Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) issues a stark reminder to parents and caregivers about the critical importance of never leaving a bathing baby unsupervised. 

The advice comes as the NHS has updated their guidance on washing and bathing your baby following recommendations made in The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) thematic paper Deaths of children and young people due to traumatic incidents, July 2023* which was co-authored by RLSS UK.

Key Findings from the NCMD Report:

The NCMD report reveals alarming statistics, indicating a marked increase in the number of child drownings across England. Notably, more than 8 in 10 accidental drownings of children under 18 occurred while they were unsupervised. The report underscores that children under 5 face the highest risk of drowning, with the bath being identified as the most common setting for these tragic incidents.

Factors Contributing to Unsupervised Drownings:

Several factors were identified as common precursors to unsupervised drownings. These included instances where caregivers left the room to attend to various tasks such as answering phone calls, fetching items like towels, miscommunications within groups of adults regarding supervision responsibilities, and attending to other siblings or young children. The report emphasises the need for heightened awareness and attentiveness to prevent these distressing accidents.

For more information on how to stay safe around the home, and reduce the risk of accidents, read our advice:

RLSS UK advice: Water Safety at Home

---

NHS advice: washing and bathing your baby

NCMD Report: Deaths of children and young people due to traumatic incidents

---

*There were 84 deaths of children and young people due to drowning between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2022 (3 years). There was evidence of an increase in drownings across the 3 years, increasing from 20 in 2019-20 to 37 in 2021-22. Source: NCMD thematic paper Deaths of children and young people due to traumatic incidents, July 2023.