How to Choose a Grab Bar for the Family Bathroom
If I had a dollar for every time my toddler fell at home, I'd be driving a Bentley.
Since my kid falls often, it makes me feel concerned about injuries in the bathroom, especially when she gets on and off in the toilet.
I know a good solution to prevent falls is to put a grab bar next to my toilet. But how do I make sure that everyone in my household is able to use the grab bar comfortably?
We're going to answer that question today in four easy steps! Keep reading below or watch the video to learn how to choose a grab bar for the family bathroom.
Why You Should Put Grab Bars in the Family Bathroom
The bathroom is the number one place where people fall at home. So the chances are very high that you or your family members could fall while getting on and off of the toilet.
To minimize that risk, grab bars are a really good solution to protect you and your family from:
injury
wasting time going to the hospital
expensive medical bills
Grab bars save you from worrying about all of the above! They’re a really good investment for your overall health and well being.
The hard thing to know is how do you select a grab bar that will work for your entire family?
Questions start to pop up, like:
Where does the grab bar go on the wall?
How long does it need to be?
What type of grab bar do I put in?
It's easy to feel unsure about your decisions when choosing a grab bar because there are so many options. I'm here to help you feel confident about picking a grab bag for your unique situation.
Before we move on, I recommend downloading the free grab bar guide to assist you in choosing the right grab bar for your family bathroom. It helps you customize your grab bar placement next to the toilet by helping you measure, select and install a grab bar.
Along with the grab bar guide, please watch the free grab bar guide video series. It goes through each step in video form.
With these resources in hand, let’s get started on figuring out the best grab bar for your family bathroom!
Step 1: Where to put the grab bar on the wall
First up, let me break down who’s living in my house with me. There's my husband who's about six feet tall. Me— I'm about five feet four inches tall. And my daughter’s three and a half feet tall.
Obviously, your family might look different compared to my family. Maybe everyone in your family is about the same height. Or maybe your household’s like mine, where everybody's a different height.
When everyone is a different height, how do we figure out where to put the grab bar on the wall? If you’d like to follow along with step one in the grab bar guide video series, go here.
Maria sitting tall on the toilet with her feet flat on the ground.
Now everyone in the household will take turns sitting on the toilets for their measurement.
Think about this as a potty party :)
It's important that everyone sit as tall as they can on the toilet with their feet flat on the ground as much as possible for the best grab bar measurement.
Then you and your family will take the arm that's next to the wall and bend your elbow to create a 90 degree angle.
Maria bending her elbow next to the wall into a right angle.
Measuring from the floor to the top of her forearm.
Another family member will use measuring tape to measure from the floor to the top of the forearm. Then the last thing to do is mark a spot on the wall to record the measurement for each person.
After everyone in the household has recorded their floor to forearm measurement, then we’re going to do some math to find the average measurement.
For instance, in my case, our measurements were 32 inches, 29 inches, and 23 inches. We added those numbers to total 84 inches. Then we divided 84 by the number of people in my home, which is three. The average measurement is 28 inches.
Once I have the average measurement, I record it under step one in the Grab Bar Guide Worksheet.
Step 2: figure out your comfort grip for the grab bar in the family bathroom
Your comfort grip is the position that you feel the most comfortable gripping onto the grab bar. We need to know your comfort grip because that'll let us know if we need to install a grab bar vertically or horizontally.
There are three comfort grip positions:
palms facing each other
palms facing up
palms facing down
What you'll do is have every family member sit down and flex their fists in every comfort grip position. If you’d like to follow along with step two in the grab bar guide video series, go here.
Then they'll choose which comfort group position feels best to them.
Palms facing each other.
Palms facing up.
Palms facing down.
Palms facing each other.
Palms facing up.
Palms facing down.
If your family members prefer palms facing each other, then you'll install a grab bar vertically. If your family members prefer palms facing up or down, then you'll install a grab bar horizontally. Make sure to record your comfort grip in step two of the Grab Bar Guide worksheet.
Let's say that your family members have no preference for any of those positions because they all feel comfortable. That means you can install your grab bar vertically or horizontally.
When it came to my family, we all felt the most comfortable with our palms facing each other. That means we chose to install a grab bar vertically to help us when getting on and off of the toilet.
If you're not sure which direction will work best for your family, that's okay! What I want you to do is call up your primary care provider and ask them to give you a referral for an occupational therapist. The occupational therapist will help you and your family pick the best grabs for your unique situation.
Step 3: What length grab bar do I need for the family bathroom
First, it's important to note that grab bars must be installed into studs or wood blocking in the wall. This will optimize your security when you're moving around the bathroom.
After all, grab bars don't work if they're pulled straight out of drywall!
Grab bar wall anchors are a great second choice for grab bar installation. For more information, check out Appendix C in the Grab Bar Guide here. Also, if you’d like to follow along using step 3 in the grab bar guide video series, head here.
In my family's case, we wanted to install a grab bar vertically directly over a stud. But the question for us was, how long should the grab bar be?
We wanted to have a grab bar that was long enough for all three of us to comfortably grip it. The center of the grab bar would line up with the average measurement from step one. Next, we needed a grab bar that was long enough to cover all three of our floor to forearm measurements.
In our case, we selected a 36 inch long grab bar to make sure we could all easily grip it while we were sitting on the toilet.
If your family members all have similar heights, you can use a shorter length grab bar like 12 to 24 inches long.
Make sure to record the length in step three of the Grab Bar Guide worksheet!
Maria sitting on the toilet and pointing at a vertical 36” long grab bar.
Maria sitting on the toilet and being measured from her back to the end of her knee.
For families installing grab bars horizontally, you'll want to sit everyone down on the toilet and measure from their back to the front of the knee. Take the longest of these measurements and write it down.
Then you'll want to locate the studs in the wall and write down the distance between them. The back to knee measurements need to be accommodated by the stud measurements, so you’ll want to choose two studs that are longer than the front to knee measurement to make sure you have enough grab bar length for your family to use.
Ideally, you'll have one end of the grab bar installed by the end of your knee on the wall. This will help you comfortably grip the grab bar when getting on and off the toilet instead of twisting your back and reaching backwards.
Step three in the grab bar guide video series explains in depth. If you’d like to watch, go here!
Step 4: Choose your grab bar for the family bathroom
The last step is for you to choose your grab bar!
In the Grab Bar Guide, go to step four and simply click on the picture of the grab bar or the text to learn more information in the Bathroom Solutions Shop.
Once there, you can select the perfect grab bar to match your bathroom aesthetic! We have a wide variety of lengths, colors, and finishes in all different styles. We understand how important it is to pick a grab bar that complements your unique style.
Here are a few of our offerings below:
Did we answer your questions on how to choose a grab bar for the family bathroom?
We're committed to help you find the best grab bar to create a beautiful, safe bathroom. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at maria@toilettalk.me.
How did you pick a grab bar for your family bathroom? Please share your experience in the comments below!
(Pssssttttt . . . did you know we have an awesome online course for people who have a hard time wiping after using the toilet? It’s an awkward topic that you can learn how to solve in the comfort and privacy of your own home! Learn more about the course HERE!)
