National Bathtub Safety Month
Water safety is not just for pools, lakes, and oceans; it's for bath time, too!
- by: Leah LeMaire, YMCA Aquatics Director
Did you know 10 people drown in the U.S. every day? Nobody is drown-proof and drowning doesn’t discriminate. Drowning is fast and silent and the leading cause of death for ages 1-4 years old. In the amount of time it’s taken you to read this introduction, a drowning in your home could have occurred.
January is National Bathtub Safety Awareness month
Drownings can happen in 20-60 seconds, in less than 2 inches of water. You never think it can happen to you, but that’s what everyone who has experienced losing a loved one thought.
Prevention.
Prevention starts at home and adults play a crucial role. Knowing these tips can lower drowning statistics significantly:
- Learn lifesaving skills such as swim basics and CPR.
- Know that barriers, such as fences, self-closing, and locking gates, do work.
- Put on coast-guard approved lifejackets around bodies of water such as oceans, lakes, rivers, and ponds.
- Do NOT leave children unattended when the bath is running or draining.
- Put locks on toilets.
- Use door knob protectors on bathroom doors or outside doors that lead to pools or ponds.
- Lastly, ALWAYS STAY VIGILANT. Close supervision is required when kids are in or near water (including bathtubs), at all times.
Drowning happens quickly and quietly, so adults watching kids in or near water should avoid distracting activities like playing cards, reading books, talking on the phone, and using alcohol or drugs.
Swimming Lessons + YMCA = Water Safety
Thousands of kids and families walk through the doors of a YMCA each year and we are determined to increase the number of children and families who know how to be safe around the water and lower drowning numbers.
By teaching swim lessons, getting drowning prevention information out into the community, and teaching parents and caregivers about Water Safety together with our community partners like Cook Children’s and the Fort Worth Drowning Prevention Coalition, we are making a difference.
- Be a part of the water safety movement and sign up for any Parent/Child swimming lesson, and get a Free bathtub kneeler.
- Sign up for any swim lessons in January, and an automatic 10% discount is applied to the cost of lessons.
Help us create a safer and more aware community – visit your local YMCA.
