You might be familiar with the (hopefully rare) idea of having to call a locksmith to help you gain entry to your home, but what about if you're locked out of a particular room within your house? Parents of young children will know that bathtime can be… well, a bit of an ordeal. Many kids simply hate having a bath, and will do everything within their power to avoid or disrupt the process. It's not something that will be a common occurrence, but would you know what to do if your toddler or young child was to lock themselves in the bathroom at bathtime? There might in fact be a risk to their wellbeing if you've started to run the bath. So what do you need to do to take control of the situation?
Talking to Your Child
Talk to your child through the door. Toddlers might have accidentally locked the door, and so might not understand what they need to do in order to unlock it again. Slightly older children can hopefully be convinced (or cajoled, or begged) into unlocking the door. Is there an imminent danger to your child's wellbeing? This is pertinent if you had in fact started to run the bath. Is there someone else in the house? Ask them to shut off the water supply to your home (find out how to do this now, so you will know what to do in an emergency). Remain by the door, talking to your child to distract them from going near the bath. If necessary, you might need to briefly leave your post to shut off the water yourself.
Gaining Entry Yourself
Examine the plates that cover the latch. There might not be any plates, and there might simply be a doorknob inserted into the wood. However the door is configured, are there any visible screws? If so, you might be able to unscrew these before removing the internal latch and pushing the door open.
Calling for Assistance
If it's not possible for you to open the door with a screwdriver, then you will need to immediately call a locksmith. Call one who specialises in emergency callouts, meaning that they will promptly arrive at your home. If you are not able to arrange for a locksmith to arrive within a quick timeframe or you are concerned that your child is in immediate danger, then you might need to actually break the door down. It's not an ideal situation, but the damage can of course be repaired.
The thought of your child locked in the bathroom is enough to strike terror into the heart of any parent, so it's important to know what to do if this was ever to happen.
