Here are ten ideas for making your bathroom more kid-friendly.
Install new flooring — While tiles are less expensive, they might be slippery when wet (and who pees where they shouldn’t?) Smaller rugs can help prevent slipping for newborns and toddlers, but accidents do happen, so wood floors are far safer. A baby crawling about on the floor could also injure himself on any rough edges or corners of tile that protrude.
Install a low-threshold shower stall — Even if you don’t think your youngster will use it, go one step further and make the stall’s opening even lower than the conventional height. This allows youngsters to easily enter and exit (no more “lifting” them over high thresholds).
Place shampoo/soap in wall niches – Kids are constantly getting into stuff they shouldn’t, so make sure they have safe storage. If they can’t reach it, that’s OK, but if they can, there’s no reason to be concerned about what will happen.
Instead of floor tiles, use adhesive/decorative wall tiles — Even though smooth, gleaming tile floors are appealing, children will not sit still long enough for them to dry. When it comes time for tiny ones to stand on the tile once it has dried and is ready for action, this can be a major issue.
Install grab bars — If you live in an older home or apartment, chances are you won’t find much in the way of grab bars. If you (or your child) require assistance reaching something, please do yourself (and your child) a favor and install some strong ones. After all, they aren’t exclusively for the elderly!
Place rubber bath mats with traditional bath mats – These are excellent for preventing falls, but their primary use is to reduce noise. Remember how lovely it was to step out of the tub and onto a soft squishy mat instead of concrete when you were a kid? After getting all cleaned up, kids require the same relief.
Avoid using harmful cleaning solutions — This one should go without saying, yet we often overlook it. If your youngster drinks from the toilet, he or she may be exposed to pollutants including chlorine, fluoride, and other compounds contained in bathroom cleaners.
Always have soap scum remover on hand — Kids love to put everything in their mouths, so have something handy to clean up any spills or smudges they leave behind before you slip and fall (and break every bone in your body).
Install child-resistant locks — If your bathroom door opens inwards, children can easily become trapped within. This would be bad if there was an emergency and Jimmy, who doesn’t know how to operate the handle, was blocking the only way out. Worse, he could fall into the bathtub while no one is looking, making it impossible for him to get out on his own when he has to use the restroom.
Install anti-slip decals in tubs – Forget about sharks… take tiny measures toward aquatic safety!