Imagine a crazy world where toddlers and young kids can get employed. If you were to look on their resume you can bet you would see getting sticky listed under their set of skills.
Whether it’s getting covered in mud, crawling under your dusty couch or just taking the lollipop out of his mouth to poke it (honestly, why?), toddlers are stickiness experts.
A good soap lather and a dunk under the faucet is the best way to remove any build up of gunk from your toddlers hands. But here is the problem many parents face:
Your toddlers arms are too small to reach the running water
It turns out that toddler arms are almost proportional to that of a Tyranosaurus Rex. While a good step stool will give your baby the height to reach the sink, the faucet is very likely just that little bit too far to reach. A big risk of this is that your toddler risks kicking the step stool out from underneath him as he stretches and strains to reach the flowing water.
So what can you do?
Well you could pick your kid up each and every time he needs to wash his hands but this will grow tiresome real quick.
Instead, why not buy a faucet extender?
A faucet extender is an incredibly helpful device that many parents don’t know exist. I didn’t discover faucet extenders until my second child when a fellow mom recommended them. And thank the heavens she did; it was a huge help in teaching my little one the importance of washing his hands. After all, it’s a grimy world out there!
Faucet extenders are ridiculously simple. The most basic consist of two pieces:
Doesn’t look like much does it?
But when you put the two together and you get the complete picture:
Ready to see it in action? Simply poke your faucet through the rubber piece and you are in business. Turn on the tap and the water is now within easy reach of your toddler.
Pretty simple huh?
The great thing about faucet extenders is that they can be used on just about any faucet. Kitchen sink, bathroom sink, even the bath tub spout!
Some parents even go so far as to take them travelling. Whether it’s just a trip to the friends or a stay in a hotel, your child will be able to easily reach the water no matter where he is.
Okay, now that I’ve given you the lowdown on faucet extenders its time to take a look at:
There is not a whole lot of choice when it comes to faucet extenders. Fortunately out of the few you have to choose from there are some super star performers.
Lets start by taking a look at my personal favorite:
There is a reason why this is the most popular faucet extender available, it simply checks all the boxes.
Check, check, check and definitely check.
And as you can see, it works just great:
Cleaning could not be simpler, simply separate the plastic spout from the rubber neck and throw it through the dishwasher. Soap build up and mold doesn’t stand a chance!
My faucet has an aerator as well as various spray functions (useless features I do not use) and this faucet extender works perfectly regardless of what spray function is in use.
Whether you have a flat faucet or a round one the Aqueduck Faucet Extender grips tight and wont let go. I was initially worried I would need to constantly adjust it after each use but to my surprise it stayed strong. The only time I had to adjust the extender was when I reattached it to the faucet after cleaning it.
While this faucet extender does not work with bathtub faucets, Aqueduck has a separate extender just for bathtub spouts.
The only downside to this faucet extender is that it cannot attach to high arched faucets (known as goosenecks or swan necks because of the shape) like this one:
If you are looking at that faucet and thinking:
Yikes, that is exactly what I have in my sink!
Yikes, that is exactly what I have in my sink!
Then do not despair, there is another faucet extender that you may be able to use:
The Prince Lionheart faucet extender is the most flexible extender on the market, there are very few faucets it wont fix.
As you would expect it works perfectly for your standard variety of faucets:
But where it shines is it’s ability to fit on high arch or gooseneck faucets. Something the Aqueduck simply cannot cling to:
Pretty nifty, huh?
If you have a faucet similar to the picture above then this is pretty much your only option.
I found the Prince Lionheart much harder to put on my faucet than the Aqueduck but with a bit of elbow grease I was able to squeeze it over my large faucet heads.
Once the extender was on it held in position really well. I prefer that the faucet extender is too tight rather than being too loose and constantly sliding off the faucet.
My only gripe with this faucet extender is the raised logo in the center of the spout. Over time mineral deposits and soap seem to catch and build up in this particular area. While this is easy enough to clean off, it is sad to see that the company would sacrifice usability just to shove their ugly logo in your face
So which is better?
Whether you choose the Prince Lion you will be more than happy with your purchase. They are inexpensive, well made and wont mark or scratch your faucets.
Both faucet extenders direct the flow of water towards your toddler so that he can easily brush his teeth, wash his hands or just splash about.
Now there is one other faucet extender…
I first noticed these at my local pharmacy and simply had to try them out. I mean, just look how cute they are!
These faucet extenders come in three kid friendly designs
So I grabbed the ducky and took it home. To be fair, it worked perfectly fine with my taps:
But I simply cannot recommend this faucet extender for a couple of reasons.
The first reason is that the kid friendly design actually encourages your toddler to play with it. My toddler leaned so far forward he almost kicked his stepstool out from underneath him.
Luckily enough I was nearby and managed to catch him just before he tumbled. Disaster averted.
The second problem is that this is a generic faucet extender from China. You will find the same faucet extender under many different brand names. Some claim that it is free from BPA, PVC and phthalates while others do not even mention it.
I am very dubious as to whether any of the brands are actually free from these nasty chemicals so I decided to contact these companies. Out of 4 emails sent out I only one company wrote back and I got a single sentence reply:
Excellent question. Rest assured our plastic is free from PVC, Lead phthalates and contain nothing poisonous
No proof, just a single sentence from a complete stranger online. Doesn’t exactly put the mind to rest now, does it?
Since my toddler was going to be drinking out of the faucet extender (and washing his toothbrush with it) I live by the rule that it is better to be safe than sorry. As a result I highly recommend you steer clear of this product.
As I mentioned earlier in the article, faucet handles are an incredible simple invention. So simple in fact that you could make your own!
Here are some great guides to do just that:
If you have lovely polished chrome faucets then you may want to stick to the store bought variety. A risk of DIY faucet extenders is that they can mark and scratch your faucets (and a faucet is much more expensive than buying a faucet extender).
A faucet extender can genuinely make both your and your toddlers life much easier.
But…
Faucet extenders definitely aren’t for everyone. A faucet extender definitely is not an essential baby item. If your faucets are already easy to reach or you are happy to assist your toddler each time they use the sink then you will be perfectly fine without them.
But if your situation was anything like mine then you will definitely find a faucet extender a handy piece of baby gear.
What are your thoughts on faucet extenders?
You know the drill: Leave me any questions, wisdom, love or hate in the comments below and as always . . .
Keep being awesome!
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