Safety With Toddlers In The Bath Tub

Bath time is not such a treacherous venture until babies can stand. When they can do that, the fun really begins. The following are a few tips to help create a safe, fun bath time environment.

Non-Slip Bath Mat
They come in all shapes and sizes and are pretty straight-forward. Make sure it covers a good portion of your tub so there are no slick spots. I suggest hanging it to dry every night to prevent mildew. If you allow mildew to collect, the mat may end up slippery.

You can consider the rough, stick-on tub appliqués. We have some and find they do the job for adults, but unless you put them very close together, they do not work for tiny baby feet.

Bath Spout Cover
We have the Boon Flo. It does an ok job, but its position needs to be adjusted at every bath time. If you consider an inflatable option, be aware they need to be re-inflated frequently to be effective. In any case, I think the spout cover is helpful, but I have one more trick up my sleeve.

Basket Of Toys
Of course you need bath toys. That is a given! But we use ours as a safety feature. We place the basket between the spout and our baby. In this configuration, your child has a much reduced chance of hitting his head on the spout if he does slip.

No Standing In The Bathtub
This is tricky and requires consistency. We instituted this rule because my husband is disabled and cannot catch Weapon X quickly if he slips. We have special circumstances, but I think this rule is a good one for all new standers.

We have relaxed on this rule now that X is stable on his feet, but we were very strict about it in the beginning, and he (mostly) respected the rules because we were consistent.

A Few Other Common Sense Bathing Tips
*Always test the water temperature before putting your baby in the bath.
*Keep the water level low.
*Never walk away from your baby, even for a moment.