Here is the background on how to prevent toddler drowning in your home.
A baby’s head is HUGE!
On average, a baby’s head is a whopping 35% of their body mass. This is the same as a 150 pound adult having a head that weighs over 50 pounds contrary to the average adult head weighing in at about 11 pounds. The fact is that a baby/toddler cannot reach their hands over their head.
“BUCKET DROWNINGS”
A “bucket drowning” occurs when a baby/toddler goes head first into a container of liquid with as little as one inch of liquid. Maybe the container is a flower pot, dog water bowl, mop bucket, bathtub, bird bath, or toilet. When this happens, you have less than two minutes to intervene before brain damage begins to occur.
THREE WAYS TO PREVENT TODDLER DROWNING IN YOUR HOME
1.Install and use childproofing toilet locks
Toilet locks will help prevent bacterial poisoning (the ick factor), pinched fingers, and other injuries up to and including drowning or sadly death.
These locks can also help prevent the flushing of valuables (mom’s wedding ring).
Lastly, a toilet lock will not only help prevent toddler drowning in your home but also, the flushing of bulky items, the clogging of drainpipes (from stuffed animals taking a “swim”), and the plumbing bill$ to follow.
Objections to a toilet lock
Occasionally, Infant House gets feedback from our clients that a toilet lock is too hard to operate.
In reality, it is easy to operate once you do it a few times. Please practice opening your new toilet lock before you “gotta go” to prevent accidents. A good toilet lock is almost impossible for a toddler to open. Also, many of the locks available can be easily disabled when you have guests, or just wait until they ask for help…
How to choose a toilet lock
Infant House recommends a toilet lock that fits your toilet, keeps the lid down and secure, is durable and easy for adults to operate. Please contact a baby proofing professional in your area for an in-home consultation to select the toilet lock that is right for your home.
2. Remove bath water before removing the baby
A soapy baby is very slippery. So, prepare for bath time by having all your gear within arm’s reach so you can keep a hand on the baby at all times. This will help prevent a drowning.
This recommendation of removing bath water before baby may seem counter intuitive so here is the reason: When we are invited into a home for baby proofing consultation; we often discover bath water still standing from “bath time” the night before. This could easily cause a “bucket drowning” and prove traumatic for the entire family.
3. Never leave an unattended bucket of liquid
Any container that can hold one inch of liquid is a drowning hazard. From your baby’s point of view, these containers are interesting. We want you to be proactive and eliminate unattended standing liquids from mop pales, dog water bowls, paint buckets, and older children’s craft projects. Remember, a baby/toddler cannot push themselves out of a container if they go in head first.
When you take the three preventative measures above, you will greatly reduce the chances of injury for your children and prevent toddler drowning in your home.
Good drowning prevention tips from Stop Drowning Now.
