Bath time may be play time for some kids, as they giggle while the water trickles. No mother prays for the worst during bath time, but the worst can actually happen if the caregiver gets her attention to something else other than the child (especially young children).

January of every year marks the National Bath Safety Month (this is a time to take extra care when bathing our kids, ourselves or any loved one). Sorry this post is coming at a later date but it’s all good.

The bathroom is the most susceptible place for falls especially for young children. Accidents that occur in the bathroom are often overlooked, but they could be a serious cause for concern as these accidents could be debilitating for our young ones.

An average Nigerian mother or caregiver baths her child while the child stands, or some in a shallow baby bath tub, or in a plastic bucket (improvised bath tub *winks*). Whichever way you bath your child, if proper attention is not given, in a blink accidents could occur.

I interviewed a mom Margret Kalu (name changed), and she narrated what happened to her 2-year-old son in a flash. She said, “After I had finished bathing him I realized I forgot his towel in his room and hurriedly left him to get it. Before I knew it, my son tried getting out of the bathroom himself, slipped and fell onto the bathroom floor, he had a swollen head, he cried all morning”. Margret never forgot to get everything she would need to bath her son anymore she stays with him from start to finish.

Mothers are caught in the act of either getting distracted while bathing their little ones or leaving them on their own to get something. These choices should be thoroughly reviewed. Children had slipped, had a fracture or dislocation, scalds (from very hot water) even drowned in bathtubs or improvised bathtubs. According to BabyCenter Children can drown in less than an inch of water. Mothers should pay more attention to children while bathing them. Here are some tips to help:

1. Never ever leave your child alone in the bathroom, not for a second: Children get attracted to a pool of water and so can easily drown. Be in the alert mode, no distraction. If you want to get something tie a towel around your child and go along with that child.

2. Check the temperature of the water: Some Nigerian mothers use very hot water to bath their kids especially infants. Please, mothers, our little ones are not chickens that need their feathers out so we could have a sumptuous meal. They are just kids and their skin is still tender.so please use a lukewarm water for their bath, check it first with the back of your palm or your elbow before using it on them.

3. For older kids who can stand and bath wear bathroom slippers – it will increase friction and protect against slipping.

4. Bath time is also a time to observe your child’s skin for any skin disorder

5. Have a firm grip on your child during bath time

6. Get everything you need to bath your child before bathing starts

7. Don’t store water in big plastic buckets, always drain all the water in your bathtub, empty your buckets of water after bath time and keep away from children.

8. Always lock the bathroom door, you should know when the children want to use the bathroom, and then supervise.

Do you have more tips? You can share by leaving a comment, or visit our blog for more articles on www.womanlycare.com

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