Parentpedia

What Experts Say

Usually they don't let you leave the hospital until you've had a bowel movement, but once home most new moms wonder how to go the bathroom, let alone actually take a shower, with a newborn in tow.

It's a conundrum that seems insurmountable the first few days but is pretty easily solved (someone else watches the baby; you wait until she's napping peacefully; you leave the bathroom door open and put her in her crib for a few minutes; you bring her in with you in a bouncy seat).

A bigger problem is safety-proofing your bathroom so as your newborn grows into a crawling, danger-seeking baby, she doesn't get into mischief.

Parents respond to safety issues differently -- some buy every gadget on the market and make their houses as secure as fortresses, with so many baby gates and cabinet clips that it's hard for adults to move freely.

Others decide to let their children explore more with more liberty but never leave them unsupervised.

The bathroom can be a particularly dangerous place for a small child. Here are a few ways to begin safety-proofing it:

• Make sure the bathroom door closes securely. Consider installing a hook-and-eye lock above adult eye level so the door can be locked from the outside as well.
• Make sure all electrical sockets have plug protectors.
• Don't leave ant traps or rat poison anywhere on the bathroom floor.
• Cleaning supplies, like bleach and window cleaner, pose a real safety threat in bathrooms at home and when visiting friends. The bright bottles and nice smells attract a baby's attention. "What's this?," your baby thinks, "Let me taste it!" Keep all cleaning products high out of reach, and consider switching to nontoxic cleaners (vinegar mixed with water makes a great bathroom disinfectant).
• Make sure medications are kept high above a baby's reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.
• Do not leave a baby unattended in the bath, even in a baby seat, and remember to always drain the tub water. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported in 2001 that 72 children under 5 (more than half of whom were younger than 1) drowned in bathtubs in America.
• Be especially careful with electrical appliances like heaters and hair dryers (fun for little fingers to plug in and out of sockets and get shocked). When you aren't using them, store them out of reach.
• Keep the toilet lid down. Consider buying a lid lock.
• Consider turning down the water temperature in your house to avoid accidental scalding. Most experts recommend keeping the water between 120-125 degrees F.
• Consider adding no-skid mats to the tub to make it less slippery and a protector to the tub spout to prevent bumps.
• Make sure there's a working smoke detector in or near the bathroom.