Dry Drowning

[Dooglebuggler]

I should start by saying I’m very anxious as a person and don’t at all trust my own reactions.
Tonight when bathing my almost 2 year old and 5 year old my 5 year old decided to blow bubbles like he had learnt in swimming class. My 2 year old decided to copy. He swallowed some of the water and had a short coughing/ spluttering fit. He seemed fine straight away after and still seems fine now at bedtime. Do I need to worry about dry drowning at all? Should I keep him up later to keep an eye?

Symptoms requiring medical attention in children or adults after water inhalation: immediate or delayed: difficulty breathing, fast heartbeat, confusion or altered mental state, low body temperature, or fever.

But I wouldn't worry about what you describe.

I wouldn’t even give it a second thought.

No, in a word. That stuff happens to all kids. A child being fine after inhaling water and then suddenly dying hours later from "dry drowning" is not a thing that happens. They drown there and then. Very rarely, inhaling water causes a condition called pneumonitis. It will be very obvious to you if your child gets this. Which they almost certainly won't because it's very rare.

www.kidnurse.org/dry-drowning/

Let him go to bed.

I had never heard of this and I have 4 dc .

Have you been watching The Affair? I think it's very rare, don't worry given those circumstances.

The Affair got me worried about this so I looked into it. It is incredibly rare (and some argue that it doesn't exist) - it was just a useful plot device.

I think dry drowning is one of these things designed to panic anxious people. I’ve been through it. But really....does it happen to anyone.....

It happened to someone I went to school with, but she had fallen into a river and died some hours later. It was reported in the local press as 'dry drowning'.

I wouldn't be worried about a bit of spluttering in the bath.

...I meant to say, secondary drowning would be the correct term I think.

No. It’s incredibly rare anyway

There is no such thing as "dry drowning"
<a class="break-all" href="https://www.kidnurse.org/dry-drowning/www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180606163050.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.kidnurse.org/dry-drowning/www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180606163050.htm

Thank you. You have all managed to calm me down. DS then made a spluttery/ burpy noise when I put him in his cot, and now he’s asleep I’m panicking about how I would know if something was wrong when he’s sleeping. Might have to check on his breathing every hour or so. I know that sounds crazy

My daughter has an unsafe swallow so aspiration (fluid going into the lungs) is something we were told about, especially when we were learning to feed her with an Ng tube.

Firstly, we were told that aspirating clean water is usually not something to worry about. It's not as if the inside of the lungs is dry, and only a tiny amount - if any - would get in, in the sort of situation you describe.

We were told that aspirating her feed would be more of a problem because this would provide a medium for bacteria to grow in. However even if this happened, we'd be looking for symptoms of a chest infection, which would be treated with antibiotics. NOT sudden death in the night after it happened.

In her ten years of life she has had a chest infection we believe to be caused by aspirating feed once - and it was a manageable chest infection, not pneumonia.

She splutters in the bath or pool like other children, she is at much higher risk of aspirating fluid than other children and we have only had a problem once.

You really don't need to worry about a bit of a dunk in the bath!

(The article posted above is really good.)

Thank you for sharing that freezerbird I’ve read your post a few times for reassurance. I hope your daughter is doing well now.