How to Childproof Your Bathroom?

Children are like a bundle of curiosity. They would always like to explore and that too in much detail. Hence when the kids are small and do not understand much of it, every parent has to ensure that each and every nook and corner of the house has to be childproof so that the child would not end up hurting or injuring themselves.

Similarly, bathroom is also one of those rooms in the house that are known to contain certain hazardous materials hence should be ensured to be childproofed. Below are few of the tips that can help to keep the baby away from carrying out any mischief and provide a safe environment for them.

1. First of all, it is important to ensure that the baby does not find its own way to the bathroom without being supervised by some adult. This can be done by installing a hook and eye lock which can be placed high on the outside of the door or one can also place a childproofing cover over the bathroom doorknob so that they would not open it.

When the baby would not be able to enter the bathroom then the parent’s mind would be at ease. But still there is a need for practicing the other baby proofing of the bathroom since there are chances when mistakenly you can forget to lock the doors of the bathroom or leave it open accidently in a rush to carry on other activities since there are hundreds of other things that can act as disturbance.

2. When the baby would not be able to enter the bathroom then the parent’s mind would be at ease. But still there is a need for practicing the other baby proofing of the bathroom since there are chances when mistakenly you can forget to lock the doors of the bathroom or leave it open accidently in a rush to carry on other activities since there are hundreds of other things that can act as disturbance.

3. Whenever the toilet is not being used, the lid of the toilet should be down. Also you can install a toilet lock so as to prevent the child from opening the lid else it can lead to accidental fall in the toilet which can turn out to be real dangerous.

4. Small kids are extremely curious as well as uncoordinated hence if the lid is open and the child or the small baby tries to peer into the toilet bowl then there can be chances that they may easily slip and fall inside headfirst. This can also cause drowning in as little as even an inch of water.

5. Any kind of sharp items that include, scissors, tweezers, razors or any other sharp kind of instrument should not be placed anywhere in the bathroom. When not in use they should be placed inside the drawer or the cabinet and locked. Else they can be also placed high up in the linen closet which is out of the child’s reach.

Related Post: https://www.bathroomcontractors.com.au/melbourne-plumbing-bathroom-repair/

6. Any electrical appliances such as curling iron, blow-dryers or any other kind of electrical appliances that can lead to heat should be unplugged as soon as the use is done and they should be put away into the cabinets so as to avoid any kind of accidental burns.

7. Make-up items, cosmetics and medications that include mouthwash, prescription medicines, aspirin, as well as antacids should be all placed high up in the cabinets or locked in any of the cabinets or drawers so that they are out of reach of the children.Since a curious kid has the fascination of just popping any of the item which they find in their mouth. Also those medications that are said to have safety caps and those which are child resistant should also be placed away from the child.

8. Any kind of supplements as well as vitamins should be treated the same way as the medications. They should be locked up in the cabinets. Any iron pills as well multivitamins are known to contain iron which can be quite poisoning for the child should also be locked up in the cabinet.

Hence items such as toothpaste, prescription medications, aspirin, any kind of cosmetics, mouthwash, vitamins, antacids, shampoo, moisturizer, hair dyes, and herbal remedies should be all stuffed away from those little ones. Basically anything that should not be ending up in the stomach of the child should be placed away from them as far as possible.

9. The little ones are basically monkey’s in disguise, hopping around here and there and never at ease. Children are known to be very creative when it comes to locating any object that can be used as a ladder for reaching out to those places which are difficult.

Bathing chairs or washing hampers can be mostly used by these little ones to reach to unsafe areas of the room. Hence it is better to remove any such kind of items which can be used potentially as a tool for climbing. Many a times even empty buckets can be used for climbing and reaching out to the sink. Hence it is the duty of the parent to keep the door locked when not in use.

10. Ensure to place a non-slip mat or a slip resistant rug in the bathroom or near the bathtub so as to prevent any kind of falls or accidents.It is said that a top-heavy an uncoordinated child is said to be the sturdiest during the best of the times and when you have a slippery flooring then it is just like asking for more trouble all at once.

Hence a non-slip rubber mat would be giving your little one all that extra traction which it would need to be on the floor after it has just finished soaking itself post the bath time. Buy a good bathroom mat that would have that little suction cups so as to prevent the mat from sliding across here and there when there is weight placed on it.

