Bathtub Safety: Tips On Bathing Your Baby Safely

Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 1 to 14 and children can drown in as little as one inch of water.  Children ages 4 and under have the highest drowning death rate (two to three times greater than other age groups) and account for 80 percent of home drownings.  When it comes to water safety think beyond pools and lakes … think bathtubs, toilets, standing buckets of water, coolers and mop water.

Even empty bathtubs can be dangerous!  A young child who was sick was placed in an empty bathtub and the mother walked away for a few minutes to get things to clean the child. When she came back the water was running an the child was unresponsive and later died.  Never leave a child unattended for even a second.  If you need to leave the bathroom, take the baby or child with you.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has put together a list of water safety tips to help prevent young children from drowning:

• Before you begin bathing your child, have all supplies within arm’s reach and in front of you
• Do not rely on older children to watch a baby for you
• Never leave to answer the phone, answer the door, to get a towel or for any other reason. If you must leave, take the baby with you
• A baby bath seat is not a substitute for supervision. A bath seat is a bathing aid, not a safety device.  Babies have slipped or climbed out of bath seats and drowned.  In fact, there has been a petition to have  bath seats banned and some bath seats have been recalled
• Never leave a child unattended while filling the bathtub and always empty bath water immediately after use
• Test water temperature with your elbow or a thermometer. Temperature should be between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit

Other general water safety tips:

• Never leave a bucket containing even a small amount of liquid unattended. When finished using a bucket, always empty it immediately.  Store buckets where young children cannot reach them
• Buckets, accessible to children, that are left outside to collect rainwater are a hazard
• Always secure safety covers and barriers to prevent children from gaining access to spas or hot tubs when not in use. Some non-rigid covers, such as solar covers, can allow a small child to slip in the water and the cover would appear to still be in place
• Keep the toilet lid down to prevent access to the water and consider using a toilet clip to stop young children from opening the lids. Consider placing a latch on the bathroom door out of reach of young children
• Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) for infants and small children– it can be a lifesaver when seconds count