Water Safety Tips for the Home

While drownings in backyard swimming pools or lakes most often make the news, an equal danger of drowning can occur inside the home and in as little as 1-inch of water. That means parents and child care providers (babysitters, relatives, or in-home providers alike) need to be on the same page when it comes to indoor water safety.

Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death for youngsters, and it is estimated that half of the tragedies happen indoors. While the most common source is a child unattended in a bathtub, safety experts warn parents that young children can also drown in open containers of water left around the home, such as toilets, mop buckets, filled sinks, baby bathtubs, and ice chests as well as aquariums and spas. A child safety feature often overlooked are toilet-lid locks. The safety approach is two-fold: keeping kids from placing objects into the toilet and to prevent any possible mishap of drowning. Parents need to be sure to spread the word to babysitters, grandparents, and any type of child caregiver about possible water hazards and safety features that should be utilized to protect kids.

Here are indoor water-safety tips to consider:

• Communicate carefully with babysitters, caregivers and even housekeepers about possible water hazards within the home. Have a list of safety considerations, show guests how to unlock and re-lock toilet-seat safety locks, and stress that there is to be no water left around at any time while children are present. Reinforce that supervision is a must.


• Require that doors to the bathroom be kept closed at all times. There is so much temptation about a bathroom, and there have been reports of tots turning on bathtubs and then getting in the tub (sometimes with scalding water), with tragic results. Use child-safety door locks when you have a filled sink with handwashables or any other reason. Reiterate this practice to caregivers.


• Never, ever leave a child in a bathtub alone, including the baby baths. Infants and toddlers can easily topple over and drowning doesn't take long. In addition, it's known as a silent killer, as victims often don't make a sound. Make sure everything you need is within arm's reach before placing your child in the bathtub, into a bath ring, or into a baby bath. Make sure relatives or caregivers follow the same requirements.


• Carefully go through your home for water sources that might not normally be considered as dangerous, and be sure to take any necessary safety precautions. For example, open fish tanks left on coffee tables or even water-based plants present an unsafe environment for young children.