Child friendly Bathroom

Creating a child-friendly bathroom

There are several steps you can take to make your bathroom safer and more convenient for your children. Remember, most people only change their bathroom once or twice during ownership of a property. You may not have children now but if this is your first home, it is likely that your new bathroom will have to suit children in the future.

Toilets

Young children may need a step to reach the toilet bowl. Have you planned enough room? In washrooms containing a bath, you should plan to keep the steps out of reach as they can make it easy for your child to fall into the bath.

If you are potty training toddlers, you may want to plan a basin large enough to rinse a potty in. Antiseptic flushable wipes offer an alternative. A high shelf can be useful for keeping cleaning products on.

Children are top-heavy because their heads are much bigger in size relative to their bodies than adults. This makes drowning in a toilet a real and preventable possibility. In addition to always keeping a watchful eye on your child when you know they are in the bathroom, consider installing toilet seat locks to keep them from opening the lid.

Bathing

Injuries can easily occur if a young child slips as they sit, stand in, or climb in or out of a tub. Place a nonslip mat at the bottom of the tub and a non-skid rug or bathmat on the floor next to the tub. Always wipe up water that has splashed on to the floor quickly, so it will not add to the risk of slipping. Commercial padding is available that fits snugly over the top edge of the tub, cushioning the hard surfaces and preventing serious injury should a child fall against it. Or drape a thick damp towel over the tub side during your child's bath.

A strong grab bar is also helpful when children start to bath or shower independently. Remember, never under any circumstances, leave your child in the bathtub without adult supervision, even for a minute or two.

Water temperature

Set hot water heaters no higher than 54 deg C (120 deg F). A lower water temperature helps ensure safe bathing by reducing the chance of scalding (it takes just three seconds for a child to get burned).

Waste disposal

You may be used to discarding razors and empty washing product bottles in the bathroom bin. This will have to stop now you have children. You could consider planning a lockable cupboard or vanity unit for the bin to live in.

Now that you know some of the potential dangers that lurk in your bathroom, you just might want to install a hook-and-eye lock high up on the outside of the bathroom door so you can keep it secured when the bathroom isn't in use.