What you need to know

• Most bathtub drowning deaths occur when a child is already in the bathtub
• Incidents commonly occur when there is an interruption to the bathing routine such as the doorbell or phone ringing while a parent is bathing a child
• Baby bath aids are not a safety device and should not be used as a substitute for adult supervision
• Babies have drowned in Australia when using bath aids, usually when the child’s carer leaves the room to attend to another task
• Royal Life Saving's Keep Watch at Bath Time initiative is aimed at preventing children aged 0 to 4 years from drowning by getting parents and carers to undertake four simple Keep Watch actions:
  • Supervise
  • Restrict Access
  • Water Awareness
  • Resuscitate

How to stay safe

• Supervise children at all times while in the bath
• Take your child with you if you must leave the bathroom and do not leave children in the care of older children
• Be prepared and have everything ready for bathing
• Cold water should be run first and turned off last
• Test the water temperature to ensure it is comfortably warm
• Keep water to a minimum depth
• Never leave a child alone in a bath even with a bath aid, they are not a substitute for active supervision

Real-life story

The importance of supervision and restricting access to water for young children has again been highlighted with the recent drowning death of a baby boy in a bathtub. The boy’s mother left the room to attend to a few household tasks. The baby was found by his mother face down and unconscious in the bathtub. The parents performed CPR until the ambulance arrived but the boy was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.