Whether you're a new parent or an old hand, your home's bathrooms can pose safety hazards to kids of all ages. There are hundreds of bathroom safety products marketed to caregivers of tiny babies. Most of them fall under the "scare the crap out of unsuspecting, overwhelmed and sleep-deprived parents" category, but some are actually helpful. Every family will have their own take on their bathroom scene, but here's a quick lowdown of the safety-driven products and practices I've found useful, and useless.

Useful to me

• Tear-free shampoo, soap, and conditioner at all times


• Safety locks for under-sink and medicine cabinets or even the entire bathroom door (can just be a simple hook and eye if up high enough)


• Environmentally friendly cleaners (including the old standbys, baking soda and vinegar) so I don't have to worry about whether the tub's been rinsed out a thousand times...or if my toddler thinks he's a Lab puppy


• Keeping adult personal care products completely separate from kid stuff if possible (up high, in a separate cabinet or bathroom)


• Making sure vitamins stay locked up (those with iron are the top lethal poisoner for the under-six set) and shooting for a healthy diet first and foremost


• Storing a black cloth with the first aid kit so if someone's got a scrape, red, fresh blood seepage doesn't undercut my "You are FINE" rhetoric

Useless to me

• Toilet locks. Kids can drown in three inches of water. If I'm letting them play in the bathroom unattended I have bigger problems than whether or not Junior's swishing my mellow yellow around the bowl.


• Temperature sensors. Since when could I not tell how hot the bathwater was by using my hand?


• Baby bathtubs. We used our kitchen sink and then sat in the tub with our babies until they were about a year old, while this product sat unused, and a lot of research points to these actually leading to greater risks, as parents have a false sense of security and step away from their bathing beauty.


• Skid mats. We had variants of these off and on but realized after a few years that a stern "SIT DOWN or you have to get out of the tub" works more effectively than any product.

Now, if I could only keep the floor dry so my kids don't wipe out. Stop that splashing, y'all!

What do you swear by, and what could you do without, when it comes to bathroom safety?