Ontario coroner calls for ban on baby bath seats to prevent drownings

From Yahoo News

 

Ontario's deputy chief coroner called Tuesday for a Canada-wide ban on baby bath seats and bath rings following a report from his office that found the items contributed to a significant number of infant bathtub drownings.

 

The report, released Monday, found there were 50 cases of accidental bathtub drownings between 1986 and 2004, and five of those cases were directly related to the use of infant bath seats.

 

Deputy Chief Coroner Dr. Jim Cairns said infant bath seats often give parents a false sense of security that the baby will be OK alone in the bathtub.

 

"What happens in a typical case is that phone goes, the mom goes to get the phone ... she comes back, and the baby's drowned," Cairns said.

 

"So it is our recommendation that these be banned."

 

Infant bath seats and bath rings are used to hold babies in a sitting position in the bathtub. Most of the products have suction cups which hold the seat or ring in place on the bottom of the tub.

 

A Health Canada consumer product safety website states that babies using bath seats or rings have drowned when the suction cups came loose, causing the seat to tip over.

 

In other instances, a baby slipped out through the leg opening of the seat or the baby tried to climb out of the seat.

 

Cairns said Health Canada is considering legislation to either ban or severely restrict the use of infant bathing rings and seats.

 

"They want to get information from different medical coroners' offices about if they are seeing it (drownings), or is it just a concern that they might be," Cairns said.

 

"Unfortunately ... we are seeing it."

 

Cairns said in the event a ban isn't approved, he hopes the report will help heighten public awareness of the issue.

 

"By pointing out to the public our concerns, that may well make people think twice and realize they can't leave the child, period."