Child safety in the bathroom: 10 (and +) useful tips to follow

Use panic devices

For children, the bath ritual should be a fun moment and instead for some children it turns into a nightmare for fear of water in the face or burning shampoo.
If your child is one of these, to prevent him from crying and squirming agitatedly, escaping your grip and slipping into the tub , try using a bath seat, distracting him with toys and using bath visors. . They are very useful and can be used to keep water from running on the baby’s face. Alternatively you can try to make him wear swimming goggles and turn everything into a fun game. However, plan on wasting some time to remain patient.

Lay out non-slip mats

After the bath, another safety problem in the bathroom for children is slipping accidents resulting in falls. Water splashed on the bathroom floor can create a slippery and dangerous area from which the child can fall.
Therefore, cover areas prone to splashes with absorbent carpets and place safety stickers in the most dangerous spots.
Placing your feet on a mat is not only nice for bare feet, but it’s the best antidote to slipping. Try to choose a model that has a non-slip base, this will help the mat adhere to the floor. If you don’t find it, look for this type of anti-slip protection by the meter and apply it wherever you want.

Avoid burns with too hot water

Another danger to avoid for children in the bathroom is scalding with hot water .
An inexpensive device that can avoid this danger is the thermometer with which you can measure the water temperature of the water.
However, if you want, you can invest a little more in safety and buy a thermostatic faucet . These types of taps allow you to adjust the hot water temperature so that it is between 36 and 38ºC thus avoiding the danger that it may exceed the default setting. This also allows the faucet to remain warm to the touch, which is the way to prevent children from getting burned.

Use the organizers to have everything at hand

When bathing children, everything necessary should be close at hand : detergents, sponges, toys, towels.
This is important whether you are bathing your little one or whether he has started bathing “on his own”. Having everything close at hand ensures that you never leave your child unattended and, if he bathes alone, it prevents him from getting up and doing stunts to get what he needs. But then, once the bath is finished, remove everything and put the detergents and soaps back out of his reach.

Never alone

When bathing your child, never leave the bathroom and never lose sight of your child. Follow this rule even when the child is a little older and seems safe to you.
In fact, when you see the child sitting and playing in the safe bathtub, when he starts to take care of cleaning certain areas of his body independently, it’s quite easy to think that nothing happens. So you only go out for a minute, but that’s when accidents can happen.
So while they are bathed, dried and dressed, while still giving them the freedom to manage themselves as they please, you should continue to be there to make sure they are okay and to provide assistance only as needed. In fact, at the age of 4-5 you should no longer be concerned with everything related to hygiene and the bathroom, but only with its safety.

Secure the toilet

Another annoying and even dangerous thing that can happen in the bathroom is that children may want to pick up the toys they have thrown into the toilet.
This, as you can guess, can pose danger especially if the child has escaped your supervision. To make the toilet safe, there are special locks for the toilet lid .

Take away the bathroom keys and use the doorstops

Another type of danger that few people think about are the bathroom keys: better to remove them.
In fact, the advice is to make sure that children cannot lock themselves in the bathroom either for fun or intentionally. In fact, it is frequent that children, even if they have managed to lock themselves inside, are no longer able to open. This also happens for certain types of locks that are difficult for a child to reopen. In this case, use the doorstops : they prevent children from closing the bathroom door or from squeezing their fingers inside.

Beware of plugs and electrical appliances

Water and electricity are a bad combination and the bathroom has both.
To prevent your child from getting hurt or in serious danger, cover outlets within reach with suitable protectors and keep electrical appliances such as hair dryers or electric heaters out of their reach.

Beware of curtains

The presence of curtains with sliding loop cords in the bathroom can be dangerous. In fact, children can use them for fun without understanding their dangers.
To avoid, for example, the risk of accidental strangulation, use split ropes or curtains that open with a rod.

Secure your medicine and detergent cabinet

Forbidden things are like a magnet for the little ones: it is enough to say “this is not to be touched” and they immediately feel the curiosity to transgress. Therefore, keeping medicines, razors, scissors and detergents in the bathroom within reach of children is something to be avoided because young children do not understand the dangers of taking certain substances.
To secure the medicine or detergent cabinet, it is advisable to move everything to high shelves or lock the doors. On the market there are many safety devices useful for blocking the opening of lockers, doors, drawers.

Finally, one last tip for the safety of children in the bathroom which I hope will never help anyone: memorize the numbers of the emergency room, police station, fire brigade, pediatrician and poison control on your mobile phone. Often in moments of panic having these numbers at hand can be useful.