Baby Bath Safety
You already know that baby bath safety requires absolute, 100% vigilance. What you may not know is that most infant drownings happen in bathtubs/buckets, and that bathtubs still pose a risk for toddlers.
Most drowning fatalities happen during a quick lapse in oversight, like a parent getting a towel or answering the phone or door, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission — a fact which scares the absolute sh!t out of me.
Baby Bath Safety
Outside of the super-scary risk of drowning, there are simple things that can help you make bath time in general easier, safer, and more relaxing for everyone. Specifically, you want to think about three areas:
- Temperature
- Slipping
- Bath spout covers
Bath Temperature
An ideal, safe water temperature for babies and toddlers is just over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38°C) — you want it a tad bit warmer than body temp. Your child might prefer baths a couple degrees warmer or colder, and that’s fine, but this is a good starting point.
To be perfectly honest, you don’t need to overthink this. Our #1 most recommended item for checking temperature — not to mention, winner of the Innovation Award in Parenting for 10,000 years running is….
A human hand!
Yes, that’s right, people. The human hand has been a highly reliable source of temperature info for hundreds of thousands of years.
If you are too lazy to stick your hand in the water (people are busy, we get it! LOL) and you really need an ultra-precise, state-of-the-art temperature reading, you can always use a bath thermometer.
Dreambaby Room and Bath Thermometer ~$12
There’s no hands-down winner in this department, but parents like this Dreambaby classic yellow duck, crocodile, or turtle, and it reads in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.
Bathtub Anti Slip Mat
To prevent slipping and sliding accidents, especially once your little one starts pulling up and cruising, you’ll probably want to use a non-slip mat for bathtime. Heck, even my 5-year-old still looses her balance and slides around.
*To avoid mold, make sure to hang it up/air it out after each or most use.
Gorilla Grip Bath Mat ~$20+
It’s not a “child proofing” product, per se, but it’s well loved by everyone. It comes in many different colors, is porous (so water flows through it easily), stays in place in the tub, is comfortable for kids to sit on, and is machine washable.
Boon Ripple Mat ~$19
Perfect for those that prefer something more “kid-specific.”
HEVEA Natural Rubber Mat ~ $30
This shower mat is made from natural rubber derived from the sap from rubber trees Hevea Brasiliensis. Not only is it completely biodegradable/compostable, it’s also free of nasty chemicals like PVC, BPA, phtalates and microplastics.
Tub Spout Cover
These babes are wobbly. You may also want to get a bathtub faucet cover to protect them against bumps and scratches.
Skip Hop Moby Bath Spout Cover ~$14
This little whale (Baaaaaby Beluga 🎶) is the runaway favorite — it’s adorable, portable, inexpensive, and effective.
Lalo Spout Cover ~ $15
If you want to baby proof your bathroom without ruining the zen vibe with clunky kids stuff, give the Lalo brand a try. Their spout is stylish, and they have bath time bundles for the early newborn days.
The OXO spout is also a good minimalist alternative.
All right — scrub a dub dub!