Urgent warning over ‘safety device’ parents rely on at bath time that could put your baby at risk of drowning

PARENTS are being warned to avoid dangerous ‘safety devices’ used at bath time to stop babies from drowning.

While most parents know never to leave their baby alone in the bath, some may think it’s okay as long as they’re in a bath seat.

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However, new data from the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) has revealed that seven in every ten infants under one who drowned in the bath during the last four years were using a bath seat.

If unsupervised, young children can tip over in a bath seat and become trapped underneath.

Babies and young children should never be left unattended in a bath, public health officials advise.

Each year in the UK, about 13 children younger than five die from drowning.

One in four of these deaths occurs in a bath.

Matt Croxall, Charity Director at RLSS UK, said: “We find it heartbreaking to learn that child drownings in the bath are continuing to take place.

“It is concerning to learn that in many of these instances, there was a bath seat involved.

He added: “Regardless of whether you are using a bath seat during bathtime, we always advise parents and carers to keep young children within arm’s reach in water.

“And if you do need to leave the bathroom at all, take the child with you.”

Katrina Phillips, of the Child Accident Prevention Trust, previously warned babies could drown in just a few centimetres of water, very quickly and with no noise or struggle.

She said “They can’t recognise danger and don’t have the strength to try to reach the surface.

“This means you need to stay with your baby all the time near water.”

In 2022, seven-month-old Charlie Goodall was found unresponsive in a bath after his mum left him alone in a bath seat.

The mum, Danielle Massey, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of her son at Sheffield Crown Court in July 2024.

The 31-year-old also admitted possession of cannabis on the day little Charlie died.

Martin Sharpe, defending, told the court Danielle accepted it was “her fault the seat was not properly affixed to the bath”.

He added: “She should have affixed it to a flat bath, hers is concave, and the suction pad wouldn’t properly work.

“This caused her child to tip over and then drown.”

Other bathroom hazards

Bath time is an essential part of caring for a child and is often part of the daily routine. However, there are a number of bathroom hazards, including risk of drowning, risk of scalds, electrical appliances and potential poisons.

• Close the toilet lid after use and install a toilet lid lock to prevent toddlers playing with it
• Keep medicines in original containers, preferably with child-resistant caps, and locked away in a cabinet out of reach (at least 1.5 m high)
• Unplug electrical appliances and put them away when your child is having a bath
• If you don’t already have one in your home, have an electrician install a safety switch that can reduce the likelihood of electrical injury if an appliance does fall into the sink or bathwater

Source: The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne