Kids and hot water - are they safe?
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Do you know what the maximum temperature should be for your hot water? Are you aware of the risks children are faced with when the water's too hot? Ensure your home is kidsafe - read this article for advice on how to avoid scalds and burns and for first aid information.
A close friend of my partner has horrific scarring down one side of his body. You can see it most clearly on his arm, where the skin is puckered and uneven. Seeing it, you'd think he'd been in a terrible accident and, in many ways, he was. Yet it was just some hot water that spilt onto him - in an adult it probably wouldn't have left a long-term mark - yet as he was an infant it could have cost him his life.
Each year thousands of burn-related injuries occur in Australian household and, in most cases, they could have been easily prevented. The injuries most often affect infants and toddlers up to 4 years of age and, in some cases, the child will die. Given how frequently these accidents occur, it is extremely important that adults and anyone handling children are aware of the dangers inherent in hot water.
How hot should my water be?
While the law can var betwee states, the delivery temperature (that's the temperature of the water leaving the tap) for bathroom hot water taps in Australia shouldn't exceed 50°C.
This is the law for new or renovated homes. However if you own an older house you may find that the temperature in the hot water tank has been set as high as 60 or even 75 degrees, which can result in a far higher delivery temperature than the recommended 50.
If this is the case in your home, you may want to look into reducing the temperature to something safer - especially if you have young children. It's important that you consult your plumber, however, before adjusting the temperature of your water, as some older units require a higher temperature to prevent the growth of bacteria.
What can be dangerous to my children?
Your taps aren't the only danger point in your home. Hot drinks, kettles, irons, heaters, bbqs and fires can all be harmful to your child. Even food coming out of the microwave, especially soup, may be hotter than the child realises. It is important for parents to supervise and, where possible, educate their children to these dangers.
Burns and scalds can lead to severe scars, disfigurement, amputation, nerve damage, shock, infection and even death in some cases.
How can I protect my children?
- Ensure that the delivery temperature of water in your home doesn't exceed 50 degrees.
- Keep all hot things - drinks, irons, kettles, heaters, etc - out of reach.
- Don't allow anyone to hold a hot drink and the baby at the same time.
- When bathing your child, limit the temperature to 38 degrees, running the cold water first and last so that it doesn't leave residual heat in the tap fitting or bath.
- Closely supervise your child around ovens, fires, heaters and bbqs.
What can I do if my child is burnt?
If a burn or scald does occur, the first thing to do is apply cool, running water to the site of the burn for 20 minutes. Remove any jewelery and clothing quickly but carefully if the burn was caused by a hot liquid. Then cover the burn with a sterile, non-stick dressing or a wet cloth.
Do not use ice, oil, butter or any other ointments to try and treat the burn - these can cause more harm than good, often introducing infection to the burn.
Should the burn be larger than a 20-cent piece and/or blistering you should go to a doctor. In an emergency it is important to call 000 immediately.
To learn more about looking after yourself and your children, I strongly recommend attending a first aid course. A level two first aid certificate is easy to attain and the course will teach you how to respond to a variety of different accidents - including burns, bites, broken bones and cardiac arrest.
To learn more about making your home safe for children, check out the Kidsafe website.
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Best thing we ever did when we renovated was install the Rinnai Infinity Hot Water Service, which has digital control pads inside the house to limit the temperature of the hot water delivery. It has been a priceless investment, especially with a curious 18 month old boy! The hot water is always set to 50o and when we run his bath we adjust the control pad to 39 for his bath, so we only use one tap when running his bath and know it is the right temperature. Also if he turns the tap on during his bath, he is not going to get scalded by hot water. Highly Recommend it to anyone with children.
over a year ago by Tracy -
A major reason why kids are burned by hot water,are becoz plumbers place the hot water tap on the front of bath.Short arms can easily reach the hot water tap then, however placing the hot water tap at the back greatly reduces this risk.All " little arms " know about is they want to play with water.The bath being the lowest point where water are installed,as basins are higher.By the time the kid has grown to a height to reach a basin tap,the kid understands about hot and cold water.I had to insist with my plumber that I want the hot water tap placed at the back,mr plumber being adamant that in Australia the hot water are always placed on your right.This lead me to believe that either the plumber are telling me fibs or something greater is amiss here.
over a year ago by Lionel
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