Jacuzzis are tubs of hot water with jets. Adults often sit in jacuzzis to unwind after a long day of work. Hot water moving in the jacuzzi massages and relaxes your muscles and also entices children, who see you enjoying the hot tub and often want to join you. Jacuzzis can be an enjoyable experience for children, but they can also be dangerous. Set and follow these rules for jacuzzi use with kids.
Adult Supervision
Just as you would never allow children to swim unattended, make sure an adult is supervising children who are using a jacuzzi at all times. Even though jacuzzis are generally not as deep as most pools, they still pose the danger of drowning. A 26-year-long survey of drownings in young children was conducted by the Department of Epidemiology at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Public Health. This review found that 6 percent of all drownings in children younger than 2 years old occurred in hot tubs, whirlpools and spas. For children older than 2, this same review indicated that drowning was still the third-largest cause of injury death. Make sure children understand the jacuzzi can be a dangerous place that they should never go in without an adult.
No Playing
Explain to your children that a hot tub is not used in the same way as a swimming pool, as children often associate the two. Tell children they can only be in the hot tub if they can sit and relax like you and the other adults. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been keeping track of the number of times people's hair has become sucked into and entangled in the suction fittings of hot tubs. They report that some drowning incidents occurred when children were playing a game to see who could hold their breaths the longest underwater. Don't allow games in your jacuzzi to avoid this extra risk
Lower Temperature
Drowning is not the only risk jacuzzis pose for children. The hot temperature of jacuzzis---usually around 102 degrees F, according to Hot Tubs and Home Spas- feels good to healthy adults, whose bodies have a good ability to regulate temperature during a short soak. Children's bodies, however have not fully developed this ability and are more sensitive than adults to extreme temperatures. It's a good idea to turn the temperature down a couple of degrees when you allow children in the jacuzzi with you, so they don't overheat. Symptoms of overheating include dehydration, dizziness and confusion.
It is especially important to make sure your child's brain does not overheat, because it is the most important part of the body to protect. Make sure children are tall enough to sit and stand in the jacuzzi by themselves without submerging their heads at all.
Ten Minute Max
Keep hot tub times for children brief, MayoClinic.com recommends. Because children will be more affected by the heat than you will be, you should set a certain amount of time they are allowed to stay in, and not rely on how you are feeling. Hot Tubs and Home Spas states that children should never be in a jacuzzi for longer than 10-minute periods. Make note of what time you kids get in, and make sure they get out after no more than 10 minutes so they can cool themselves off.
References
- "American Journal of Public Health"; Young children who drown in hot tubs, spas, and whirlpools in California: a 26-year survey; C S Shinaberger, C L Anderson, and J F Kraus; Department of Epidemiology at UCLA School of Public Health; 1990
- Hot Tubs and Home Spas: Not So Stupid Hot Tub Questions
- Consumer Product Safety Commission: Spas, Hot Tubs, and Whirlpools
- MayoClinic.com: Infant and toddler health
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