Whether you’re designing a bathroom that will be primarily used by your children, or a family bathroom that will be used by everyone; if you’ve got kids in your home, you’re going to need to make the facilities they use, safe and functional.
Helping to keep little ones safe in the bathroom can also help promote their independence, and when done well, a child-friendly bathroom can even increase the value of your home.
To create your ideal child-friendly bathroom, here are a few ideas:
- Locks on cabinets and drawers
Little ones like to get their hands into everything, especially when no one is looking! If you’ve got items such as razors or medication in your bathroom, you certainly don’t want your children getting their hands on those. To prevent this from happening, simply install childproof locks on all cabinets and drawers within their reach, and remember that particularly inquisitive kids might use a stool or chair to help them reach somewhere!
- Locks and latches on toilets
While we may not always realise, or think about it, a child can easily drown in a toilet, and without a lock or latch on the toilet seat, this could happen to your child, too.
- Covers for electrical outlets
Electrical outlets always pose a threat to small children, whatever room they happen to be in, but you can help prevent your kids from inserting their fingers into them and getting a nasty shock (or even dying), by using outlet covers on them all. As an extra safety feature, use specially designed organizers to keep electrical cords out of reach of children.
- Mats and surfaces that are slip-resistant
Anyone can slip on a wet floor in a steamy bathroom, but kids and the elderly are especially vulnerable. To prevent any nasty accidents from occurring, make sure that the flooring for your newly remodeled bathroom provides enough traction when wet, such as tiles that are textured, or vinyl flooring that’s slip-resistant. You can also place rubber mats in your tub and shower (they typically have suction cups to keep them in place) to stop anyone from slipping up while bathing or showering.
- Water and temperature safety features
To stop your little ones from accidentally scalding themselves while using the faucets in your bathroom, you could set the temperature of your water heater to around 120 degrees Fahrenheit, or 49 degrees Celsius. You may also wish to have anti-scald devices installed along with thermostatic faucets to give an added layer of protection for your kids against any unexpected fluctuations in temperature in the faucets. Designed to keep the temperature of the water at a consistently safe level, they can help prevent the risk of scalding and burns.
Note that just because your remodeled bathroom is child-friendly, doesn’t have to mean that it lacks style or an adult sense of luxury. With the right design team and remodeling company, you can achieve a bathroom that’s safe for everyone in the household to use, but which remains modern, luxurious and exactly to your taste. To explore child-friendly bathroom safety measures in more detail, reach out to a local remodeling firm for further guidance.