Home Water Hazards for Young Children

Each year many young children drown in swimming pools, other bodies of water, and standing water around the home:

• Bathtubs, even with baby bathtub “supporting ring” devices
• Buckets and pails, especially 5-gallon buckets and diaper pails
• Ice chests with melted ice
• Toilets
• Hot tubs, spas, and whirlpools
• Irrigation ditches, post holes, and wells
• Fish ponds, fountains

Children must be watched by an adult at all times when in or near water. Children may drown in an inch or 2 of water. Stay within an arm’s length of your child.

Other safety activities include the following:

• Empty all buckets, pails, and bathtubs completely after each use — do not leave them filled and unattended.
• Keep young children out of the bathroom unless they are closely watched.
• Teach others in the home to keep the bathroom door closed. Install a hook-and-eye latch or doorknob cover on the outside of the door.
• Never leave a child alone in a bathtub or in the care of another child, even for a moment.
• Use a rigid, lockable cover on a hot tub, spa, or whirlpool, or fence in all 4 sides as you would for a swimming pool.
• Set your water heater thermostat so that the hottest temperature at the faucet is 120°F to avoid burns.
• Throw away or tightly cover water or chemical mixtures after use.
• Watch children closely when they are playing near wells, open post holes, or irrigation or drainage ditches.
• Fill in empty holes or have fences installed to protect your child.
• Learn CPR and know how to get emergency help.