Bathing a baby is a joyful task because little children love to play in the water. Usually, bath time is fun, and without incident.
However, there are a surprisingly number of injuries that happen in the bath tub.
Most of these accidents occur in children under five. A two-year-old is the highest risk for being seriously injured while being bathed, according to the Columbus, Ohio-based Nationwide Children’s hospital, which has published a page on bathtub safety. Here are a number of its key recommendations:
- Never leave a child alone in a tub, even for a minute, as they can drown in even small amounts of water.
- Don’t use a baby bath seat, as a substitute for watchful eyes, since these devices don’t offer protection against drowning.
- Use slip resistant mats to prevent falls.
- Cover sharp areas and hard objects, and cover fixtures in the tub.
- Be extremely careful the water temperature is not scalding, as hot water injuries result in many emergency room visits and can cause very serious burns.
Parents are generally well aware of the hazards of drowning in the tub, so they keep a very close eye on their baby or toddler while he or she is in the water. However, hot water injuries are very common. There are a number of devices you can use to assure that the water is at a safe temperature, before plunging your little one into the tub.
Baby Water Temperature Thermometer
This really cute turtle-shaped thermometer doubles as a water toy. The thermometer turns on as soon as it’s put into the water, and it will sound an alarm if the temperature rises above 100.4 F. What I particularly like about this device is that it also alerts you if the water becomes uncomfortably cold, dipping below 89.6 degrees.
Baby Water Temperature Thermometer
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Rubber Ducky Bath Thermometer
This classic rubber ducky is not as high-tech as the turtle shown above, but would make a cute addition to a baby basket. The duck will display the word “Hot” if the water is unsafe.
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Baby Bath Spout Cover
This adorable blue whale-shaped drain spout cover will help guard against head injuries if your child accidentally slips in the tub. These types of injuries happen surprisingly often. It is made from materials that contain no BPA, PVC or phthalates.
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