Now that Fall is officially here, and temperatures are falling throughout the nation, even to the point that some of our good Northern Friends are getting snowed on (ugh), summer time for many people has moved indoors.

No, I'm not talking about actual summer time. I'm talking about where the younger generation has to spend some extra time -- indoors! That means the pools, spas, water slides, and sprinklers are out, but that doesn't mean that drowning dangers are out.

Children drowning in bathtubs is the second leading cause of drowning deaths behind pools and spas. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports an annual average of ninety children younger than five years of age drowning in bathtubs, baby seats and bathinettes, buckets and pails, and landscaping or yard products. There is an annual average of another forty non-fatal water accidents.

Most of the accidents involved a lapse in supervision, such as leaving the bathroom while the child was in the bathtub to answer the phone or door, or to retrieve a towel. In other incidents, an older child was left to watch a younger child.

Wherever there is water, there is a potential of a child drowning. Don't let your guard down, and that applies to any adult in the area. Don't depend on other adults even if the child is not yours. As someone famous once said, "It takes a village to raise a child." That village can't raise the child if the village doesn't look after the child to begin with.

Here are some safety tips when children are around bathtubs, bath seats, buckets, spas, or decorative ponds, or fountains:

1. Never leave young children alone, even for a moment, near any water. Young children can drown quickly in even small amounts of water.
2. Always keep a young child within arm's reach in a bathtub. If you must leave, take the child with you.
3. Don't leave a baby or toddler in a bathtub under the care of another child.
4. Never leave a bucket containing even a small amount of liquid unattended. Toddlers can fall headfirst into buckets and drown. After using a bucket, always empty and store it where young children cannot reach it. Don't leave buckets outside where they can collect rainwater.
5. Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). It can be a lifesaver when seconds count.

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Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission