So at another blog I posted this tub...
The
Spa Baby Eco, shown above is actually a very cool tub option for babies. Not only is this tub made from 100% recycled plastic, but it's free of BPA, phthalates, PVC, and lead plus can be recycled when you're done with it. Another benefit is that the Spa Baby Eco mimics the womb environment, hence making bath time soothing for your baby. However, the real reason I bring this up is because one reader asked, "
How is this tub drown-proof?" which was odd since no one said it was drown-proof, to which another reader said, "
Why wouldn't you be with your baby at all times; I'd think that would be the drown-proof part." That's 100% true. A tub like this is different than a long tub for sure, but know this, no matter what a baby bathtub may look like, no matter how safe it's made, there is NO such thing as a drown-proof baby bathtub. There is such a thing as a drown-proof baby though. A drown-proof baby has parents who are with her 100% of the time when she's around water. And by with I mean alert. Not on the phone. Not watching your older kids swim. Not reading a book. Kids and water are a deadly combination and with summer coming up fast and swimming pools in your future, it's a good time to restate this fact.
Facts about baby drowning:
- Babies can drown quickly, silently and in just a couple of inches of water. This means there is no drown-proof tub.
- The CPSC estimates that about 300 children under the age of 5 years drown each year in home swimming pools. Many more children are hospitalized with injuries sustained from near drowning experiences.
- Most children drown while being supervised. Or I should say while parents assume they're supervising. Simply being near your child when he's near or in the water is not enough. Being completely alert and on top of the situation is important.
- Bathtub seats for babies are not parent substitutes. A bathtub seat offers ZERO drowning protection.
If you see a baby tub and think this one looks safer than another, you may be right on some level. However, all tubs that hold water pose a very real drowning risk for your baby and that's what you need to focus on preventing.
