Paging Rosie: Bathroom Safety

In all that I am asked about raising children, safety is often the most common topic. Which is understandable- nobody wants his or her babes to get hurt in any way! With the topic of safety comes often forgotten bathroom safety. We often think closing a door means our little ones won”t venture into the bathroom, but somehow it is always one of the most fascinating rooms in the house and they always, always, always get in! The following are the most common mistakes I see and some of my tips in helping baby proof the bathroom.

* Vitamins and Medications in the Bathroom Cabinet: They will climb and no “child proof” bottle is ever really child proof!

* Anything Plugged In- Blow dryers, curling irons, chargers, anything plugging in they will try and put it in their mouth or into running water.

* Slippery Floors: I”ve seen kids run barefoot across a wet tile floor way to many times and go flying! Make sure to dry up after your shower.

* Sharp Objects: Razors, clippers, nail scissors and tweezers of any sort left in showers or cabinets, needs to be stored and away from children.

* Cosmetic Products: Products like hair spray and perfume always seem to end up being sprayed into their eyes.

* Toilet Bowls: I still can”t work out why they”d rather drink this water than the lovely sippy cup you have on hand but they often do!

* Outlets: Outlets need to have socket coverings (even those inside the cabinet) – there are lots of fascinating things they”ll find to stick in them.

* Sink Edges: This is a tough one to proof but kids love to casino online hang on them like monkey bars and some older sinks will break away from the walls.

• What should you be most worried about in a bathroom?

Water with electricity and medications are always my top two concerns in any bathroom as well as drowning.

• What do you need to do for the tub?

Be mindful of the hot water tap. They can go in, turn it on, and burn themselves and not to mention the terrible risks of drowning. I recommend putting turn proof locks on the taps so they cannot turn them on without you.

• What to do with the toilet?

Get a clip lock over the seat cover to stop them from opening it without you.

• What to do with the medicine cabinet?

Do not keep medications or vitamins or other dangerous things in your medicine cabinet, unless you can lock it with a childproof device. If possible, it is better to keep vitamins and medicines at work so that it becomes part of your routine to take them at a different time and place.

• What to do with cleaning supplies?

Whatever you do with your cleaning supplies, keep them either very high up or behind a locked door. Also, always have the number to poison control and your pediatrician handy just in case they do manage to drink any. Of course I also recommend, whenever possible, using less toxic cleaning products.

Needless to say, we can drive ourselves crazy with fear and we can only do so much on the baby proofing front before a room becomes Fort Knox and our child has no freedom to explore – which within reason is important. While all this proofing is important as a back up, I believe teaching your child is most important. Teach them “no” and teach them “why” it”s a no and overtime they will learn to make good decisions for themselves. This is so essential because not everywhere will be child proofed – hello grandmas house!