Drowning Prevention Tips for Kids

MYFOXNY.COM - Summer means many families to head to pools and beaches, which raises the importance of children and staying safe in the water.

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Here are tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC to protect your child from drowning in a pool.

A swimming pool can be very dangerous for children. If possible, do not put a swimming pool in your yard until your children are older than 5 years. Help protect your children from drowning by doing the following:

Never leave your children alone in or near the pool, even for a moment. An adult who knows CPR should actively supervise children at all times.

Practice touch supervision with children younger than 5 years. This means that the adult is within an arm's length of the child at all times.

You must put up a fence to separate your house from the pool. Most young children who drown in pools wander out of the house and fall into the pool. Install a fence at least 4 feet high around all 4 sides of the pool. This fence will completely separate the pool from the house and play area of the yard. Use gates that self-close and self-latch, with latches higher than your children's reach.

Keep rescue equipment (such as a shepherd's hook or life preserver) and a telephone by the pool.
Do not use air-filled "swimming aids" as a substitute for approved life vests.

Remove all toys from the pool after use so children aren't tempted to reach for them.

After the children are done swimming, secure the pool so they can't get back into it.

A power safety cover that meets the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) may add to the protection of your children but should not be used in place of the fence between your house and the pool. Even fencing around your pool and using a power safety cover will not prevent all drownings.

Remember, teaching your child how to swim DOES NOT mean your child is safe in water.

FROM THE CDC…

More than one in four fatal drowning victims are children 14 and younger.¹ For every child who dies from drowning, another four received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.1

Nonfatal drownings can cause brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities including memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (i.e., permanent vegetative state).

Children: In 2005, of all children 1 to 4 years old who died, almost 30% died from drowning.1 Although drowning rates have slowly declined,1, 3 fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years.4

RISK FACTORS:

Lack of barriers and supervision. Children under one year most often drown in bathtubs, buckets, or toilets.6 Among children ages 1 to 4 years, most drownings occur in residential swimming pools.6 Most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time.7 Barriers, such as pool fencing, can help prevent children from gaining access to the pool area without caregivers’  awareness.

What has CDC research found?

A CDC study about self-reported swimming ability14 found that:

Younger respondents reported greater swimming ability than older respondents; Self-reported ability increased with level of education (i.e., high school graduate, college graduate, etc.); Among racial groups, African Americans reported the most limited swimming ability; and Men of all ages, races, and educational levels consistently reported greater swimming ability than women.

To help prevent water-related injuries:1, 8, 9, 12, 13

Designate a responsible adult to watch young children while in the bath and all children swimming or playing in or around water. Adults should not be involved in any other distracting activity (such as reading, playing cards, talking on the phone, or mowing the lawn) while supervising children.

Always swim with a buddy. Select swimming sites that have lifeguards whenever possible.

Avoid drinking alcohol before or during swimming, boating, or water skiing. Do not drink alcohol while supervising children.

Learn to swim. Be aware that the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend swimming classes as the primary means of drowning prevention for children younger than 4. Constant, careful supervision and barriers such as pool fencing are necessary even when children have completed swimming classes.

Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In the time it might take for paramedics to arrive, your CPR skills could make a difference in someone’s life. CPR performed by bystanders has been shown to improve outcomes in drowning victims.

Do not use air-filled or foam toys, such as “water wings”, “noodles”, or inner-tubes, in place of life jackets (personal flotation devices).

These toys are not designed to keep swimmers safe.

If you have a swimming pool at home:

Install a four-sided, isolation