The bathroom is one of the most hazardous rooms in the house for babies and toddlers. It combines water, chemicals, heat, hard surfaces, and small objects in a relatively confined space. Yet because bathroom time with a baby is almost always supervised, it is easy to overlook the hazards that arise when a mobile child reaches the bathroom unsupervised — which can happen in a moment's distraction.
Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in children under 5 in the UK, and it can happen in very small amounts of water. A baby can drown in less than 5 centimetres of water — enough to cover the face in a position they cannot get out of. This means the risk is not limited to the bathtub. Buckets of water left for cleaning, toilet bowls, and even low toilet-level water can pose a drowning risk to a crawling or toddling child who topples forward and cannot right themselves.
The bath: Never leave a child under 5 alone in the bath, even briefly. Do not rely on bath seats or bath rings — these are not safety devices; they are aids that require constant adult presence to be safe. If the doorbell or phone rings during bath time, take the child with you or ignore it.
Toilet locks: A crawling baby who can open a toilet lid is at risk of falling in. Toilet lid locks are cheap, easy to fit, and genuinely effective. They are worth installing before your baby begins cruising (walking along furniture) — once they can stand, they can reach the toilet.
Medicines are one of the most common causes of accidental poisoning in children under 5. All medicines should be stored out of reach and ideally in a locked cabinet, not just a high one. Toddlers can climb, and what seems out of reach at 9 months may not be at 18 months.
Pay particular attention to:
Do not leave medicines on the side of the sink after use. Put them away immediately. If you take your own medication regularly, establish a habit of storing it securely straight after use.
Cleaning products stored under the bathroom sink — bleach, toilet cleaner, limescale remover — are corrosive and toxic. All should be stored in a locked or child-proof-catch cabinet. Child-proof catches are available for most standard cabinet door styles and take only minutes to fit.
Do not assume child-proof caps are sufficient. A determined toddler with time can often defeat child-proof caps. The cabinet itself should require a tool or an action a young child cannot perform.
A baby or toddler can sustain a serious scald in under three seconds from water at 60 degrees Celsius — a temperature that is common from household hot taps. The NHS recommends setting the hot water thermostat to a maximum of 48 degrees Celsius to prevent scalding. Most combi boilers and hot water systems allow this adjustment.
Tap covers that fit over individual tap handles prevent a toddler from being able to turn taps on independently, which is an additional protection once your child can reach the taps.
Always run cold water into the bath first, then add hot water, and check the temperature with your elbow or a bath thermometer before placing your baby in. The recommended bath temperature for babies is 37 to 38 degrees Celsius.
Hard, wet bathroom floors are a significant fall hazard for adults as well as children. Non-slip mats or adhesive non-slip strips in the bath and on the bathroom floor are simple and effective. Replace them regularly — they lose their grip over time, particularly inside the bath where soap and shampoo accumulate.
Avoid bath seats without a full non-slip mat underneath them. Seats on smooth enamel baths can slide.
Full-length mirrors, glass shelves, and glass cabinets at low levels can shatter and cause serious cuts. If your bathroom has glass items at toddler height, consider replacing them with acrylic alternatives or moving them higher.
Before your baby starts crawling, it is worth going through the bathroom systematically:
The bathroom is a room where supervision cannot be outsourced to safety equipment — your constant presence during bath time is the primary safety measure. The equipment above covers the gaps when a child reaches the bathroom without you, which despite your best intentions will eventually happen.
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