Making a Bathroom Safe for a Toddler By Rosemary Sadez Friedmann
Scripps Howard News Service
Children make the most of baths. They either love it and splash all over the place or they hate it and splash all over the place. Water, water everywhere is the result.
So a bathroom used primarily by children should be water-proof, warm and practical. Floors in particular should be slip proof. One way to accomplish that is to use a studded rubber floor covering.
Sinks should be set into plastic laminate counters. Laminate is inexpensive, easy to clean and has no rough surfaces. Be sure the edges of the counters are rounded. The problem of height can be overcome with a sturdy stool that is lightweight enough for the toddler to move around, yet big enough and sturdy enough for little feet to stand on with confidence.
Cupboards should be carefully stocked with items that are harmless. Towels, toilet paper and bath toys can be safely stored in lower cupboards. Other necessities should be stored in higher spaces with security locks on them.
Toilet seats can be fitted with special removable child-size seats for safety as well as for comfort. The general consensus is that these child-size toilet seats are more effective in potty training than the potty-chair. The idea is that the child feels more like a grown up than a baby because he gets to use the big potty. It is also wise to get a toilet lid lock for safety.
Make life easy for the small fry. Place baskets in the bathroom with underwear in one and socks in another and perhaps pajamas in a third. They can come out of the bath and select their own underwear, PJ's or whatever and feel independent.
Colorful and whimsical wall coverings are great. Better that paper would be faux paint; wallpaper could start to peel amid the high humidity while the paint is there until you remove it.
Since safety always is the first consideration in children's bathrooms, here are a few other precautions:
- If the bath does not have a non-slip floor, then special rubber mats are available.
- Taps should be carefully positioned, with the hot water tap easily identified from the cold. Even then the hot water should be adjusted at the water heater so it is not scalding.
- Light fittings must be completely enclosed so curious fingers can't get to them. It is a good idea to have the light switches outside the bathroom.
- Also, never have locks on the doors that lock from the inside.
- Levers as door handles are easier to manipulate with wet hands than round ones. Levers also allow for a quick release of the door in case there's a boogey man in there and the child must get out quickly.
(Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, is president of Rosemary Sadez Friedmann Inc. in Naples, Fla.)
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