is very dangerous so be sure to avoid it at all costs.
Keep Your Floors Dry
When toddlers are in the bath, they’re often playing and splashing around having fun. Of course, water goes everywhere and you want to keep bath time entertaining. While this is all well and good, before you take your little ones out of the bath, make sure that the floor is dry. Your kids could easily slip on the floor, resulting in potential cuts, bumps and bruises.
Worse again, if you’re carrying your toddler out of the bathroom and you slip with them in your arms, they could come crashing down against the floor or a sharp corner easily. By keeping your floors dry, however, you’ll help your household avoid these potential issues.
Ensure The Toilet Lid Is Always Closed
Kids are curious and inquisitive by nature and this should be encouraged to ensure our little ones are set up to be passionate lifelong learners. But when it comes to safety at home, it’s also important for parents to limit their toddlers’ access to hazards that they’ll naturally want to inspect.
Granted, some of these hazards can be harder to mitigate than others. For instance, if your kids find their way into the bathroom when they are playing and the toilet lid is open, you can be sure they’re going to want to investigate. Sadly, however, it doesn’t take much for a toddler to pull themselves up onto the toilet bowl and fall inside.
To avoid this from happening simply keep the toilet lid closed at all times during the day and at night. For an added layer of protection, consider installing a toilet lid lock to make sure that your toddler won’t be able to open it, regardless of how curious they become.
Childproof Your Bathroom Cabinets
The same goes for your bathroom cabinets! Bathroom cabinets are full of different items that can be dangerous in the hands of a toddler. A shiny razor or scissors might be very attractive to a young kid. Equally, your beauty products could look tempting to taste, especially if they smell sweet or fruity. Ideally, you should keep all hazardous objects well out of reach of your child.
If you don’t already have them, consider installing top shelves that toddlers can’t reach. Additionally, take the time to child-proof all of the cabinets in your bathroom to make sure your kids can’t get into them and start playing with whatever they might find.
Take The Time To Teach Your Kids About Safety Around The Home
Creating a safe and usable bathroom space is vital for parents. It’s important to keep in mind that as well as taking measures to keep your kids safe at home, you should also take the time to teach your kids how to identify potential hazards both inside and outside the home. Teaching them about electrical safety, water safety, and other vital life lessons can help set your toddlers up for a life of safe play. With this reinforcement, you can ensure that you have a safe bathroom space, as well as safety awareness that will carry on into other areas of their life moving forward.
