Sharing a bathroom can often be a bit of a headache, but sharing with your children?!
As with many things in life, sharing your home requires a fair bit of give and take between all the parties involved. If you're a parent, you'll no doubt recall a time when something as small as leaving the toilet seat up, leaving makeup lying around or simply spending too much time in the bathroom itself, has led to an argument of epic proportions!
If your family bathroom is the cause of friction in your home, don't worry. Help is at hand. We've come up with 4 clever solutions to help you create a harmonious and happy family home.
The best bathrooms for families should contain the following products.
A soft close toilet seat
As we all know, kids of all ages aren't exactly careful when it comes to caring for household objects and this certainly extends to the bathroom. Yanking on a toilet flush handle can soon lead to a faulty cistern, so it certainly pays to invest in a toilet with a push button flush, whilst a soft close toilet seat is an absolute must. Not only does it prevent that awful clattering noise in the middle of the night, but it also helps to prevent little fingers getting trapped, which can often be a worry in the bathroom.
The Mode Tate close coupled toilet comes complete with a soft close seat
Waterproof flooring
If your children are like mine, you'll soon realise they have a distinct disregard for where the bath ends and the floor begins! More often than not, I'll find my two hopping in and out of the bath, dripping water about, and before I know it, the floor has started to resemble a shallow duck pond (with the obligatory rubber duck gliding towards the door).
The best bathrooms for families require good quality waterproof flooring. Without it, you may soon spot the tell-tale signs of water seeping through onto your downstairs ceiling. If left unchecked, this could prove very costly in the long run.
Here at VictoriaPlum.com, we'd highly recommend Krono Xonic flooring for your bathroom. Creating a 100% waterproof surface, it comes in a range of beautiful finishes and simply clips together in minutes. In fact, it is so easy to install, even a DIY novice could fit it. Don't believe me? Watch this video:
Storage for toys and toiletries
Clutter - it's the bane of every family home, with toys and paraphernalia of all sorts littering the place. Whilst it's all too understandable in bedrooms and communal living spaces, in the bathroom there's really no excuse.
There are plenty of bathroom storage options available. For example, you could swap that pedestal basin for a vanity unit with undersink cabinet or drawers. If you have the wall space to spare, a wall hung cabinet could provide a handy place for toiletries or towels. Or, if the rim of your bath is awash with soap, shampoo and shower gel, why not install a simple wire basket instead?
If you're investing in some simple storage, make sure it's made from high quality brass, like the Options shower caddy pictured above, for superb durability
A shower bath
Choosing between a bath and a shower is all well and good if you live on your own, or your partner enjoys a similar hygiene routine to you, but throw children into the equation and you may find yourself having to cater for a whole different set of needs!
The best bathrooms for families contain a multi-functional shower bath, as it's the best way to make sure you have all bases covered. For example, you might not be able to function without your morning shower, but if your children are still young, bath time is a very important part of the day, so you'll need to cater for both.
As your children get older, they might find a shower is a much quicker alternative, giving them more time to play on their PS4 or gossip with their friends on Messenger, but as you get older, you might want to soothe those aching limbs with a nice hot bath.
With its enlarged showering end, the L shaped shower bath is the best bathroom option for the whole family
More family bathroom ideas
Looking for further inspiration for your family bathroom? Why not take a look at our family bathroom mood board, or perhaps make one of your own?