Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Help settle an argument please

34 replies

peachyrose · 01/12/2025 19:04

Person A says it’s completely safe it’s plastic and will cause no harm

person b is horrified at how silly person a has been.

2 year olds been bathed and then with wet hands has been held up to turn the light on in the bedroom when person b asked if the 2 year old has wet hands person a says yes we always do it when I do bath time but don’t worry it’s completely safe because it’s plastic
will try and add a pic of the switch but who is right in this ?

Help settle an argument please
OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Mama2many73 · 02/12/2025 00:00

PollyBell · 01/12/2025 19:54

I think the same, try not too but cant be helped sometimes

Show quote history

Where do you live? Certain countries have lower 'voltage/current/power' (not sure what correct term is) than in the UK and so a lower risk if injury if anything did happen.

This may be a small risk but personally I've taught our dc to understand that any electricity and water do not mix. Saying one is 'oh its okay ' could lead them to believe , wrongly, that other situations could also be ok! When in fact ut could be a major risk/lifethreatening.

Tammygirl12 · 01/12/2025 21:19

It’s not ideal and I wouldn’t be happy with my husband suggesting our toddler touched it with wet hand s

Gwenhwyfar · 01/12/2025 21:03

BauhausOfEliott · 01/12/2025 21:00

I suspect you live somewhere with a lower voltage electricity supply than the UK.

For example, it’s normal to have plug sockets in bathrooms in the USA because their electricity supply is a much lower voltage than ours, and an electric shock from a socket is highly unlikely to do you much in the way of serious harm. But a shock from a UK socket is much more dangerous.

Show quote history

No, I don't as I've already mentioned. More countries than don't do allow sockets in bathrooms and they're not all low voltage countries.

BauhausOfEliott · 01/12/2025 21:00

Gwenhwyfar · 01/12/2025 19:22

It's not ideal, but where I live we have switches and sockets in bathrooms and you never hear of people being electrocuted.

I suspect you live somewhere with a lower voltage electricity supply than the UK.

For example, it’s normal to have plug sockets in bathrooms in the USA because their electricity supply is a much lower voltage than ours, and an electric shock from a socket is highly unlikely to do you much in the way of serious harm. But a shock from a UK socket is much more dangerous.

Gwenhwyfar · 01/12/2025 20:59

SouthernNights59 · 01/12/2025 20:55

Same here. I agree it's not ideal and shouldn't be encouraged, but the child is unlikely to come to harm. It only seems to be the UK which has this weird idea about electric sockets in bathrooms.

Edited
Show quote history

It's one of the things foreign visitors complain about - not being able to use the hairdryer in front of the bathroom mirror.

SouthernNights59 · 01/12/2025 20:55

Gwenhwyfar · 01/12/2025 19:22

It's not ideal, but where I live we have switches and sockets in bathrooms and you never hear of people being electrocuted.

Same here. I agree it's not ideal and shouldn't be encouraged, but the child is unlikely to come to harm. It only seems to be the UK which has this weird idea about electric sockets in bathrooms.

Gwenhwyfar · 01/12/2025 20:54

GreyCloudsLooming · 01/12/2025 20:33

Therefore with much less power/current in your domestic electricity than the U.K. eg, the States has half the power than in the UK. That’s the reason why.

Edited
Show quote history

No, it's large parts of the world and we don't all have less power/current like the US.

Excited101 · 01/12/2025 20:52

I’m not keen on children being encouraged to play with switches… but that aside, switches live in kitchens quite happily. I think it’s a bit of a non issue.

blythet · 01/12/2025 20:48

I live in a house in the UK, built in 2014 by a reputable builder (Cala) and it has switches as per the picture in every bathroom. There are no other type of light switches anywhere else in the house

GreyCloudsLooming · 01/12/2025 20:40

Ahfiddlesticks · 01/12/2025 20:06

Obviously they aren't.

Show quote history

No, it’s not obvious. Plenty of U.K. bathrooms will have socket switches. Mine does.

IceIceSlippyIce · 01/12/2025 20:39

I wouldn't do it (water & electricity) but it's probably low risk.
Probably best not to ve encouraged tho.

GreyCloudsLooming · 01/12/2025 20:33

Gwenhwyfar · 01/12/2025 20:24

Obviously not. I'm in most of the rest of the world where sockets are allowed in bathrooms.

Show quote history

Therefore with much less power/current in your domestic electricity than the U.K. eg, the States has half the power than in the UK. That’s the reason why.

BeaRightThere · 01/12/2025 20:31

It wouldn't have even occurred to me that this wasn't safe. How wet would your hands have to be to make this a risk? I absolutely would not be having a row over it.

Seawolves · 01/12/2025 20:29

My bathroom has switches rather than light pulls, the house was built in 2017, I sometimes turn the light on or off with wet hands and haven't been electrocuted yet.

Gwenhwyfar · 01/12/2025 20:24

GreyCloudsLooming · 01/12/2025 19:55

are you in the U.K.?

Show quote history

Obviously not. I'm in most of the rest of the world where sockets are allowed in bathrooms.

Ahfiddlesticks · 01/12/2025 20:06

GreyCloudsLooming · 01/12/2025 19:55

are you in the U.K.?

Show quote history

Obviously they aren't.

HeddaGarbled · 01/12/2025 20:00

Why’s the child being carried from room to room dripping wet? A bit of exaggeration going on here, I think.

StruggleFlourish · 01/12/2025 19:58

As you describe it, this is not the riskiest behavior in the world and, more than likely is safe. Other people with wet hands have touched light switches like that, and survived.

But as other people have said, it is never a good idea to encourage carelessness when it comes to young children learning about safety in this case, that water / wetness / dampness / moisture and any form of electricity are not a good mix. It's best to teach them caution because being a tiny bit over cautious won't get them in trouble but being oblivious / under cautious could get them shocked or maybe even killed in the future someday, not necessarily on this date with that particular switch

Thinkingaloud85 · 01/12/2025 19:57

person B is right.

youalright · 01/12/2025 19:56

It would be unlikely to do any harm but it's not something I would risk with a small children

GreyCloudsLooming · 01/12/2025 19:55

Gwenhwyfar · 01/12/2025 19:22

It's not ideal, but where I live we have switches and sockets in bathrooms and you never hear of people being electrocuted.

are you in the U.K.?

PollyBell · 01/12/2025 19:54

Gwenhwyfar · 01/12/2025 19:22

It's not ideal, but where I live we have switches and sockets in bathrooms and you never hear of people being electrocuted.

I think the same, try not too but cant be helped sometimes

Greggsit · 01/12/2025 19:52

Yes it's a risk, but it's miniscule. How much water would need to be on hands to flow behind the switch itself and reach two different bare wires? And have the circuit breaker fail. There will have been a much bigger risk of injury walking down the stairs afterwards.

thebrollachan · 01/12/2025 19:29

Yes, the circuit breaker mitigates the risk. But it's still a bad habit to acquire - better to always avoid wet hands when operating electrical devices. Why so many YABU votes?

YorkshireGoldDrinker · 01/12/2025 19:23

My mum did this years ago and managed to trip the whole house. Fortunately the breaker switch being flipped was all that was needed.

If your hands are absolutely dripping wet, then don't do it. Otherwise it shouldn't be a problem.