Designing a Safe Bath for Your Children

Avoiding Unnecessary Injury

Children’s bathrooms should be designed based upon durability, safety and comfort. When designing your washroom for younger children keep in mind what physical limitations affect the child’s mobility and perception of what the room is really for.

You must also remember that your child will grow up and the design features you install into the bathroom must be able to be easily removed when the child gets older and no longer needs them.

By taking into consideration the age and what the child can and cannot do for him or herself, will give you guidelines for a safe convenient bath ing space .

These limitations will affect the amount of floor space, the distance between fixtures, height and depth of shelves and countertops, location of storage, placement of safety grab bars (optional), and other bath features.

Open a dialogue with your children and find out what their problems are and what they enjoy about using your present family lavatory.

If you are not renovating the bathroom yourself, a contractor may be more open to your ideas if they know before hand who will be using the bathroom, especially if you have worked out a plan with measurements, fixture sources and accessories based upon your child’s needs.

Take into consideration that children experience difficulties because of their shorter height and less firm grasp which all affect bathroom safety.

It’s pretty much a given that children love water games so everything must be waterproof and must have water resistant finishes; rugs on the floor is not an option. For durability, ceramic tiles on the walls and floors will be able to withstand the blitz of dirty hands, crayons and plenty of water sports.

Getting a Grip on What Really Matters

Remember that the floor should be covered in a non-slip material such as studded rubber or cushioned vinyl. Scrubable paint and strippable vinyl wallpaper will also help with the cleaning up and replacement process if your child is extremely adventurous and creative.

Keep floor cabinets secure with child locks or latches to avoid your child indivertibly swallowing poisonous chemicals or getting unpleasant rashes from contacting skin irritants. Do not put coat racks or any free standing mirrors in the bathroom since these can be easily toppled by an unsupervised curious child.

Avoid purchasing products that are contained in glass, it would be an unpleasant surprise to you and your child if he or she is cut by some thing they have spilt or broken. Again, it cannot be emphasized enough that any medications, household cleaners and things with sharp corners should be kept out of the reach of small children.

All electrical outlets should be made inconspicuous and covered with plastic covers and make sure the bathroom door can be unlocked from the outside in case the child accidentally locks him or herself in. A lever handle as opposed to a round one would even be a better idea; it makes opening doors a lot easier in case the child’s small hands are wet or slippery.