 | ||
|
| |    Bathroom Safety Tips by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P. reviewed by Kathryn Clark, M.D., F.A.A.P. One of the most frequented places in your house, the humble bathroom ranks right up there with the kitchen as one of its prime danger zones. But with a little common sense, appropriate supervision, and a few pointers such as those below, you can make your bathroom much safer for your young children. Toilet. You probably don't need to be told that toddlers like to explore and play with water. What you may not realize is that they are also rather 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 he's in the bathroom, consider installing toilet seat locks to keep him from opening the lid. Bathtub. Not only do bathtubs provide an easily accessible source of hot water and a slippery surface on which to fall, but when filled with water, they also pose a significant drowning risk for children. You can reduce these risks by covering the faucet handle with a soft, insulated cover, putting in a non-skid mat or adhesive strips, and never, under any circumstances, leave your child in the bathtub without adult supervision-even for a minute or two. Garbage can. Your carefree days of tossing anything and everything into the garbage can are over, at least for the next few years. Common bathroom items such as razors, medications, old cleaning supplies, and hairspray containers can pose serious risks to curious young children. Medicines. Most people keep at least some of their medicines in the bathroom medicine cabinet. While that is a relatively safe place when you have an infant, older toddlers and children can climb and explore. Always leave medicines in their childproof and labeled containers; if some didn't come in such safety containers (many over-the-counter medicines don't), store them on a shelf well out of even a climbing child's reach. When possible, locked away in a medicine cabinet or elsewhere is best. Electrical risks. Clearly, water and electricity don't mix. Protect your child by making sure that your bathroom outlets are covered just as they should be elsewhere in your house; easy-to-install and inexpensive outlet plugs are available at most baby-supplies stores. Also, if the outlets are close to the sink or another water source, make sure that they meet current safety standards. Be sure that electrical devices such as razors and hair dryers aren't left plugged in anywhere near water, and are unplugged and stored away when not in use. Burns. Hot water poses the obvious risk when it comes to the potential for burns in the bathroom. You should be able to hold your hand under the faucet with only the hot water running. Simply turning down your water heater to a maximum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit can limit the risk of scalding. Initially, teach your toddler not to touch the water controls. As he grows older, teach him the difference between the hot and cold controls and supervise him carefully as he uses water in the sink or takes a bath. Another potential burn culprit: curling irons. Hot curling irons are responsible for many childhood burns and can be easily avoided by not leaving the cord hanging over the counter or the iron plugged in and unsupervised. Cleaning supplies. Before you became a parent, you may have been accustomed to storing your toilet bowl cleaners, floor polish, drain openers, and other cleaning supplies under the bathroom sink. Now is a good time to make sure all these products are kept in cabinets with childproof locks or stored in a high and hard-to-reach cabinet. All cleaning products should be stored in their original, labeled, childproof containers. Windows. As with any other room in your house, bathroom windows can pose a risk to your child, as can the cords on the blinds. For more information on avoiding these dangers, see our article on window safety. General access. 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. But, remember, for this to work, you and everyone else in the house has to be diligent about using it.
| |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| About Us |
Contact Us |
Our Partners Privacy Policy | Ethics | Advertising Policy | Terms of Service © Copyright 2004 The Dr. Spock Company. All Rights Reserved. THIS SITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. The information drSpock.com
provides is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for
professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your health care
professional if you have a specific health concern. Mention or advertisement
of any product, service, or brand does not constitute endorsement, guarantee,
or recommendation by The Dr. Spock Company. Please read our full
Terms of Service. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
