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Designing the Most Kid-Friendly Bathroom Around

The bathroom is a tricky room for kids.

Everything seems too tall or too big for tiny hands and short legs.

Plus, the dangers like water that’s too hot and toilet lids that pinch.

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A locking toilet lid and a child-safe faucet cover aren’t enough to make your bathroom kid-friendly.

Buying a step stool and calling it a day won’t do the trick, either.

Those are helpful and definitely have a place, but there’s a lot more that can be done to make your bathroom appropriate for the little ones in your home.

Built-in step stool

Kids grow quickly which means it doesn’t make a lot of sense to have a permanently-shorter vanity.

They do need to be able to reach the sink to wash their hands and brush their teeth, though!

A better choice is to keep your standard height vanity and talk to a contractor about installing a built-in step stool that can be folded into a bottom drawer when it’s not in use.

Toddlers and young children like to do things themselves and this gives them a bit of the autonomy they crave.

Hands-free faucet

Younger children can have a hard time turning the faucet off and on.

The best solution is to install a hands-free faucet that comes on when a child puts their hands underneath it.

It’ll stay on for a predetermined amount of time, 30-seconds is usually a perfect length, before automatically shutting off.

Another perk of this faucet is the temperature control that prevents a child from getting scalded by water that’s too hot.

This faucet is appropriate to continue using even after the kids have grown up because the set-time saves water and the hands-free feature lessens the transfer of germs.

Soft-closing toilet seat

Everyone has cringed at the sudden crash of a toilet seat.

It doesn’t just make a loud noise, it can also pinch little fingers.

A soft-closing toilet seat works on hydraulics and closes gently, preventing slamming, crashing, or pinching.

Maximize storage space

Kids require a lot of supplies. A lot.

An important part of a kid-friendly bathroom is having somewhere to store their necessities.

They have bath toys and towels, diapers, creams, and a whole lot of random gadgets.

It’s worth consulting a contractor to see if some built-in shelving or an expanded linen closet is a possibility to stow away all of the kids’ things.

The tub zone

It’s important to mention that babies and toddlers should never be left unattended in the bathroom and any harmful cleaning supplies or other toxic chemicals should be kept well out of reach of kids.

The bathtub area is one that requires some thought to prepare.

  • A removable, hand-held shower head can help with bathing the children, as well as cleaning the tub after bath time.
  • Bathtubs are slippery. If your tub doesn’t have a built-in textured bottom, you’ll definitely need to invest in some non-slip grips.
  • An air-filled faucet cover will protect little heads from bumps and are available in fun shapes and characters.
  • Anti-scald valves keep the water from getting too hot, even if the knob is bumped in the wrong direction.

Decor

Decorating a bathroom for children is where you can really have some fun!

You can choose a fun theme or just go with a bright color scheme.

If your child’s old enough, they’ll probably enjoy picking out the paint color and wall decorations with you.

Creating a bathroom that’s fit for your children isn’t too difficult or time-consuming, but it will go a long way in giving them the confidence they need to begin doing things on their own.