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Mum of two, Karen Alpert, aka Baby Sideburns shares a terrifying warning all parents MUST read!

“Something pretty scary happened in our house last night. But maybe it’s good that it happened. It was a wakeup call, and you should definitely read this because I wouldn’t want this to happen to you. Or to anyone. Please make sure your friends see this too because we are a village, and this is a good reminder for all parents.”

THIS is why you have to be sooo careful around water

Oh my God. Not OMG. This story is way too serious for abbreviations. So yesterday after school and baseball, Holden came home smelling all stinky, so after dinner I told him to go upstairs and get ready for a bath.

HOLDEN: I’m tired.

ME: We’ll do it quickly. I’ll help you.

There was no way I was gonna let him get into bed smelling like THAT. So he undressed and I ran the bath and he climbed in. Basically what we do every night. And while the bath was filling up, I went to my bathroom to quickly pee. I mean he’s seven, not a toddler. I would never have left him back then. Not even for a second.

And while I was in my bathroom, I got distracted or something, so by the time I got back to him, the tub was way above its usual level and he was lying in it looking so peaceful. I picked up my phone and snapped this picture.

Awwww, so sweet.
But it wasn’t sweet. And here’s why.

ME: Holden, let’s do your hair.
HOLDEN:
ME: Holden, get up so we can do your hair.
HOLDEN:
ME: Holden!!
So I touched him this time.
ME: HOLDEN!!

And I put my hand behind his back and lifted him. He sat up and opened his eyes, the way a groggy kid does when he’s been sleeping.
ME: Were you sleeping, buddy?

HOLDEN: So tired.

Like I said, oh my God. I mean I assume he would have woken up if his head had gone under, but I wouldn’t want to take that chance.

ME: Holden, if you ever feel tired like that in the bath, I want you to do something.
HOLDEN: What?
ME: Get out. Don’t wash yourself. Just get out.
HOLDEN: Alright.
ME: Being safe is way more important than being clean, okay?

Don’t get me wrong. He just turned seven. He’s old enough to take a bath on his own. At least I think he is. Is he?

I mean yeah I still gotta hound him about washing his tush and his armpits, and he always wants ME to wash his hair because God forbid he has to do something on his own, but I have to remember he’s still young. Not a baby or a toddler, but still a child.

I need to be better about checking on him when he’s in there. Because water is water is water. And whether it’s a pool or a lake or a pond or a river or just an ugly green bathtub, bad things can happen in water if we’re not careful.

And I don’t want to think about that. But last night I got a very fortunate reminder.”

Her post has been shared over 550 times and received over 2,500 reactions.

Parents are thanking Karen for sharing her story and agree it is a message we all need to hear!

This post originally appeared on Baby Sideburns

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  • I remember when I was a child and we had been on a 3 day school camp. One of the boys told me the next week that when he had arrived home on the Friday night he was so tired that he had dinner and then had fallen asleep in the bath and his mother had come in and found him. We were aged 10years

    Reply

  • Good warning to other parents and carers.

    Reply

  • Sheesh, must’ve been really tired. Good to read this article, thanks

    Reply

  • You think that once they get to school age they can have a bath and be okay. Thanks for sharing this with us Karen. Just so glad everything turned out okay and he is safe thanks to you.

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  • Wow, that is scary. Good to be reminded not to leave any child alone near any water.

    Reply

  • Always a good reminder. Children in water… always be vigilant.

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  • Wow, very scary!

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  • Really scary stuff and very relevant to me. Miss 8 does 9 hours of gymnastics a week and rarely stops moving in between. She loves a good soak in the bath. It’s crossed my mind this could happen and obviously I check on her but after reading this, i will be checking much more often

    Reply

  • Safety around water is absolutely paramount.

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  • I used to fall asleep a lot in the bath. Many times i woke with water at top lip
    Scary thought really

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  • Being tired and having a bath is not a good for any age group. A quick shower is a much better idea.

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  • It’s so easy to fall asleep in a nice warm bath. Next time quickly put them in the shower to quickly wash

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  • I regularly sing out “tra la la” when my kids are in the bath, and they have to sing back.

    Reply

  • U can never be too careful around water


    • Absolutely! Water needs to be respected and care should always be taken!

    Reply

  • All children do need some one to keep an eye on them. Tired people are dangerous and leaving your them alone in places like that can be dangerous. Please keep an eye on your children and elderly even if they think it is to much.

    Reply

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