Bath Safety

Bath Safety is a very important topic.  Now of course you know that you should not leave the baby unattended in the bath even for a second.  But, did you know it only takes about 2 inches of water for a child to drown?  That is a scary thought.  To make sure that you do not have to turn your back on your baby for any reason make sure that you have all of your bath products in easy reach.  Make sure that you have your towels, baby soaps, wash clothes and whatever else you think you will need ready before you put the baby in.

Water temperature is another important thing to think about when bathing your baby.  You should make sure that your hot water heater is not set any higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  This is to help prevent accidental scolding.  Now the actual bath water itself should be about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.  To check the water you can put your elbow or your wrist in the water to make sure that it feels luke warm.  You can also purchase a bath thermometer.  They sell them in all kinds of cute animals and they can be fun for the baby to play with as he/she gets older.  This is not a necessary item, but I did find it helpful.  My husband and I both like hot showers, and I would think that the water was lukewarm, but when I would test it with the thermometer quite often it would be warmer than I thought.  So, I preferred to rely on the thermometer than my own judgment.

One final baby safety item that could come in handy is a faucet/spout cover.  They slide over the faucet to protect your baby in case of accidentally bumping his/her head into the faucet.  Now again, this is not necessarily needed.  I do not own one.  My middle son did slip in the bath and bump his head on the faucet, it hurt but he was OK.  This is a matter of personal preference.

The two most important things when it comes to bath safety is to never leave your baby unattended and make sure the water is not too hot.