The bathroom can be a dangerous area — especially for young children. You should do everything you can to ensure the safety of your kids or other youngsters in the bathroom. The best and simplest way to make sure a child can safely navigate and use the bathroom is by accompanying them. However, it’s impossible for you to be with your kids every minute of the day. We present these useful tips on how to make the bathroom safer for your kids.
Ditch your traditional mats with non-slip versions
Slipping is a common accident that happens in the bathroom. For the safety of the children (along with anyone using the bathroom), you can ditch the generic mat and replace them with non-slip mats. It’s a simple way to prevent or lower the chances of slipping accidents from happening.
Be careful with the temperature setting
You need to be extra careful with the thermostat setting of your water heater. Water temperature that’s okay for you might be too hot for a child’s young and sensitive skin. Placing the temperature at 48.9 ℃ can prevent skin burns to kids. If they reach the age in which they will be able to turn the faucets on their own; explain to them the importance of starting the cold water first before using the hot water to avoid scalding.
Important note:
Even though it’s recommended to lower the settings of your water heater, you should not push too far by lowering the temperature below 48.9 ℃. You see, going lower than 48.9 ℃ is very dangerous since harmful bacteria will be able to survive and multiply at a rapid rate. Avoid harming the health of everyone in your family and just stick with 48.9 ℃ and above.
What should I do if scalding happens?
If you’re not sure how severe a burn is, contact a doctor, hospital or medical centre immediately. It would also be a good idea to learn how to do first aid for burns. Here are the steps in first aid for burns:
#1. Don’t stay in the area for too long. Leave immediately and take your kids to a safer place.
#2. Remove the clothing; provided that the cloth material isn’t sticking or stuck onto the skin. You should also take away any present jewellery as long as it doesn’t hurt the child when you try to remove the ornaments.
#3. Place the affected area under cool and running water for 15 to 20 minutes. Take note that you shouldn’t use extremely cold water or ice to the burned area since this may cause shock and even deter the healing process.
#4. After you’re done with the first aid treatment, take your child to the nearest hospital. Be sure to cover the burn with non-sticky clothing materials such as a plastic wrap. A clean and wet cloth will also suffice as cover for the affected skin. Be sure to raise the burned limbs to avoid sticking.
Accompany your children as much as possible
You shouldn’t rely entirely on the safety features you install. It’s highly advisable to have an adult accompany a child whenever they’re using the bath.
Drowning is a common cause of death for children who are under five years old. This is why you shouldn’t don’t underestimate shallow water in a bathtub since a toddler can easily drown in it. A few centimetres of water can easily drown a child who is under five years old. Drowning can happen in an instant and you might not be able.
If there is an urgent call or you need to open the door then you mustn’t leave your kid alone. Cover your child with a towel and bring them along to whatever matter that needs your immediate attention. In addition, make sure that your child is just within arm’s each and you can easily see them at all times so that you can immediately react if something goes wrong.
Use electrical tools outside the bathroom and keep them from the reach of your children
Some of you may have electrical items like hair dryers and razors lying in the bathroom. But the safest thing you can do is not to use these electrical tools inside the bathroom. Don’t leave these tools lying around while still plugged. Your children can easily get electrocuted when playing with them. You can unplug electrical appliances and place them in a cabinet or anywhere that can’t be accessed by kids.
Segregate your medications and store them in a secure location
You don’t want your kids consuming your medication. Otherwise, you’ll be rushing to the hospital. Worst case scenario is when you have a life-threatening situation in your hands.
Avoid placing your medicine together with common items like soaps, toothpaste, etc. Just like the electrical appliances, you should store all your medication inside a secure location like a cabinet with locks. It also wouldn’t hurt if you place safety caps on your medicine containers as added security. However, you shouldn’t rely too much on these safety caps since these can still be removed forcibly by determined children.
This blog post is contributed by Your Neighbourhood Plumbers Innerwest. Don’t hesitate to visit their blogs that discuss more about bathroom renovations and plumbing tips.