Mom Concerned After Nanny Leaves Her Toddler In The Bathtub Unattended
It takes less than 30 seconds for a child to drown.
busypix from Getty Images Signature | Canvas Pro A mother admitted that she was feeling annoyed and even terrified after her nanny stepped out of the bathroom while she was bathing her toddler.
Now, the mother cannot help but imagine all of the horrifying scenarios that could have unfolded had she not walked into the bathroom when she did, and other parents cannot, either.
The mom discovered that her nanny had left her toddler son in the bathtub while she went to get his pajamas.
While expressing her concerns on the subreddit r/toddlers, the mother revealed that her nanny normally bathes her 2-year-old son before bed, and she and her husband read him a story before tucking him in.
One evening, the mother decided to surprise her son during bath time and entered the bathroom. While the little boy was in the tub, the nanny was nowhere in sight.
The mother eventually discovered the nanny in the little boy’s bedroom organizing his clothes and grabbing a pair of pajamas to put on him once he was out of the bath.
“I can’t stop imagining a scenario like him jumping and hitting his head and drowning silently while the nanny is a few feet away,” the mother wrote.
She also couldn't help but feel annoyed that her son’s nanny left him unattended in the water, even though she was just a room away.
“I should’ve said something at the moment, but I wanted to do bath time with my kid, and now I don’t know if I’m overreacting,” the mom admitted.
Most people agreed with the mother that her toddler never should have been left alone in the tub, noting all of the dangerous possibilities that could have unfolded.
“Drownings are apparently VERY quick. Even being in an adjacent room is too far. When our son is in the water, we are always with him,” one Redditor commented. “My wife is an ER doctor. She is chill about most injuries and dangerous activities. The one thing she is not chill about is water of any kind. She made it clear that any time our son is in water, we have to be with him.”
“It takes 30 seconds for a 30-pound child to drown. As a former head lifeguard and certified swim instructor, I don’t play with my kids' safety when it comes to water,” another user shared.
According to the CDC, these commenters and this mom have justifiable cause for their bathtub vigilance. In the U.S., drowning is the leading cause of accidental death among children. Infants under 1 are at highest risk, but it's important to be attentive up until at least age five.
However, others believed that the mother was overreacting, given that the nanny was only a few feet away in another room.
“At 2, I think it's fine to step away for a minute or two, especially in an adjacent room,” one user wrote.
“I honestly wouldn’t consider that unattended for a 2-year-old. If she was reading a book or left the floor or something, that would be different, but walking into the room that the bathroom is connected to for 60 seconds to lay out his pajamas? I do that all the time,” another user commented.
And while it may have seemed to many that she was overreacting, the hard facts prove otherwise. Children can drown in only two inches of water and in just 20 seconds.
Others encouraged the mother to take over bath time moving forward if she was uncomfortable with the nanny’s actions.
While some parents may believe that leaving their toddler unattended in the bathtub for only a few moments can do no harm, they do not realize just how dangerous the water can be for young children.
“A child can drown in a matter of minutes," CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) spokeswoman Ellyn Pollack told Today.
“It happens quickly and silently. A baby can slip under the water without crying or screaming or splashing around.”
Toddlers are prone to falls and slips, and while you step out of the room to grab a towel or their clothes, they can easily stand up in the tub, slip, and fall face-first into the water no matter how deep it is.
While some pediatricians and experts believe that 6 years old is an appropriate age to leave children unsupervised in the tub for a few minutes, others argue that there is no definite age, and it all depends on how familiar parents and children are with water safety.
“There is no official recommendation and no real upper limit because kids develop at different rates,” Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Child Injury Prevention Alliance, reported to Today.
“Their independence and ability to handle situations varies greatly, so there is no clear answer.”
Bathtubs can be just as deadly as pools.
When getting your young children ready for bath time, it is best to ensure that you have everything they need — towels, soap, bath toys, and a fresh pair of clothes — before placing them in the tub so you won’t have to step out of the room for anything.
However, if you must step out, many parents urge others to advise their children to keep making noise in the tub, with some even turning it into a game, so that they can hear that they are safe and sound even when their eyes are off of them.
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Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.