You can make use of the non-slip mats both on the bathing area as well as the tiles by the bath. This would help in keeping the little one upright while they proceed to dry themselves. While you surely need not worry about these non-slip mats but ensure to regularly dry the underside area of the mat every now and then so as to avoid the growth of any mold.

11. You can also look to place a soft plastic or rubber guard above the tub spout. This would help in protecting the baby or the child from accidently bumping their head.

12. A child should never be left alone in the bathtub and not even for a single second or moment. If there is any urgent work to be attended, you can either get that postponed or quickly wrap the baby in a towel and take him along with you.

13. So as to prevent the case of scalding, it is important to adjust the temperature of the water heater so that the hottest temperature at the faucet should not be more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Before you use the water for the child, ensure to test the water with the wrist or the elbow so as to check that the water should be warm enough and not too hot. However, when the child is old enough to make use of the faucet all by themselves then it is the parent’s duty to teach the child on how to use the faucet and always start with teaching cold water before the hot water.

14. If you have a garbage pail in the bathroom then try to do without it since children normally get attracted to such kind of things and it would be quite tempting for them. In case if there is a need for a trash can then try to be super-vigilant about what items go inside it and get rid of that trash as soon as possible without piling it up. Any sharp should be thrown away immediately.

15. It is ideally best to not at all allow the child to enter the bathroom without some elder hence such reasons it would be better to ensure that the door knob should be such that the child may not be able to open it easily. You can add some childproof cover to it, wherein only the adults should have the strength as well as the coordination to open it easily.

This would demotivate the child from going towards the bathroom when they fail to open the knob in few attempts. A similar thing can also be put inside the bathroom so that if the child is accidently left inside and tries to lock the door then it should not be possible else the child may lock themselves alone inside and get into trouble that can be hazardous for them.

16. It is important to keep a watch on any cases of mold and mildew. Unless you would have any of the pipe bursting in the house, the bathroom is regarded as the room that has the most water which runs through the entire day. But on an unfortunate part when there is too much accumulation of water then it can lead to rise in moisture in the room which provides ample amount of opportunity for the mold to grow as well as flourish.

17.In case if the baby accidently touches the mold or mildew and puts those dirty hands in their mouth then you have to be prepared for tummy issues or at times even worse than that such as vomiting, fever. If not touching, then inhaling of mold and mildew can also cause certain other respiratory issues in small children. Since the mold would prefer to thrive in dark areas hence many a times those areas can be missed by the adults during the cleaning process.

But many a times the child can reach out to the unexpected places and get themselves in trouble without they even realizing it. There are chances that mold can also grow inside or on those baby toys. Hence it is better to take into account certain tips for preventing the growth of these molds. Those tips include, being extra vigilant during the cleaning process wherein you would need to keep a watch on all of those places which are having an easy reach for the child.

You have to be very much mindful about those nooks and corners, areas below the sink as well as those around the base of the bathtub or the shower area. In case if the child plays with those bathing toys then you have to ensure that they are shaken off well for removing any excess water after the bath. You should be storing the toys in a mesh bag or in a container for allowing the free circulation of air and also it should be allowed to dry up naturally.

Those bathing mats as well as the towels which are wet should not be placed in the bathroom throughout the day, hung them out for drying up. Also the bathroom should be ventilated properly. The free airflow would allow for the removal of any moist air that the mold would be loving.

For those who have an exhaust fan in the bathroom should be turning it on after every bath or a shower so that excess moisture is removed from the room. In case if you do not have an exhaust fan then ensure to keep the windows open for some time or the door can be kept open after the bath.

18. Think about going in for a GFCI. When it comes to the topic of electrocution then bathroom is that place wherein it becomes easy to get electrocuted accidently due to the pile of water and the electrical appliances that are placed in the room. GFCI is basically a ground-fault circuit interrupter that would be interrupting the electricity flow in case if it comes into contact with water.

The GFCI is known to be helpful in preventing of any electrical shocks, electrocution and burns that can occur in the bathroom. This is mostly a necessity to have in any of the new constructions especially wherein the water and the electrical outlets are said to be having a close proximity to each other.

For those who are living in older houses that were constructed earlier then it would be very much unlikely to have GFCI installed in the houses. In case if you do plan to install the GFCI then only plan to go in for this with the help of a licensed bathroom contractor. Also you should be ensuring that the GFCI is mostly tamper resistant so as to help in preventing the child from playing with it

Related Post: https://www.bathroomcontractors.com.au/why-a-bathroom-remodeling-needs-a-vanity-unit/