Bathroom safety for baby and toddler
Bathing your baby is a great bonding experience as well as being a fun time for parent and infant. Splashing about in the water, playing with bath toys and of course keeping your tot clean and healthy is what bath-time is all about, but there are potential hazards in the bathroom that you need to protect your child from.
You can minimise the risks of accidents in the bathroom with a few simple precautions and some great bathroom safety products.
Bathroom safety product checklist
Bathrooms tend to be the place where we keep medications and toiletries. Think about what’s in your bathroom right now and no doubt painkillers, antacids and mouthwashes (which have a higher alcohol content than wine) will be there.
Add to that items such as nail scissors, tweezers, razors and cleaning products (e.g. toilet bleach) and you can start to see the real hazards of the bathroom. All of these products represent a danger to your little one so it is essential they’re are out of your child’s reach. If they can’t be removed from the bathroom and stored in another room, place them within a locked child-proof cabinet.
By fitting bathroom locks to cabinets and drawers in your bathroom you’ll have a tamper resistant way of keeping curious tots from accessing the contents.
Another place of fascination, but risk, to your toddler is the toilet. Toilets are unsanitary places, contain chemicals and of course have lids and seats that can slam shut, trapping little fingers. A toilet seat and lid is easily lifted by an inquisitive child so remove the opportunity to do so with a toilet lock.
These devices are easily fitted to base and tank toilets. Some products will automatically reset to the locking position when the lid is lowered while others have a simple squeeze and release mechanism
Clippasafe Adhesive Toilet Lock
Baby bathing safety
The first, and most important, piece of advice is never, ever leave your child unattended in the bath even if using a bath support seat (which we’ll discuss later). If you can, set your hot water thermostat to 50°C (120 degrees Fahrenheit) to minimise the chance of your baby being scolded by water that is too hot. The ideal temperature for your baby’s bath water is between 36°C and 38°C
When drawing bath water for your baby’s bath, start with cold water first and then introduce the hot water checking it all the time with the sensitive skin areas of your elbow or wrist. A great product to help you get the safest and most comfortable temperature for your baby’s bath is a bath thermometer.
Clippasafe Floating Dolphin Bath Temperature Indicator
Make sure you have everything you’ll need at bath-time to hand including your phone so should it ring you can answer it without leaving the bathroom. If you do need to leave the room to attend to something, take your baby with you and wrap them in a big snug and warm bath towel.
Cuddledry Cuddlebug Baby Towel
When it comes to bathing, there is a great range of baby baths and baby supports to suit all ages and requirements. A bath support will keep your tot in a comfortable position making it easier for you to clean them and prevent your baby from slipping into the water. Some bath seat products come with a temperature strip to indicate when the water is too hot.
Summer Infant – Infant Bath Tub Blue
For older children who no longer need a support or bath seat, fit a non-slip bath mat to prevent slipping. Buy one with a built in temperature indicator to help prevent scolds from the water being too hot.
Tigex Non-Slip Bath Mat With Temperature Indicator
Accidental bumps on the bath spouts are commonplace and can cause plenty of tears as well as minor injuries. Eliminate the possibility of these little accidents with a soft spout cover that can be inflated to fit over any standard spout.
Shampoo in the eyes is a big bug-bear to tiny tots but that hair has to be cleaned so how can parents make hair-washing easier? First of all use a specially formulated shampoo for babies and toddlers that isn’t harsh and won’t cause irritation should it get into their eyes.
You can also use a shampoo shield to ensure the worst of the shampoo is kept away from their eyes or a specially designed rinse cup that has a rubber panel to direct the water away from the eyes.
When bathing your baby/toddler, remember their skin is thin and sensitive so avoid using one of your own flannels and go for a soft natural fibred mitten. These products have soft corners to avoid irritation when washing the eyes and ears and will help take the hassle out of bathing your tots.
And let’s not forget mum and dad when talking about bath-time. How many times have your clothes become drenched by your child’s exuberant splashing or when you’ve lifted them from the bath to get them dry.
A bathing apron made from cotton and natural bamboo fibres will help you stay dry and keep your baby calm and warm.
Finally, let’s remember bath-time is fun-time and that means bath toys to keep your little one entertained. Keep the toys safely and securely stored close to the bath with a bath toy bag.
Related articles:
Tags: baby safety, bath, bathing, bathroom safety
