Promoting the autonomy of our children from a young age is key for them to learn to do things for themselves and become independent children, with self-confidence and self-confidence.
Gaining autonomy in their daily cleanliness is one of the great achievements of the child in his first years of life, but in general, parents usually have a hard time giving them freedom in this area, either due to logistics, lack of time or little confidence in their abilities.
If some time ago we gave you some keys to help children to be more autonomous in their daily cleanliness , today we want to propose decorative ideas to prepare the bathroom to their needs , and thus encourage their autonomy in this area.
To help them in their daily hygiene
As soon as the baby begins to walk , we can begin to teach him basic hygiene routines such as washing his hands with soap and water or brushing his hair. Logically she is going to need our help and supervision, but the important thing is that she has all the necessary items within her reach and we encourage her to try to do things by herself.
1) Turn the bidet into a sink for him
A good idea is to adapt the bidet and turn it into a sink for him . To the side we will place a hanger with his towel , a children’s mirror so that he can look at himself while he cleans himself and some shelves on the wall with baskets where to place his toiletries . In this way, the child will not have to climb on any stool to clean himself , since the bidet will be exactly at his height.
There are also other curious ideas on the Internet that allow you to fit out the bidet or bathtub quickly, comfortably and without having to hang shelves or mirrors on the wall. These systems can be an interesting option when we go on vacation with our baby and we want to continue enhancing their autonomy.
2) Facilitate access to the toilet for adults
But if your bathroom is small, lacks a bidet or you simply prefer to adapt the adult sink to the size and needs of your little one, we suggest the following tips:
- First of all, you should get a step stool or Montessori learning tower that facilitates easy access for your child to the sink.
The stool has the advantage that it is cheaper, smaller and can be stored anywhere when not in use. You must make sure that its legs are sliding , to avoid any type of incident.
The learning tower has the drawback of being a more expensive item and taking up more space, but it is safer and much more stable for young children who do not yet have a fully developed sense of balance .
- Secondly, you must place all your hygiene items in a visible place and within the child’s reach .
If the surface of your sink allows it, you can help yourself with baskets or storage boxes where the child will store his comb, toothbrush, soap…
Another idea is to hang on the wall, at a low height and easily accessible, grid organizers like this one , or opt for carts with wheels with various shelves where you can place your toiletries.
- And lastly, it is advisable to use faucet extenders . It is a small item made of silicone, easy to put on and adapt to the faucet that allows the water jet to be brought closer to children , facilitating handling and cleaning.
To encourage them to go to the bathroom by themselves
As soon as we detect the first signs that may indicate that our child is ready to leave the diaper behind , we can already set up a pleasant corner in the bathroom for him and that motivates him to pee and poop in the toilet.
These are the items and accessories that we must acquire to promote their autonomy at this important moment :
- A potty : although there are children who never use it, it gives others more confidence and security to learn to relieve themselves on the potty first, and then take the step to the toilet.
It is recommended that the potty be comfortable for the child, easy to clean, have protection to prevent splashes and spills, and have rubber or silicone bumpers on the legs to adhere to the floor.
- A reducer for the WC: if your child prefers to use the WC directly, it is recommended to resort to adapters that reduce the space so that the little ones can sit comfortably, safely and confidently.
- To access the WC , the child will need a stool or ladder , which will also serve to support his feet when sitting down , and to pee or poop more comfortably.
Some ladders have an ergonomic design, non-slip base, adjustable height and adapters that allow them to be attached to the WC, providing maximum comfort and comfort to the child.
- Finally, we cannot forget other items necessary to encourage the child’s autonomy , such as wet toilet paper , a pedal bin where the remains can be thrown away later, and even a cart or basket to store stories that encourage them in their learning process. leave the diaper
To encourage autonomy in the bathroom
Although children will not be able to shower on their own until they are six or seven years old , we can encourage their autonomy in this task from an early age, although it is essential that we always stay by their side and never leave them alone while they are in the bathtub .
We recommend some practical articles that could help the child :
- A bathtub reducer : this is a device that allows you to reduce the size of the bathtub , creating a safer space that is more suitable for the child’s height, as well as helping to save tens of liters of water.
- Non-slip mat – Avoid slipping in the bathtub with a good non- slip mat that has numerous suction cups that stick to the floor preventing it from moving.
- The adjustable trays for the bathtub allow the child to have everything they need for bath time at hand, thus preventing them from having to get up or turn around to get the product they need. It is recommended that they are made of soft materials such as rubber or silicone, to avoid scratches.
- And so that bath time, in addition to being practical, is fun, we cannot forget about the organizers for toys . And the little ones need to play in the bathtub ! In fact, it is one of the favorite times of the day to encourage their creativity and imagination.
- And we finished our recommended review to place a basket so that the child can put the dirty clothes when he undresses before the bath. We can opt for furniture with removable baskets to teach the child to classify clothes by color or type of garment, or for other types of simpler baskets.