Bath & Bucket Drowning
Spot it
A toddler in the tub while you step out to grab a towel or answer the phone; a baby left in the bath with an older sibling in charge; a bucket, mop pail or diaper pail with even a little liquid left standing where a child can reach it.
Fix it
Children can drown in only a few inches of water (AAP, HealthyChildren.org). CPSC's advice: keep a young child within arm's reach in the bathtub, and if you must leave, take the child with you. Don't leave a baby or young child in the tub in the care of another child. Never leave a bucket holding even a small amount of liquid unattended, and empty and store it out of reach after use. CDC adds that anyone near water with children should be a designated adult supervising closely and constantly. CPSC also recommends learning CPR.
Safer swaps
What actually fixes this — the category to look for, not a brand we were paid to name.
Stay within arm's reach in the bath; if you have to leave, take your child with youHabit
Free; CPSC advises it
Empty buckets and basins right after use, and drain the tub when bath time endsHabit
Free; CPSC says to empty and store buckets where young children can't reach them (tub draining is our reading of the same principle)
Infant and child CPR classService
CPSC recommends learning CPR; a class is the only way to practice it
No shopping list for this hazard — the fix is a habit, not a purchase.
Sources cited
Sources
- CPSC counted 434 deaths among 684 drowning incidents in bathtubs, buckets, bath seats, toilets and similar products for children under 5 from 2006 to 2010 (about 87 a year); 82% of the victims were under 2 — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (incl. SaferProducts.gov), 2012 (how we check this source)
Every source we cite is checked against our criteria first — see how we check our sources.
Related checks
- Toilets & Standing Water — Toilets are the other standing water in this room.
- Pool & Spa Barriers, Gates & Alarms — Outdoors, the same drowning risk comes from pools and spas, and the fix is a barrier.