The bathroom is generally a safe place for children to be in but there are some hidden dangers that as parents, we need to be aware of. A lot of these tips come down to common sense but others are by-laws that you should be aware of. Here are my 6 tips on how to keep your children safe in the bathroom.
- Hot water can be an issue in the bathroom. Kids can be inquisitive and turn on the hot water tap which can be dangerous if it’s full bore hot water. To ensure they don’t get scalded, in Australia, a tempering valve should be installed on the hot water unit to prevent children getting scalded. The tempering valve maintains the hot water to temperatures between 48 – 50 degrees. This ensures the child won’t get scalded if they keep their hand under the hot water.
- If you have mixer taps in your bathroom, make sure the lever is always turned off to the cold position. This ensures your child won’t get hit with hot water if they use the tap immediately after you do.
- Always empty the bath water from the bath each night. Depending on how easy it is to access the bath, if toys are floating in the bath, and your child decides to reach after them, they may not be able to hoist themselves out if they dive in head first. I had this realization when I was bathing my daughter. She decided to climb into the bath herself but lost her balance and ended up head first in the bath with her legs hanging from the side of the bath. She couldn’t move her head out of the water and I had to help her. Thank goodness this happened in front of me and I could help her straight away. But that scare made me proactive in emptying the bath each night.
- Always watch your kids in the bath. ALWAYS.
- Keep cleaning products for the bathroom away from little hands that can reach them. I don’t keep any cleaning products in the bathroom to avoid my kids drinking something they shouldn’t!
- When emptying the bath, get your kids out first and then pull the plug. This ensures they don’t place a finger down the drain. If your kids are inquisitive of the plug and like to play with it while in the water, put toys at the opposite end of the bath to get their attention. If your child does get their fingers stuck down the drain, call 000 and not a plumber. The tight suction around the finger will need medical intervention to ensure the pressure is released to prevent further injury.
Have you got any tips to add? Is your bathroom a safe place for your child to be in alone?
