Most new mothers–and parents in general–are ever vigilant about their infants and young children when it comes to bath safety. Despite that, the incidences of children ages 4 and younger drowning is still the leading cause of accidental injury and deaths, as reported by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The report also revealed in the United States there is a daily average of 370 people suffering bathtub or shower-related injuries. With those statistics looming, parents, caregivers and organizations are rallying together to spread awareness during January for National Bath Safety month. [photo via freedigitalphotos]
These tragedies can be prevented by implementing safety measures to ensure safety while bathing. First and foremost, never leave children alone in the bathroom while they’re bathing. A disproportionate amount of bath-related accidents occur when a child is unsupervised. Keep in mind it takes mere seconds for a child to drown in just a couple of inches of water. In addition to supervision, it is a good idea to purchase non-slip mats for the tub as well as for outside of the tub on the linoleum.
Renee Jacobs was reminded of this when her 4-year-old daughter jumped from the tub to the floor, slid and fell face first loosening two of her teeth. “It’s easy to get complacent especially when you have more than one child,” Renee shared. “With four children – one who’s an adult in college – I take some things for granted.”
On the day her daughter fell, Renee was only a couple of feet away while two of her daughters took a shower. “I wasn’t feeling well and needed to lie down. I yelled quite a few times for them to stop playing around before someone gets hurt.” Renee said she was getting up to go into the bathroom when she heard the deafening silence before her youngest screamed.
“Although I probably should have been standing right there, having a non-slip mat could have prevented this accident. My baby is fine; believe me she doesn’t jump from the tub anymore.”
Other things to pay attention to for bath safety:
1) Let the water out of the tub after each bath as well as buckets after cleaning. And keep toilet seat lids closed, using a seat lock if necessary.
2) Ensure your hot water temperature is lower than 115 degrees if there are young children in the home.
3) Do not leave cleaning supplies under the sink where a child can reach them unless they’re under lock and key.
4) Store medication where children can’t reach them. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration warns consumers it’s safer to store prescription medicine somewhere other than the bathroom because the moisture levels could reduce the effectiveness of the drug as well as compromise its structure.
5) Remove sharp objects from the bathroom like razors, tweezers, eyebrow scissors… Anything a young person may grab that can cause injury. Implementing bath safety rules can prevent a tragic accident and give you peace of mind.
