Protecting Your Kids from Your Plumbing — and Your Plumbing From Your Kids!

Babies and toddlers have a knack for finding trouble. One place where their innocent mischief can be more dangerous is the washroom. There are some important steps new parents (and grandparents) should take to ensure their little ones stay safe — and their plumbing fixtures continue to run optimally.

Foreign Objects.

Many toddlers enjoy the thrill of sliding an object into a perfect fit. It’s what makes shape sorters endlessly fascinating with the under two crowd. Unfortunately, this new skill can expand to seeing how well foreign objects fit into your toilet. Your plumbing system is often out of sight and out of mind, but that network of pipes is relatively delicate. It’s built to move water, human waste, and toilet paper — that’s it.

When other things end up down the drain — whether it’s leftover food residue, a pet goldfish, or an action figure — they often get snagged and trapped somewhere in the pipe. As these forgein objects (including grease) build up, they cause clogs. Water will no longer be able to flow out of your house, and you’ll have to call a Calgary plumber to come to your rescue. Supervise your toddler around toilets to make sure they aren’t stuffing them full of things that don’t belong there.

Lock the Toilet Seat.

One of the most dangerous things your child could accidentally put into a toilet is themselves. Everyone knows that toddlers often fall over and seem to trip over seemingly nothing. What you may not know is that there’s a reason small children take so many spills; they’re top heavy. A toddler’s head is proportionally much larger and heavier than an adults, so it’s easy for their head to knock them off balance if they lean forward.

If this happens while your toddler is inspecting the toilet or playing with the water in the bowl, your toddler could land head first into the bowl. Toilets, along with bath tubs and buckets, are one of the most common places babies and young toddlers drown. Use a toilet seat lock to prevent this.

Forever Flushing.

Pull the leaver, hear the woosh, and watch the water swirl. It’s not surprising that many young children find the toilet a wonderfully interactive toy. With any luck, the toilet seat lock will remove much of the pleasure of flushing for your toddler. If not, you can lift the lid to your toilet tank and disconnect the chain. This will prevent your toddler from wasting water while they learn proper bathroom etiquette and rules.

Removing the chain should only be a temporary measure. By two, your toddler should be able to learn the rules of using the toilet, but some kids take more time than others. In the meantime, we recommend leaving a note by your toilet, so your guests don’t get too confused when the toilet doesn’t flush.

Plumbing is a marvelous convenience, and your children are marvelous little people. For your own sanity, it’s important to make sure that they learn to live in harmony. We hope these tips help, and if you need help with any other childproof, like adding an anti-scalding valve to some of your fixtures, just give our Calgary plumbers a call. We’re ready to help!