# childproofing pedestal sink? dog's water bowl?



## ~Denise~ (Dec 24, 2006)

I have two childproofing problems that have me stumped.

The first is that we have a pedestal sink in our teeny bathroom, and often when DS (17 mo) is in the bathroom (diaper change, using potty, after a bath, or just playing close to Mommy while she goes potty), he will stand up just under the pedestal sink and smack his poor head! I have foam corners for end tables, but what will work to protect him from the _underside_ of the sink? And ideally, it's gotta be a solution that won't get moldy or mildewy.

The second is the dog's water bowl. This one's more of a mess issue than a safety issue (well, theoretically he _could_ drown, but mostly it's just that he saturates himself and the floor and bunches of towels). We've tried babygating the area or putting the water on the counter, but this also separates the dog from her water--and we've occasionally forgotten to put her water back on the floor on hot days when we've been out for several hours (don't worry, she's a large younger dog and wasn't in any medical danger, just very thirsty).

Any ideas?


----------



## ChetMC (Aug 27, 2005)

Sink = She'll figure out pretty quick not to bang her head. I wouldn't bother padding the sink.

Dog Dish = My parents just put the pet dishes in the basement and the animals would get somebody to open the basement door if they wanted to go down. Or can you think a place your dog can get to that your LO can't... like the dog can climb into the tub, but your toddler can't, or your dog can climb over some sorter of barrier to get to the porch, but your LO can't.


----------



## ~Denise~ (Dec 24, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ChetMC* 
Sink = She'll figure out pretty quick not to bang her head. I wouldn't bother padding the sink.

He's alredy hit his head at least a dozen times. I hope he figures it out soon!









Quote:


Originally Posted by *ChetMC* 
Dog Dish = My parents just put the pet dishes in the basement and the animals would get somebody to open the basement door if they wanted to go down. Or can you think a place your dog can get to that your LO can't... like the dog can climb into the tub, but your toddler can't, or your dog can climb over some sorter of barrier to get to the porch, but your LO can't.

Hmmmm. Well, we don't have a basement or a porch. Medium-rise apartment. And DS loves to try to crawl headfirst into the bathtub, whereas the dog is terrified of baths and bathtubs. We'll have to keep brainstorming....


----------



## ledzepplon (Jun 28, 2004)

What about sticking a laundry hamper or a basket up next to the sink that you can easily scoot out of the way for the grownups, but prevents your little one from getting too close?


----------



## ~Denise~ (Dec 24, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ledzepplon* 
What about sticking a laundry hamper or a basket up next to the sink that you can easily scoot out of the way for the grownups, but prevents your little one from getting too close?

Hey, now that's not a bad idea! Thanks! I'll have to try that.


----------



## mimie (Mar 7, 2003)

For the dog dish, I put my pets' water dishes on a bath mat. That way when dd (inevitably) plays in the water, it doesn't get everywhere. The bath mat is rubber on the back so it protects the floor.

DD is 23 months now. 16-18 months was the worst for playing in the water dish, then she started responding more to my redirecting. Now she doesn't touch it at all.


----------



## Ruthie's momma (May 2, 2008)

I like the idea about placing a hamper, or something similar, under the sink!

We have two dogs. Their water bowl has always been in the kitchen. After the LO discovered the wonders of said bowl, I simply started keeping the water bowl on the counter. The dogs figured out to ask for water by sitting down in front of the cabinet (that the water bowl is atop). Plus, we make sure to offer them water following a meal and throughout the day.


----------



## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

What about a sink skirt? It may not be quite your decorating taste, but it would mark the edge of your sink so that your ds didn't keep bumping his head there.


----------



## ~Denise~ (Dec 24, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mimie* 
For the dog dish, I put my pets' water dishes on a bath mat. That way when dd (inevitably) plays in the water, it doesn't get everywhere. The bath mat is rubber on the back so it protects the floor.

I'm not worried about the floor _per se_. We do keep the water bowl on the kitchen tile, on top of a small hand towel, because our dog splatters a lot when she drinks. I think that's about what a bath mat would do. But when DS gets into it, he manages to soak himself from chest to toe (he used to just splash, now he knows how to lift and dump). Plus unless I lay a couple of big ol' bath towels under the bowl (oooooh, so there's an idea!.....) there's water all over and it's a safety hazard when he stands up.

Ok, this has been fruitful brainstorming. I'll try a couple of bath towels under the bowl. Still doesn't solve the soaked shirt, pants, diaper, socks, and shoes problem, but at least he won't slip when he stands up.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ruthie's momma* 
The dogs figured out to ask for water by sitting down in front of the cabinet (that the water bowl is atop). Plus, we make sure to offer them water following a meal and throughout the day.

We've been doing this sometimes. Our dog is rarely clear about what she wants (i.e. she doesn't sit near the door or scratch near the dogfood like a lot of dogs); she sits and looks at you expectantly while you go through the list: "do you want to go outside?" "do you want a carrot?" "do you want a bone?". And then she gets up and wags her tail when she hears the right word. So we need to train _ourselves_ better to think about and ask about water.

It's not ideal to keep her water on our counter because we have a tiny galley kitchen with not a lot of counter space, plus we keep forgetting to put it down, but that's definitely been the most effective in keeping DS out. I'm amazed that he never protests when I take the dog bowl away and put it on the counter. I'm just bracing for the day when he starts trying to snatch it back.









Quote:


Originally Posted by *LynnS6* 
What about a sink skirt? It may not be quite your decorating taste, but it would mark the edge of your sink so that your ds didn't keep bumping his head there.

Yeah, I've thought about those.... I don't know anyone who has one and can attest to how well they stay in place, but I'm just picturing him using it to pull himself up to standing. I have elderly patients in the hospital where I work and they always seem to grab the privacy curtains if they think they're going to fall.

So far putting a basket under the sink has been working.... though DS looked at it, pointed, said "step", and proceeded to try to climb up it. So I adjusted it to make it a less climbable, and so far so good....

Any more ideas? Keep 'em coming! Thanks!!


----------



## cschick (Aug 28, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mimie* 
For the dog dish, I put my pets' water dishes on a bath mat. That way when dd (inevitably) plays in the water, it doesn't get everywhere. The bath mat is rubber on the back so it protects the floor.

DD is 23 months now. 16-18 months was the worst for playing in the water dish, then she started responding more to my redirecting. Now she doesn't touch it at all.

Yeah. Le babe was obsessed with the dog's water around 16/17 months. It was on a tile floor in the laundry room so I didn't care too much about it. I'd throw a towel down and wipe up the water when it got too wet.

He's now 26 months and it's been months since he played in the water bowl.


----------

