There comes a time when you have to teach your kid to bathe on their own. During this time they would have to learn to do things independently in the bathroom. While trying to get them acquainted with taking a bath, you must ensure to put into consideration their safety always. You must make sure your kids are safe at all times. Bathroom hazards are quick and deadly. For example, it takes only seconds for drowning to occur and in only a few inches of water. Also, a little slip off the bathroom floor or bathtub could be disastrous. Here are the things you should know when you start teaching your kid to bathe.
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Safe Check The Bathroom
There are a few things you can do to ensure the general safety of the bathroom. First, the kid should know where everything is. Ensure that they are able to reach the things they need without much stress. Don’t place their toothbrush where they have to stand on a chair or something before they can reach it. You only do that for little ones. When you start teaching a kid to bath you no longer need to do that. Everything they need should be at their reach. Also, avoid putting shelves where they can reach it by climbing the edge of the bathtub.
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Cover Faucet Heads
Use tap head covers to protect your child from accidents. Accidents occur! You can’t prevent every accident, but you can minimize the damage. Use protective covers for taps to ensure your child does not get a severe head bump in case they slip and fall. Hitting the expose faucet head could be extremely dangerous. A thick rubber protector would ensure they only feel minor pain and so not sustain any serious injuries. If you give your child a handheld shower, then it should be plastic or rubber instead of metallic. A metallic one could be heavy and injurious if it falls on the child’s feet.
No Standing In The Tub
Teach your kid not to stand in the bathtub when taking a bath. If they are taking a shower in the bathtub they should sit, not stand. Standing increases the risk of slipping. Your child is still learning to balance themselves properly in the bathroom and shouldn’t have to be mindful of falling. Even adults slip and fall in bathrooms. Make sure all they need is within an arm’s length and that they do not need to stretch over the bathtub to get anything. There should be a little table or something they can keep things they need on. If the bathtub has a big enough end, they can keep the things there.
Anti-Scald
Teach your child proper water usage. They should know how to use the hot and cold water faucets safely. They shouldn’t be in the tub before turning on the water faucet. Sometimes the taps can misbehave and you get hot water coming out of the hot water faucet. They are to turn on the cold water faucet first, then check that the water is cold with their hands. After checking they should turn on the hot water faucet and continue to check the temperature. You can show them how to use a thermometer for this. They should turn off the taps in the reverse order.
Anti-Choking
Choking can occur with kids of all ages. Kids put things in their mouths, noses, and ears all the time. Check that there are no tiny items in the bathroom they could play with. Do not keep earrings or rings in the bathroom. If one of these should fall in the water and the child while pouring water over their head opens their mouth…you know the rest. You have to be very careful to ensure the bathroom is free of all these things. Head beads can also be dangerous. If your daughter has beads on her head, then you should make her wear a shower cap to keep them in place for the bath.
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Anti-Slip
Make your bathroom a slip-free zone. Your child should be able to walk in the bathroom without slipping. They should also be able to stand in the bathtub without slipping (though they shouldn’t stand in the bathtub). Get a bath mat and a tub mat. Put the tub mat in the bathtub whenever your kid wants to take a bath. The bath mat should be constantly on the floor. The bath mat should also be dry so they can dry their feet after taking a bath to avoid slipping when they walk out of the bathtub or shower. Shower mats are also available to prevent slipping in the shower.
Drowning Hazards
Drowning can occur quite fast. The speed at which this hazard takes place is alarming. It only takes a few seconds for your child to drown. How do you prevent this? Make sure to show your kid the level of water that is safe for them to use. A few inches should be enough. If they are bathing in the adult bathtub, they shouldn’t fill the water to the top. The water should not exceed their shoulder level. You may consider putting the water for them. If they are to put it themselves, check to see that the level of water is okay.
Bath Products
You need to be cautious with bath products. Check that the products you get your kids are safe. Don’t let your kid use any product that could be very dangerous when ingested by themselves. Assist them in using these particular products. If they ingest any product, quickly get them medical help. Make sure they know what every product is. They shouldn’t confuse the toothpaste with the eczema cream. Check that they don’t have an allergic reaction to any of the products they use. Teach them to close their mouth and eyes when they shampoo their hair. Make it a habit to go through the description of the products you purchase.
Keep A Watchful Eye
Even when your kid can bath completely on their own, you still need to keep a watchful eye. For 3 to 5-year-olds, never let them out of your sight. If your kid is pre-pubescent (around 9 to 11), you should get them to keep the bathroom door open when they bathe. You should also be within earshot to make sure everything is going fine with them in there. Don’t leave a young kid to bathe unsupervised. This isn’t just for the sake of getting cleaned up well, but for their safety.
Teach Them
Knowing the safety tips to observe is great. But you also need to make sure your kid knows all these rules. You should set some ground rules for them when they use the bathroom. For instance, they shouldn’t leave the tap running after using it (this could make the floor wet and increase slipping hazard). Teach them safety measures to observe when they use the bathroom. They should know that they could get harmed if they are not careful in the bathroom. You should ensure they know these safety precautions before you finally let them bathe unsupervised.
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