How to Teach Bathroom Safety to Kids
According to The Home Safety Council, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing home-related injuries, an average of 20,000 deaths and 21 million medical visits occur at home each year due to accidents. When it comes to bathroom safety, most adults know the steps to take to make bathrooms safer for kids, such as not leaving kids alone in the bathtub and installing safety locks on toilet seats. Still, children should be taught bathroom safety so that they clearly understand why the safety measures are in place. The best way to teach a child is to make each lesson fun and engaging enough so that they will remember it when you are not present. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Make or buy colorful child safety posters that contain images showing bathroom items that are hazardous to children. For example, images of medicine bottles or other hazardous items can be mixed in with images of toys on the poster. Ask the child which items are safe and fun to play with and explain why the other items are not.
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Teach children to look for the letters "H" and "C" on the water faucets, or show them which one turns on the hot water and tell them to always turn on the other one first. As you are showing them the faucets, you can explain that turning on the hot water first may cause them to get severely burned. As you test their bathwater with your arm or elbow before allowing them to get in, you can explain the appropriate water temperature for bathing.
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Visit child safety websites. Many feature online quizzes, games and activities that encourage young children to think about home safety and to actively check to see if there are safety procedures in place.
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Practice proper bathroom safety procedures in view of your children and explain why you are taking certain safety measures. Underwriters' Laboratories has developed a "Commit a Minute" website featuring tips on general home safety. One such tip advises parents to install non-slip mats or strips in bathtubs and showers. Installing them in front of your kids presents an opportunity for you to explain why this is important.
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