Organising your bathroom for kids

An organised bathroom makes using it much easier for everyone involved. It also makes it a safer space for kids and parents. Organising your bathroom doesn’t have to be an expensive or time-consuming exercise. The benefit of organising your bathroom is that it can make a small space work much more efficiently and can be both practical and attractive to use.

Four easy ways to organise your bathroom for kids

1: Safety first

• It’s important to organise your bathroom in a way that makes it safe for your kids. It is vital that your little one is never ever left unsupervised in the bathroom.
• A practical thing to do is install a bath mat in your bath so your little one doesn’t slip or slide around the bath too much at bath-time.
• Make sure the water temperature is set to a sensible default setting – ask your electrician to set the temperature for you at a lower grade – it also saves a lot of electricity. In addition, you may wish to put rubber handles on the taps themselves to minimise the risk of burns.
• When you are organising the items in your bathroom, make sure that all potentially dangerous objects are stored up high and well out of reach of little hands.

2: Pick your products with care

• When you are choosing items for your bathroom, it is best to select items that are durable and of good quality. For instance, it is worth choosing good quality towels. They will be used on a regular basis and your little one’s skin is delicate. It makes sense to purchase towels that are soft, fluffy and elastic. You will usually be able to pick up a bargain during sales. When you are selecting towels, make sure you check their absorbency and make sure you wash them a couple of times before use to get rid of any excess dye and starch.
• Bath toys can add to the fun of bath-time, but make sure you pick ones that are age- appropriate for your child. Wooden toys don’t fare well and tend to pick up mould very quickly. Rubber toys are a popular choice and tend to cope better with the heat and condensation that are created in a bathroom. Make sure you rinse toys on a regular basis to avoid any build-ups.

3: Useful materials

• There are certain key items you will be using on a daily basis in your bathroom. It is worth having multiples of these at hand to help you organise your bathroom more easily. Soap, toilet rolls and toothpaste are staple bathroom products. If you have a particular brand you favour, make sure to pick them up in bulk when they are on sale and store them safely. An organised bathroom is a well-stocked one.
• Bathroom space tends to be limited. Containers and trays are very useful as you can neatly store lots of items in one place. If your baby is very small it means you can store items like cotton wool, a clean diaper, towel and soap in one tray and have it within reach at bath-time.

4: Organise and label

• Most bathrooms tend to have limited shelf and storage space. It makes sense to allocate particular items to certain sections of the bathroom to minimise clutter. Label a certain shelf for towels and make sure they are stored there. It is a good idea to put some hooks or hang a rail on the back of the bathroom door to dry them out after bath-time. This tends to save space and reduces the risk of them being left on the floor instead.
• Arrange similar objects together in clear plastic containers and label them appropriately. This means putting hairclips and hairbrushes in one container or storing all make-up together. It is important to remember that, if an object is potentially dangerous to your child, you need to make sure it is stored up high and well out of reach.

Additional safety tips for the bathroom:

• Never leave small children unattended in the bath.
• Always empty the bath when finished.
• Lock away all medicines, cleaning products, razors and other hazardous products out of reach, and install child locks to make it safer.
• Cover the diaper bucket with a secure lid and keep the bathroom door closed. If you lock the door, remove the key from the door and hang on the top of the doorframe.
• Avoid using detachable toilet cleaners in the toilet bowl. There are toilet seat guards available to prevent small hands from exploring an unattended loo.
• Set hot water cylinder to a safer temperature (50ºC or less).
• Use a non–slip mat in the bath. Make sure the mats in front of the bath are also non-slip.
• Always place cold water in the bath first and test before starting to bath your little one.
• Make sure that the shower door is made of safety glass.
• Never use electrical equipment in the bathroom.