My annual water PSA...

[UptownZoo]

Hi all, I try to do this every year, though I think I haven't done it in 2 years or maybe more.

Years ago, a close friend's daughter had heart surgery. While spending dozens of hours in the PICU, I got to know the mom of the baby in the next bed. He was 14 months old and was playing at being the dog, on hands and knees drinking from the dog's water dish. His hands slipped on the wet floor and he fell flat on his belly, face in the water. He couldn't get his face out of the water because of the slippery floor and he nearly drowned. My friend's little girl was in the PICU for 8 days and when she left, the baby was still sedated and intubated (and he'd already been there 2 days before she checked in). I don't know if he survived, or what level of brain damage he suffered.

So the PSA is this: ANY amount of water is dangerous to a tiny child. The toilet, the mop bucket, the pet watering dish, puddles indoors or out, ANY water is a potential drowning risk.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled carseat concerns.