As parents we try to do our best by our kids, taking every precaution to keep them safe. Unfortunately, safety devices can lull us into a false sense of security. Even if you feel you have totally childproofed your house, you can’t take your eyes off your kids, especially around water. One mom’s nightmare is a warning to the rest of us to always watch our children in the bath.
Joanne Pedlow’s two children were taking a bath together. She had a two-year-old daughter and a seven-month-old son, Alex. Alex was in a baby bath seat, allowing him to splash safely.
The seat was attached to the floor of the bath with suction cups, and the water barely reached his bellybutton. Joanne thought she was doing everything right.
She left the room to go to the kitchen for a moment, and then stopped to answer a knock at the door when her daughter started screaming.
Little Alex was face down in the water. “He was quite a big child and was quite heavy, I think he had leaned forward and toppled over,” the grief stricken mother said.
Emergency workers soon arrived, but Alex died at the hospital four days later.
Obviously, his mother shouldn’t have left the bathroom, but as parents we all have times we sneaked an extra task in when we shouldn’t have.
This poor mother had every parent’s worst nightmare come true.
The medical examiner wanted to get the word out about child safety, saying, “This has highlighted the important issue for parents about the dangers posed when a child is left unsupervised for a short period of time and even in the shallowest of water. Hopefully this message will serve to spare the agony this family has had to endure.”
We get the message loud and clear.
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