Having babies is a beautiful thing, and what’s even more beautiful is their ability to flourish into full-fledged curious toddlers; however, your home or apartment may not be so forgiving or understanding. In order to child-proof your bathroom, you’ll want to focus on areas that typically have dangerous items that they can get into, or areas that they can reach by crawling. While most people tend to focus on the more common areas like the living room, or a bedroom to child-proof, going the extra mile to child-proof a bathroom isn’t going to hurt – but if you don’t, it might! Young ones wander, and that’s okay, but only when the house is prepared for them to do so.
Sealing the Electrical Outlets
While this is the most obvious first step, it’s a great first step. You might think, ‘but they’d never get up that high!’ Truth is, if one can walk, and they can get on the toilet, they can virtually do anything they want in that bathroom. You’ll want to purchase the electrical outlet covers that plug right into the holes to prohibit the child from hurting themselves with the plug. Don’t skimp out either, because the child could figure out how to remove a cheap one.
Store Electrical Appliances When Not in Use
You should never leave electrical items plugged in, but in the off chance you do, always make sure: TO NOT! Even if your electrical appliance isn’t plugged in, such as a curling iron, hair straightening, or razor, your child could still harm themselves with it. Let’s give an example: you’ve just turned off and unplugged your curling iron, and put your plug in. Maybe you’ve left the curling iron on the counter. Baby walks in, sees something new in the bathroom and decides to touch it – boom. They’ve touched a hot curling iron. Not good!
Lock the Bathroom
Since young ones typically have diapers, they don’t have any business in the bathroom unless you’re potty training them – and staying with them in there. Those that are younger than 2 years will find that their body weight is distributed differently, which means their body weight can cause them to topple over into the bathtub while you’re drawing yourself a bath. If you went to go grab something and aren’t there to catch them, drowning may occur. Always be sure to shut or lock your bathroom when you’re not in there.
Bath Mats in More Than One Place
Bath mats that are capable of soaking up all of the water are ones you should place on the outside of your tub, just in case there’s extra water from the last shower or bath. In doing so, your child won’t slip as easily, and won’t become subject to a serious injury.
Identify Those Harmful Items
One last thing you should so is identify any harmful things in your bathroom; take pictures if you have to! In doing this, you’ll be able to spot when something is missing or moved after your child has gone in there.
While it’s important to keep all areas of your home safe, some rooms just need a bit more attention because of their contents. Child proofing your bathroom will be a breeze when you follow these simple steps.
