How to Save with a Drowning Child

Lucy Piper: Babies and children just love playing with water, this can make bath time great fun and also rather wet, but just one minute is all it takes for that water to become potentially dangerous for your child. So how can we make your little water baby safe? Clive James from St. John Ambulance is now with mum Fiona to talk about the potential dangers of bath time. Fiona Case: So how deep the water need to be before it becomes a danger to my baby? Clive James: Unfortunately, not very deep at all. What you've got to remember is that if the child is face down in water, and it's about so deep, and it's going to prevent air getting in through the mouth and nose, so blocking the airway, so unfortunately it doesn't have to be very deep at all. Fiona Case: Okay. So if I've just got to know that he had water in his lungs, what would I do? Clive James: Well, let's take the worst case now, you find him laying face down in the bathroom, get them out, make sure that head is lower than the chest, so let the water drain as much as you can. Most of the water is in the stomach. So you really do need to make sure, it's all gone out the way the airway, so their airway is nice and clear. You then need to check to see if they are breathing, and as long as they are breathing, you can then treat this as an unconscious casualty, get them into recovery position, but unfortunately if they're not breathing, then you have to start the resuscitation process. Fiona Case: Okay. So that's in the bath, what if I'm outside, or if it's a river? Clive James: Yeah, outside is exactly the same, once you've got the child out, again keeping the head lower than body, then you still going to treat exactly the same way. What you've got to remember is, the water here is lovely and warm, hypothermia is not a problem. If this was a river or canal, we then got to make sure we treat them for hypothermia as well, however possible, not only treating them but also keeping them warm as well. Fiona Case: Okay. If I think he's alright and he's breathing and everything, do I still need to get in touch with the doctor or take him to hospital? Clive James: Definitely! Unfortunately, even small amounts of water, if they've been inhaled into the lungs, can cause a condition under secondary drowning, when you suspect that he has inhaled any water at all, make sure you get to hospital for checking, that's the most important. Fiona Case: Okay. Lucy Piper: With me now is Yvonne Dormer from St. John Ambulance. Let's run through those points Yvonne. So first of all, recovery. Yvonne Dormer: So having got the baby out of the water, carrying them with their head and chest low, getting them propped on to their side, this will help to keep the airway clear and help them to drain. Lucy Piper: Okay, how about resuscitation? Yvonne Dormer: They need to be on their back on a firm surface, open the airway by lifting the chin, checking whether or not they are breathing and then starting resuscitation. On a baby, you'll cover the mouth and nose together with your mouse. On a child of over one, you would need to pinch the nose close and then just cover the mouth and blow gently. Lucy Piper: And how about if the child is suffering from hypothermia? Yvonne Dormer: Again, you'll be able to tell that because they'll be cold to touch on their body, get them dry, wrap them in blankets, but don't warm them up too quickly. Warm blankets and get them to hospital. Lucy Piper: Thank you very much Yvonne. So to sum up, carry your child's head and chest low, this will help with drainage. If they are breathing, prop them on their side and keep this airways clear. If not, start resuscitation and call an ambulance immediately. If they are cold to touch, wrap them in blankets and take them to hospital.