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Water and Pool Safety Tips to help prevent young children from drowning:
- Never leave a baby alone in a bathtub for even a second. Always keep
the baby in arm's reach. Don't leave a baby in the care of another
young child. Never leave to answer the phone, answer the door, to get
a towel or for any other reason. If you must leave, take the baby with
you.
- A baby bath seat is not a substitute for supervision. A bath seat is
a bathing aid, not a safety device. Babies have slipped or climbed out
of bath seats and drowned.
- Never use a baby bath seat in a non-skid, slip-resistant bathtub
because the suction cups will not adhere to the bathtub surface or can
detach unexpectedly.
- Never leave a bucket containing even a small amount of liquid
unattended. When finished using a bucket, always empty it immediately.
- Store buckets where young children cannot reach them. Buckets,
accessible to children, that are left outside to collect rainwater are
a hazard.
- Always secure safety covers and barriers to prevent children from
gaining access to spas or hot tubs when not in use. Some non-rigid
covers, such as solar covers, can allow a small child to slip in the
water and the cover would appear to still be in place.
- Keep the toilet lid down to prevent access to the water and consider
using a toilet clip to stop young children from opening the lids.
Consider placing a latch on the bathroom door out of reach of young
children.
- Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) -- it can be a lifesaver
when seconds count.
Swimming Pools
Consumers with residential pools need to be aware of all the safety
tips regarding in-home hazards, and also be aware of how to protect young
children from the dangers a pool poses.
The key to preventing a swimming pool tragedy is to have layers of
protection. This includes placing barriers around your pool to prevent
access, using door and pool alarms, closely supervising your child and
being prepared in case of an emergency. CPSC offers these tips to prevent
pool drowning:
- Fences and walls should be at least 4 feet high and installed
completely around the pool. Fence gates should open outward from the
pool and should be self-closing and self- latching. The latch should
be out of a small child's reach.
- If your house forms one side of the barrier to the pool, then doors
leading from the house to the pool should be protected with alarms
that produce a sound when a door is unexpectedly opened.
- A power safety cover -- a motor-powered barrier that can be placed
over the water area -- can be used when the pool is not in use.
- Keep rescue equipment by the pool and be sure a phone is poolside
with emergency numbers posted.
- For above-ground pools, steps and ladders to the pool should be
secured and locked, or removed when the pool is not in use.
- If a child is missing, always look in the pool first. Seconds count
in preventing death or disability.
- Pool alarms can be used as an added precaution.
CPSC offers free publications consumers can use to help prevent child
drowning: "Safety Barrier Guidelines for Pools," "How to
Plan for the Unexpected," "Guidelines for Entrapment Hazards:
Making Pools and Spas Safer," and "Prevent Child In-Home
Drowning Deaths." Copies of these publications can be obtained here
on CPSC's website, or by writing to "Prevent Drowning," CPSC,
Washington, D.C., 20207.
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