To think that kids be left in the bath...

[Flashbangandgone]

... While I go to another room upstairs from the age of 4?

I found an interesting statistic, children aged 5-19 are less likely to drown in the bath than adults aged 20-84.

www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db149.htm

As far as I can tell from the graph, it looks like the frequency of drowning in the bath for 5-19 years is of the order of 1 in a million. (US statistics.)

I used to potter about upstairs, listening and checking in every time I went past the door (which was often).

We've got the locks that can be opened from the outside and there is a coin on top of the door frame to use to unlock them.

I've read of cases where older children have just frozen with shock when something has happened to a younger sibling, one was an incident where the younger child's clothes set on fire and another was a bath drowning.
So I would never rely on an older child being able to call you if their sibling slips/goes under.

Soup thanks for the tip. We have those locks too, and I usually use my house keys if I want to open them from outside (thankfully has never happened in an emergency situation, more like the four year old thought it was hilarious to go into the room and lock it behind him and then start calling out 'ha ha, you can't catch me now' etc) . Keeping a coin on top of the door frame hadn't occurred to me.

We didn't have a lock at all on the bathroom door for years - we aren't very private anyway so not worried about even closing the door. For visitors if it was closed it was occupied but it made them feel uncomfortable so we now have one you can open from the outside.
But actually my reason for no lock was nothing to do with drowning - more my siblings and I used to lock ourselves in the bathroom when we were falling out - often to taunt the one locked out (I've got your book - I'm going to flush it down the loo etc) - the lock got broken a few times, my brother did break the actual door once banging on it, my mother would have to persuade us to come out etc - and we came close to getting smashed in the face by a slamming door /trapping fingers countless times - I just thought that is one less source of potential disagreement ...
(My Dcs did start messing with it - a down side of those locks is that if you hold it closed from inside you can't open them with a coin etc from outside - so I told them if I unscrew it from outside it will open -which I don't think it will ...but as long as they think it does...)

I don't like going to houses where they don't have a lock on the bathroom door.

DH's parents didn't have one and it was horrible. The first time I stayed there it was stressful worrying about walking in on them or them me. The door was always shut whatever.

In no way. My kids are 3 and (almost) 5, and I wouldn't leave the room for a second. They stand up, they play, they splash about... on their own they could easily slip.

A colleague drowned in the bath. She was 29.

I have a downstairs bathroom, so was happy to leave them while I pottered in the next room from about the age of four.

My mother never allowed anyone in the family to lock the bathroom door while in the bath as she had known someone (an adult) who fainted and drowned in the bath. She encouraged the use of showers once a proper one had been installed, as do I.

I believe that people are more susceptible to fainting in the bath due to the hot water lowering your blood pressure. It was a factor in the death of Whitney Houston (although she was also on drugs, it was the sudden drop in blood pressure that caused her to pass out as she got in the bath, hitting her head. She died of drowning.)

you can't actually 'properly' lock our bathroom door - well, you can, there's a lock on it - sort of. It also opens 'outwards' in the event of an emergency - you kinda have to push a button, because is someone falls behind the door you wouldn't be able to open the door inwards iyswim?

Claire re your story.

Clearly, even adult good swimmers can drown in the bath in freak accidents.

My eldest is 11 and wont get in / stay in the bath/shower unless someone is pottering in the room (major soap dodger). For his privacy I turn my back at all times, so I use the time to clean the sink and loo, and empty bin, tidy shelves etc and don't turn around until child safely towelled up :)
My younger one is 8 and still likes someone in to chat (stream of consciousness) to.

Under around 8 I think you need to be in the room. 8-14 (or so) I think you need to be calling out frequently and doing jobs nearby. 14+ I'd still want some vocal check ins during the process.

And everyone to use a nonslip mat, ALL the time. My dd hates them but I will ensure she uses them again. Thanks for timely reminder.

I like the locks that SoWhite shows.

