Bath Safety Advice

Bath time for young children is fun but it is important to know that water can be dangerous too.

Only a few centimetres of water is enough for a baby or small child to drown.  When a child drowns it can happen in an instant and children aren’t able to speak or splash if this happens. Tragically several children and babies die each year from drowning and some of these deaths happen in the bath.

 

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) recommends parents do not to use bath aids at all.

Parents use bath aids (like bath seats) to make bath time easier, but they can lead to a false sense of security, and they do not stop babies drowning. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) recommends parents do not to use bath aids at all.

Please follow this advice to keep your young child safe in the bath:

  • Stay with your child whenever they are in the bath

  • Keep them within arms’ length at all times

  • Give them your full attention (leave phones outside the bathroom)

  • Only adults should be left in charge of a child or baby in the bath (not older siblings)

  • Bathe your child in the smallest amount of water possible

  • If you need to move away from the bathroom, take your child with you

If you choose to use a bath aid or seat:

  • Never leave your child

  • Always keep your child within arm’s reach at all time

  • Make sure it is firmly stuck to the bottom of the bath

  • Remember that bath aids are not safety devices.

You can keep your child safe by being with them at all times whenever there is water about
When your child is old enough, teach them about water safety.

 

Parents urged to keep babies in arms' reach on water as bath drownings treble

Child Accident Prevention Trust

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