The most important safety feature you can build into a child’s bathroom is protection from scalding, especially in the shower. Building codes require a single lever, pressure-balanced mixer valve in all new construction. This device prevents a surge of hot water when another water appliance is used—flushing the toilet or starting the dishwasher, for example.
Pressure balanced mixers, however, may not be required in smaller bathroom remodeling projects. Since children’s skin is more temperature sensitive than adults, it’s important that in any bath remodeled for a child’s use, you install this device when replacing a tub or adding a shower. For a bit more money you can buy an added feature, a pre-set temperature control so the water temperature won’t increase if a child accidentally bumps the valve handle while showering.
Slippery When Wet. Remember this common hazard when you remodel any bathroom, but particularly one primarily used by kids. Marble, glazed tile, even water-resistant laminate flooring may look stunning, but these surfaces become very slick and slippery. Textured floor tile is a better choice because it offers some grip to bare feet when both are wet. If you’ve got a smooth floor that can’t or won’t be changed, make sure that there are rugs or bath mats—with rubberized backing—in places likely to get wet.
Laminate counters for the vanity, laminate doors for the cabinets and laminate backsplashes behind the sink are easy to clean. But more importantly they are a good defense against mold and mildew—and germs—in moisture-laden bathrooms. Don’t expect an exhaust fan to completely solve this problem.
Two other features are important for child safety in a bathroom: The first, a footstool is decidedly low-tech. But it’s just what’s needed to help your child get close to the sink when he or she is washing hands or brushing teeth. Kitchen cabinet manufacturers offer cabinets with convenient footstool storage in the tow kick—a good alternative or addition to a vanity if you’ve got a small room with limited storage space.
The second item is a residential adaptation of that gadget you see all the time in public restrooms, the electric eye that turns the sink water on when you pass your hands in front of it. For kids this means no reaching to turn on the water, a pre-set water temperature to again minimize scalding, and automatic water shut off in case someone forgets. But, of course that only happens with other people’s children.
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