Keep Watch @ Bath Time

Summer may have ended but the risk of drowning still remains. It is so important that parents remain vigilant with their children around water, not just at pools and beaches in the warmer months but around the home, especially the bath year-round. Ross Gage, Chief Executive of the Australian Swim Schools Association (ASSA) states that “drowning doesn’t discriminate, and as accidents can occur in nearly any body of water, in any season, and to almost anyone, maintaining skills is paramount.” 

According to Royal Life Saving Australia, the majority of bathtub drowning deaths occur when there is an interruption to routine, such as the phone or doorbell ringing. Many parents and carers believe that they’ll only be gone for a minute - but this is enough time for a tragedy to occur. 

In Australia, on average, 5 children under the age of five drown, and 47 are hospitalized due to bathtub drowning incidents each year. One in four hospitalizations results in permanent injury such as brain damage. As a parent or carer it is hard to be in all places at once and bath time poses one of the highest risk of drowning for babies and toddlers.

Like Col Jones Swim School, Royal Life Saving are committed to educating parents to reduce the number of drownings. They have developed the Keep Watch @ Bath Time program which informs parents and carers on ways to prevent their children from drowning through Active Supervision. It has four key elements:
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• Be Prepared - Always make sure you have everything you need to bathe your child before entering the bathroom
• Be Close - Always be within arms’ reach of your child
• All Of Your Attention - Focus all of your attention on your child and watch, talk & play with them while in the bath
• All Of The Time - You should never leave your child alone in the bath, nor should they be left in the care of an older child

Babies and children left alone in the bathtub, even for a second, can drown.

Actions to help prevent your child drowning during bath time:

• Have everything ready for bathing e.g. towels, pyjamas and gone to the toilet
• Have a small fold up chair ready in the bathroom to sit on while children are in the bath
• Cold water should be run first and turned off last
• Test the water to ensure it is comfortably warm, not hot, to prevent burns and scalds.
• Keep water to a minimum depth i.e. just enough water to wet the child using your hands
• Child should be actively supervised by responsible adult
• Never leave your child alone in the bath
• The supervising adult should always be within arms’  reach of the child
• Ignore distractions when bathing your child including phones and doorbells
• Take your child with you if you had to leave the bathroom
• Don’t leave your child in the care of an older child
• Active supervision should always used if your child is bathed in a bath seat
• Turn taps off, remove plug, drain bathtub and close the door.
• Enrol in a CPR course. Check www.royallifesaving.com.au for course details.

Author

Josephine Moss, Swim School Coordinator.

​Josephine and the team at Col Jones Swim School at Hurstville are committed to educating our families on water safety. To see more of the Royal Life Saving Society's bath time safety advice, please visit www.keepwatch.com.au.