I potter about on the landing while DD (3) is in the bath. She's an extremely noisy bather and if she goes quiet for a second I poke my head out to see what she's doing if I can't see her already (usually drinking the bathwater, TBH). Our hallway and upstairs landing is extremely small, I'm no further away from her than I would be if I was bathing her in my DM's bathroom and sat on the loo there - the room is about 5mx5m.

Under around 8 I think you need to be in the room. 8-14 (or so) I think you need to be calling out frequently and doing jobs nearby. 14+ I'd still want some vocal check ins during the process.

I think from above school age the risk is similar whether they are 5 or 50.... The risk being they either have a seizure and go unconscious or they slip on the way in or out... I don't think it's a maturity thing.

Reading some comments on here is enough to

Ps the Brisbane article was helpful... All the children mentioned there were under 4, they recommended over 5 before leaving unattended for any period.

I think there's a world of difference between popping out to get a towel for a few seconds reliable 4 year old, and going downstairs and sitting in front of TV for 30 mins while they get on with it. Surprised at the posters who wouldn't leave their school age kids 'even for a second'... Seems unnecessarily overbearing to me.

Sorry, missed out half of my first sentence... Reading some comments on here is enough to think baths should banned for being a danger!

Well 'school age' is anything between 4 and 16, so that's quite a difference there!
I don't consider myself unnecessarily overbearing. I've slipped in the bath/shower myself - it's easy enough to do, so I won't be leaving them to it any time soon.

Dds go upstairs and bath themselves age 10 and 11.
They don't lock the door, just push it to, but I don't check on them at all.
Saying that, they mainly shower now anyway.
Surprised at people not trusting an 8 year alone in the bath. Obviously water can be fatal, but where do you draw the line?

No-one locks the bathroom door here. Door shut = bathroom in use. Any visitors who feel uncomfortable with that can use the downstairs loo.

The teenagers shower rather than bath now and the 8 year old sings in the bathroom. Even when just handwashing. It's quite handy as you can get on with things whilst knowing he's fine. If the toddler is in the bath I don't leave for a second - toddler has no sense of danger at all and can't be relied upon to not climb/turn on taps etc.

I would never leave a littlie in the bath while I went to get something, especially on stairs. I'd be more worried about falling on the steps and leaving them unattended in the bath for a long time. I don't understand putting them in the bath then going to organise the bits and bobs.

cautionary tale

My mother is a doctor. A real one. Like the kind that does surgery and prescribes medicine and shouts things like '20 mls of kdjf fjw cc stat'

She used to think that at the age of 3 and up when her kids (us) were reliably vocal enough to scream in case of danger she could get away with doing other stuff while we were in the bath.

My two sisters, one was 3 at the time and the other was 4 and were left in the tub (water had been turned off, but the tub was halfway full). 3 yr old sister got out of tub to look for a toy she wanted in the bath with her; while the 4 year old waited. It got quiet, and my mom got a little worried, she came back to the bathroom and couldn't see either girl in the tub. Found the 3 yr old coming back and they both went back to the tub. The 4 yr old sister was under the water.

My 4 year old sister had had a seizure and went under water for a bit. My mother was able to give CPR and the ambulance was called. Both sisters are fine now, but my mother has never recovered.

My sister had never had a seizure before, and hasn't had one after.

I also know someone who slipped in the bath, hit their head and died. I make sure my children remain sitting down so I supervise closely. It's the risk of slipping that is my main concern rather than drowning.

Reading some comments on here is enough to think baths should banned for being a danger!

But baths are dangerous OP that's the point! Any volume of water is enough to drown in any child can slip, a child can stop breathing in 30 seconds. Then what if your child turns on the hit tap and scolds them self or pulls the shower curtain down and knocks themaelves out?!

No it's not about banning them that is ridiclous it's about being water aware! Cara are dangerous should we ban them?! Would you allow your four year old to cross q road while you potter?!