To keep an infant and toddler safe in the bathroom is an absolute necessity which we often seem to overlook. The possibilities of danger lurking around your bathroom are endless. In India, there are specific problems which if not addressed in a proper and safe way will cause severe injuries. Here in India, we do not have any specific government regulations to build child safety bathrooms in houses. So the awareness also runs low. Thus when a child is born in the family, we are often unaware of how to modify the bathrooms. Here are some precautions and modifications that the Indian parents can proactively undertake to ensure the safety of your kids.
The followings steps are to be undertaken before and even after modifications.
The followings steps are to be undertaken before and even after modifications.
- Finding out the potential dangers.
- How much potential risk your child has to face from these dangers?
- Making changes, for the safety of the child.
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Preventing Drownings
Drowning is the most typical of the accidents happen in a bathroom. In India, there is a scarcity of water in long summer seasons. Water storage in big buckets are quite common even in the metros. If there are large buckets or jars for water storage, always have a lid cover tightly fixed when it is full.
If the need is moderate, you can use water storage tanks with small inlet mouth with a tap. This type of storage removes the possibility of the drowning as the mouth itself is of very small diameter. I find it perfectly safe when working mothers leave their kids alone with the caregivers and maids, and the possibility of carelessness is always there.
Drowning is the most typical of the accidents happen in a bathroom. In India, there is a scarcity of water in long summer seasons. Water storage in big buckets are quite common even in the metros. If there are large buckets or jars for water storage, always have a lid cover tightly fixed when it is full.
If the need is moderate, you can use water storage tanks with small inlet mouth with a tap. This type of storage removes the possibility of the drowning as the mouth itself is of very small diameter. I find it perfectly safe when working mothers leave their kids alone with the caregivers and maids, and the possibility of carelessness is always there.
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The second frequent place where drowning of infants toddlers and preschoolers is most prevalent is the bathtub. Incidences happen in a fraction of a second. The average time for the drowning to occur is just literally 2 minutes. According to the specialist, the heart stops within five minutes to the maximum of 10 minutes. Interruption of the parent's attention is the leading cause of drowning. The things which I follow in bathtub bathing with my daughter are as follows:
The water level should never be above the waistline of your kid.
Sometimes the toddlers go on to play with the tap and open to fill in more water. You can undertake certain measures. Firstly you can buy the bathtub safety tap shield, but these are unavailable in India. So a little bit of plumbing work solved the problem. I have put a stopcock for the water near the tap somewhere where you can reach, but the kid cannot. It is a more permanent solution. Just you need to close the water flow to the bathtub taps.
Another very easy thing I do to ensure that the bathtub water plug is kept high up on the shelves. Whoever uses it plugs it up and then keeps it on the top shelf out of the reach of your child.
The water level should never be above the waistline of your kid.
Sometimes the toddlers go on to play with the tap and open to fill in more water. You can undertake certain measures. Firstly you can buy the bathtub safety tap shield, but these are unavailable in India. So a little bit of plumbing work solved the problem. I have put a stopcock for the water near the tap somewhere where you can reach, but the kid cannot. It is a more permanent solution. Just you need to close the water flow to the bathtub taps.
Another very easy thing I do to ensure that the bathtub water plug is kept high up on the shelves. Whoever uses it plugs it up and then keeps it on the top shelf out of the reach of your child.
www.wouldbemothers.com
Preventing Falls.
A bath mat that are specially Pvc light weight material is quite useful when you have a kid at home. You can keep your child safe from falling. It is quite easy to remove and clean on the everyday basis. These mats give a better grip to the young ones. The toddler and the kid who are always very nimble with their feet often slip and fall. This is the most effective prevention
For the use of the toilet, you can use the baby stool with a broad base so that your toddler does not topple and fall while reaching the wash basin or the toilet seat.
A bath mat that are specially Pvc light weight material is quite useful when you have a kid at home. You can keep your child safe from falling. It is quite easy to remove and clean on the everyday basis. These mats give a better grip to the young ones. The toddler and the kid who are always very nimble with their feet often slip and fall. This is the most effective prevention
For the use of the toilet, you can use the baby stool with a broad base so that your toddler does not topple and fall while reaching the wash basin or the toilet seat.
www.wouldbemothers.com
:Preventing Drug Accident
In our bathrooms we have many liquids and various hazardous chemicals causing poisoning items which can be fatal and life-threatening abound in our bathrooms.
Here are the most critical things which to be broadly grouped into 2 broad categories that should be taken care of:
Bathroom cleaners
Toilet bowl cleaners
Drain cleaners
Moth balls
Rat or cockroach aerosols
Soaps
Detergents
Aftershave
lotions
Mouthwash
Anesthetics topical
All these things are mainly found in the bathroom. What you need to do is to put the daily use toiletries like soap mouthwash lotion on a higher rack. The bathroom cleaners in a sealed cupboard probably with a lock which the child cannot open. Please do not keep it on the rack above the toilet seat or shelves above it. Inquisitive toddlers have the incredible capability to reach areas where you may think it is impossible and hard for you.
In our bathrooms we have many liquids and various hazardous chemicals causing poisoning items which can be fatal and life-threatening abound in our bathrooms.
Here are the most critical things which to be broadly grouped into 2 broad categories that should be taken care of:
Bathroom cleaners
Toilet bowl cleaners
Drain cleaners
Moth balls
Rat or cockroach aerosols
Soaps
Detergents
Aftershave
lotions
Mouthwash
Anesthetics topical
All these things are mainly found in the bathroom. What you need to do is to put the daily use toiletries like soap mouthwash lotion on a higher rack. The bathroom cleaners in a sealed cupboard probably with a lock which the child cannot open. Please do not keep it on the rack above the toilet seat or shelves above it. Inquisitive toddlers have the incredible capability to reach areas where you may think it is impossible and hard for you.
www.wouldbemothers.com
Other Common Injuries in the bathroom.
Electrical equipment shock.
If you have any electrical equipment like immersion heater or electric shaver, you need to keep them out of reach of your children. Personally, I feel immersion heater have the potential of electrocution. Please do not use it if you have kids around. Nowadays many small instant geysers are available which is safer to use.
For electrical shaver unplug it and keep it on the top shelve.
Children often gets locked inside the bathrooms. This usually happens when you have a toddler or a preschooler who think they can be as efficient as their elders and copy everything. To keep your kid from being locked in the bathroom provide a door guard high up so the child cannot reach.
Make a habit of keeping the bathroom doors always closed.
LAST AND THE MOST ESSENTIAL IN THE LIST IS TO NEVER LEAVE THE CHILD ALONE IN BATHROOM FOR 1 MINUTES.
Electrical equipment shock.
If you have any electrical equipment like immersion heater or electric shaver, you need to keep them out of reach of your children. Personally, I feel immersion heater have the potential of electrocution. Please do not use it if you have kids around. Nowadays many small instant geysers are available which is safer to use.
For electrical shaver unplug it and keep it on the top shelve.
Children often gets locked inside the bathrooms. This usually happens when you have a toddler or a preschooler who think they can be as efficient as their elders and copy everything. To keep your kid from being locked in the bathroom provide a door guard high up so the child cannot reach.
Make a habit of keeping the bathroom doors always closed.
LAST AND THE MOST ESSENTIAL IN THE LIST IS TO NEVER LEAVE THE CHILD ALONE IN BATHROOM FOR 1 MINUTES.
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