How Can I Keep My Bathroom Safe for Kids?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that nearly 90 kids drown at home each year—and about 66% of those incidents happen in the bathtub.¹ You can help reduce that risk by keeping a close eye on any kids in the bathroom, installing safety devices like gates and slip-proof mats, and cleaning up puddles and other potential hazards.

Make your daily bath routine safer by remembering the following advice on bathroom safety for kids.

No matter if the phone rings or your dog starts barking, don’t leave your child unattended in the bathtub. It only takes a second for a child to slip underwater, and mere minutes for them to lose consciousness.

Young children and babies can drown in just two inches of water. Until the bathtub has drained completely, don’t walk out of the room.

Keep kids out of the bathroom when you’re not in there with them by installing a baby gate. Toilets, household chemicals, and other dangers lurk in the bathroom, so it’s best to keep it off limits until they’re old enough to use the bathroom unsupervised.

Practice good baby bath safety by bathing infants in the sink or in a bathtub adapter. This will ensure they’re never able to completely submerge or roll over onto their stomachs. Plus, bathing them in the sink will help you keep a good grip on them since they’ll be at your level.

Drowning isn’t the only danger in the bathtub. Scalding water can also really hurt your kids—and you. Every year, over 500,000 people are injured by scalding water, and kids under 5 years old and people over 65 years old are most at risk.² Turn your hot water heater down to 120 degrees and install scald-guard faucets so the water never gets too hot. Test the water before you put your child into the bath, too; if it feels too hot on your hand, it’ll be way too intense for them.

Take your kids into the shower with you. That way, you both can get cleaned up safely. Just make sure you’ve installed slip-proof mats to reduce the risk of any accidental falls.

You may have mastered bath time with your kids, but what happens if you get injured while they’re in the tub? Pay attention to splashes that pool on the bathroom floor, too, and lay down a bath mat to mop up the excess water so nobody can slip, hit their head, and get knocked unconscious.

If you have a faucet or drain opener with sharp edges, baby proof it. You don’t want your child bumping their face, head, or body on such a hard and unforgiving object. That could result in lots of injuries that could send your kid to the hospital for stitches, concussion treatment, and more.

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1. Consumer Product Safety Commission, “In-Home Drowning Information Center”
2. Burn Foundation, “Safety Facts on Scald Burns”