Bath Time Safety: How to Keep Babies and Toddlers Safe in the Tub

The safest bath is one where an adult stays within arm's reach the entire time, with a hand on the baby. Get everything ready before the water runs. If something pulls you away, wrap your baby in a towel and take them with you.

That one rule matters more than any product you can buy. This guide shows how to make it easy to follow, every bath.

The one rule: stay within arm's reach

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Babies can drown in as little as 1 or 2 inches of water, silently and within seconds (opens in a new tab), because they don't yet have much neck and muscle control (AAP). There is no splash or cry to warn you.

That is why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends staying within arm's length and giving constant "touch supervision," whether it's bath time or swim time (opens in a new tab). Touch supervision means you are close enough to grab your child at any moment. With a baby, it means a hand on them.

The AAP says that in many cases, bathtub drownings happen during a lapse in adult supervision (opens in a new tab). Lapses are human. The goal is to plan the bath so you never need to step away.

Before you run the water

Set up first, so the bath itself has nothing to interrupt it. The AAP says to have a towel and other bath supplies within reach so you can keep a hand on your baby at all times (opens in a new tab).

• Towel, clean diaper and clothes laid out within reach.
• Soap, washcloth and cup on the tub edge.
• Phone on silent or in another room.
• Water checked so it isn't too hot (see below).
• Any older children busy with something else, or in the room with you.

Water temperature is a separate risk from drowning. The AAP says the hottest water at the faucet should be no more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit (opens in a new tab), because tap water that is too hot can burn quickly.

During the bath: phones, doorbells and handoffs

Most interruptions feel urgent and take "just a second." Decide now what you will do.

• The doorbell or a forgotten item. The AAP's advice is direct: if you forgot something or need to answer the door, bring your baby with you (opens in a new tab).
• The phone. Let it ring. CDC lists phone use among the distractions to avoid while you supervise closely and constantly when children are in or near water, including bathtubs (opens in a new tab).
• Handing off. If another adult takes over, say it out loud: "You've got the baby in the bath." Don't leave until they are at the tub with a hand on the baby.

Older siblings are not supervisors

Big brothers and sisters love to help, and they can. But they can't be in charge of the bath.

The AAP recommends that children not be allowed to bathe alone until they are at least 6 years old, and that another young sibling not supervise children under this age (opens in a new tab). Its infant page adds: never leave your baby in the care of another young child in or near water (opens in a new tab).

Give older children real jobs that keep you in place: handing you the towel, singing a bath song, or choosing the toy. If two children bathe together, the same rule applies to both: an adult within arm's reach.

Bath seats, bath rings and neck floats

Many parents ask whether a bath seat makes the tub safer. A seat can help you hold a slippery baby, but it is a bathing aid, not a safety device.

• Bath seats and rings can fail. The AAP warns that infant bath seats can tip over and children can slip out of them and drown in even a few inches of water (opens in a new tab). CPSC reports that some bathtub drowning deaths happened when children were in bath seats or rings (opens in a new tab).
• There is a federal standard. Infant bath seats sold in the U.S. must meet a mandatory CPSC rule. CPSC says it seeks to prevent deaths and injuries, particularly drowning, when a bath seat is used with an infant (opens in a new tab). A standard lowers the risk of a seat tipping or trapping a baby. It does not make it safe to step away.
• Register what you buy. CPSC requires durable infant products such as bath seats to come with a product registration card (opens in a new tab). Fill it in so the maker can reach you if there is a recall. Before using a hand-me-down seat, search CPSC's recall list (opens in a new tab).
• Neck floats are not safety devices. CPSC received reports of 115 incidents involving infant neck floats from January 2019 to January 2024, including two infant deaths (opens in a new tab), and it warns that drowning can happen quickly and silently even when a baby seems supported.

Whatever you use, the rule doesn't change. The AAP says arm's-reach supervision is important even if you are using a supportive infant tub or bath seat (opens in a new tab).

After the bath: drain it right away

Pull the plug before you lift your baby out, or as soon as they are wrapped in a towel. CPSC advises that all containers with liquids be emptied immediately after use (opens in a new tab), and a tub is the biggest one in the house.

Then close the bathroom. The AAP suggests safety latches or doorknob covers to keep bathrooms closed when they're not in use (opens in a new tab), and removing the drain plug when the tub isn't in use (opens in a new tab) so it can't fill if a child turns on the faucet. Toilets need a lid lock too. The room-by-room hazard checklist covers the rest of the bathroom.

What you can do today

1. Make a bath kit: a basket with towel, diaper, soap and clothes that sits by the tub.
2. Agree on one rule with everyone who bathes your child: hands on, phone away, take the baby if you leave.
3. Brief grandparents and sitters. Share water safety rules for babysitters.
4. Put a latch on the bathroom door and a lock on the toilet lid.
5. Learn more about supervision in how to supervise kids around water, and about this age in water safety for babies and crawlers.