Khyden James: Royal Life Saving Australia boss warns of ‘significant risk’ Bali villas pose to babies

The death of an Australian baby in Bali this month has sparked urgent warnings about the “significant risk” facing families in countries with lax attitudes to water safety.

Khyden James died after drowning in an unfenced pool at Villa Besar on October 19.

His parents Brendan Sharp and Grace Williams booked a stay in a luxury Kerobokan villa for a “holiday of a lifetime” with several adults and children when the unthinkable happened.

A woman reportedly told hotel staff to call an ambulance at about 7.15pm on October 19, a Bali police spokesperson told the Daily Telegraph.

Royal Life Saving CEO Justin Scarr told Daily Mail Australia that the horrible tragedy showed the “vulnerabilities” of children particularly when they stay at these luxurious holiday villas.

He actively encouraged parents to “reconsider staying in a villa if they have very young children”.

“When parents of one-to-two-year-olds book one of these holiday villas, they really need to understand there’s a significant risk of their child of drowning,” Mr Scarr said.

Pool fences are a legal requirement in Australia, but not so in other countries, including Indonesia. Often, though, fences can be rented.

Australian parents, Mr Scarr said, were “very privileged and lucky” to live in a country with such “robust pool fencing regulations” that protect our children from water accidents.

“The drowning rate of Australian Children has reduced substantially in the last 30 years since those laws came in, but those laws don’t apply to many countries overseas — including Indonesia,” he continued.

In short, he said: “No fencing means constant adult supervision.”

“If you’re a parent of a very young child — a crawler, an early walker — then those villas are very, very dangerous and you need to be watching them like a hawk.”

That supervision doesn’t just apply to infants and very young kids, even preschoolers or primary school kids need to be watched closely.

Mr Scarr said even playing in the pool heightens a child’s risk of drowning.

“We would encourage people to take their kids to a swimming lesson to brush up on their skills in a structured training form,” he said.

“A couple of weeks overseas by a resort pool is a great way to boost their swimming confidence and swimming skills but you really should assess their skills before you go.”

He also said it was important for parents to brush up on their first aid and CPR skills before going on a poolside getaway.

“You could also find yourself alone without quick emergency assistance and we know when it comes to child drowning resuscitation, early resuscitation is absolutely critical.”

Tributes have poured in for baby Khyden, whose family are from Singleton in the NSW HGunter Region, who is being remembered for his “bright and joyful spirit”.

His father described his son as a “one-of-a-kind” baby when he shared the devastating news of Khyden’s death.

“Khyden was always happy and cheerful, lighting up the room with whoever was there,” Mr Sharp wrote.

“His cheekiness and affection were like no other, and he was always dancing and having fun with a side of cheeky.”

Baby Khyden was the beloved youngest brother of siblings Ivie, Savannah, and Huxton; their dad described him as “best baby brother they could have asked for”.

Mr Sharp said he was the “best son we could have ever imagined”.