The Role of Bathtub Seats and Rings in Infant Drowning Deaths

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective. To describe deaths due to drowning that involve the use of an infant bathtub seat or ring.Design. Case series, cases reported to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission data systems.Setting. United States, 1983-1995. Main Outcome Measures. Death in which an infant bathtub seat or ring was in use at the time of death and the primary cause of death was drowning.Results. Thirty-two drowning deaths involving bath seats/rings were identified and investigated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission over a 13-year period. The majority of deaths (84%) occurred from 1991-1995, with more than 50% occurring in the 2 most recent years. The victims' ages at the time of the incident ranged from 5 to 15 months with a mean and median age of 8 months. In more than 90% of incidents there was a reported lapse in adult supervision, with a mean reported lapse of 6 minutes and a median lapse of 4 minutes. Focus groups with parents found that while making bathing somewhat easier, bath seats/rings are useful for a relatively short time period, as the child rapidly outgrows the product. They also suggested that care givers are more likely to leave a child unattended in the tub if one of these products is in use.Conclusion. Bath seats/rings are associated with an increasing number of reported infant drowning deaths. The use of such products may increase the risk of drowning among infants by increasing the likelihood that an infant will be left alone in the tub. However, in the absence of exposure data in a suitable comparison group it is difficult to assess the overall risk inherent in their use. Educational efforts reinforcing the need for continuous adult supervision of infants and children around all bodies of water should now also include a reminder that bath seats/rings are not safety items and are not a substitute for adult supervision. Infants and toddlers should never be left in the bathtub unsupervised, even for brief moments. Pediatrics 1997;100(4). URL: http://www. pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/100/4/e1; drowning, submersion, infant, bathtub.ABBREVIATIONS. US, United States; CPSC, Consumer Product Safety Commission; CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation. D rowning is the third leading cause of unintentional-injury death among children in the United States. 1 Young children under the age of 5 are at particularly increased risk of drowning, with drowning rates peaking among children ages 1 to 2 years. [2][3][4][5] Since the 1970s drowning rates have decreased markedly in most age groups with the exception of toddlers, where rates have remained fairly stable, and infants, where rates may have actually increased. 5 For the 12-year period from 1983-1994, 1219 infants drowned (2.60/100 000 infants), of which 1036 (85%) were coded as unintentional intent. 6 In contrast to toddlers, who are likely to drown in residential swimming pools, 3,7-9 more than 50% of unintentional infant drowning deaths occur in the bathtub. 6 As part of our ongoing investigation of infant and toddler drownings, we became aware of a nu...

Prevention of Drowning

“…18,19 The association of unsupervised bathtub drowning deaths with the use of bathtub seats and rings was recognized more than a decade ago. 20 Three hazard scenarios have been noted: (1) seat tipping over from suction cup failure; (2) child becoming entrapped in leg openings that are too big; and (3) child climbing out of the seat. 21 In response to reports of at least 27 deaths and 29 nonfatal incidents with bath seats from 2003 to 2005, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has released warnings about these products but has not banned them from the market.…”

Parental survey of beliefs and practices about bathing and water safety and their children: Guidance for drowning prevention

“…Numerous studies have cited inadequate supervision as an important risk factor for pediatric submersion injury (Budnick and Ross, 1985;Quan et al, 1989;Warneke and Cooper, 1994;Lavelle et al, 1995;Rauchschwalbe et al, 1997;Byard et al, 2001;Sweet, 2002;Thompson, 2003). A study by Simon et al (2003) on the supervision of children while bathing found 31% of survey participants reported leaving their child unsupervised for some period of time while in the bathtub.…”

Trends in US Pediatric Drowning Hospitalizations, 1993–2008

“…In addition, a focus on the drowning risks associated with infant bathtub seats may also have contributed to the observed reduction. 15 Hospitalizations due to "other" drowning circumstances also decreased for most age groups. However, the lack of detail in the external cause of injury codes within the ICD-9-CM severely limits our ability to monitor and track progress by specific drowning circumstances.…”