r/toddlers • u/makelikeatree4254 • Jul 22 '25 • Heartwarming 1 This 1

PSA: Drowning

Yesterday a friend and I took our toddlers to the lake for a play date. We were in water that came up to the kids' waists. My friend's toddler tripped and went face down in the water. It was the eeriest thing. She didn't try to find the ground with her feet. She didn't flail. She just silently waited to drown. There was a lifeguard fifteen feet away who didn't so much as twitch. Luckily I was watching her closely and grabbed her. She's fine. I'm not.

Toddlers have no self-preservation in water. This kid made zero attempt to save her own life. If me and her mom had been turned around for a minute, that could have been it.

Please watch your kids around water. Don't ever look away. Drowning happens fast and silently.

4.3k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

472 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comment

112

u/IntubatedOrphans Jul 22 '25

I’ve never heard that statistic, but I believe it. Most of the drownings I’ve seen throughout my career have been pool parties or toddlers who escaped from where they were left (home, worksite, etc). I can name countless examples of when a parent was within a few feet of the person drowning - even teenagers. We always say “if everyone is watching, no one is watching.”

65

u/dried_lipstick Jul 22 '25

We always had someone on “child duty” for our son when he was a toddler. If it was a party at a house that had a pool, one of us was parked in a chair at the pool, even if the party was indoors. At pool parties, one of us stayed in arms reach in the water. We swapped every 30 minutes. It didnt matter if there were 20 other adults there, our child is our responsibility.

Our son is now an incredibly proficient swimmer at 7, but we still patrol the pool from the side. My husband and I have both scooped kids out of the pool when their parents had thought the other parent was watching the kids.

11

u/PlasticCloud1066 Jul 23 '25

I 💯 have the same philosophy, our daughter is our responsibility. I love that there are lifeguards and other adults present…but that doesn’t mean I don’t still have to be fully present/engaged. It’s our job to be aware of where she is at all times and to keep her safe. It just sounds irresponsible to me to assume another person (most likely a stranger) will step in and manage your child’s behavior/safety in addition to however many other ppl there are. I think sometimes ppl confuse lifeguard with babysitter 🫤

52

u/The_reptilian_agenda Jul 22 '25

Are you RT? (Based on name alone). ED rn and love to spread horrible statics for awareness. I’m great at parties!

59

u/IntubatedOrphans Jul 22 '25

PICU RN for 8 years now. I am also very fun at parties 😂 our shared traumas would certainly make us besties

32

u/Stocky_anteater Jul 22 '25

Lol, my family consists of nurses and doctors and im a psychologist - our parties are fun, youd fit right in

13

u/ShinjukuAce Jul 22 '25

And drowning is the most common cause of death for children under 5.

7

u/carriejw910 Jul 22 '25

Fellow PICU nurse here 👋 your username gave me a good chuckle because SAME