Water Safety for Children
It takes only seconds for a child to drown. And it can happen without a sound.
Although most drownings happen in residential swimming pools, children can drown in just an inch of water. Buckets, bath tubs, wading pools, diaper pails, and toilets and all places that pose a drowning danger for a small child. In addition, open waters such as oceans, rivers, and lakes pose a drowning threat to older children.
Here are steps you can take to help protect your children:
Never leave your child alone near water at or in the home, or around any body of water, including a swimming pool.
Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and infant and child first-aid.
Don’t rely on personal flotation devices (PDFs) or swimming lessons to protect your child. Install childproof fencing around swimming pools.
Make sure you have rescue equipment, a telephone, and emergency phone numbers near the swimming pool.
Insist that your child wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device on boats at all times.
Don’t allow children to dive in waters less than 9 feet deep.
Injury Statistics and Incidence Rates