Nothing replaces adult supervision.
Prevention Tips
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ISR Media Video from Infant Swimming Resource on Vimeo. |
- NEVER USE FLOTATION DEVICES! These devices lend a false sense of security to you and your child. Studies reveal that parents whose children use flotation devices do not watch their children closely. In addition, the posturing these devices develop is detrimental to learning true swimming skills that could save their life. Simply resist the urge and DON’T DO IT!
- Leave a responsible ADULT in charge of safety. Do not delegate this task to an older sibling. This is too much responsibility and many children have drowned with their older sibling -watching them in the pool.
- Never assume someone else is watching your child. If you and your spouse are by the pool delegate supervision to one person and then switch off.
- Maintain a safer home pool environment:
- Every backyard pool, pond or lake should be completely fenced. The side of the house DOES NOT count as a fourth side. The point is, there must be a barrier between your house and the pool. Install pool fencing specifically designed to keep children out or install a permanent fence around all four sides. Pay special attention to pet doors as children are small enough to get out the pet door.
- Install high locks with chimes on every door and windows and consider getting a pool alarm. The goal is to put as many barriers as possible between your child and the pool.
- Do not leave chairs, ladders or other objects near the pool that would allow a child to climb the fence.
- Make sure all applicable windows of your house provide a clear view of the pool so you could easily spot a child who made his way to the pool unattended.
- Keep the pool clean. Cloudy or murky water can be a hazard.
- Water levels should be 3-4 inches from the top to make climbing out easier.
Keep these guidelines in mind when deciding on a swimming program for your child:
- Choose a program that will teach your child how to handle himself in the water before he is encouraged to play in it. The water is not a fun, safe place to play if your child does not know how to swim.
- Question everything about the swimming program. Question the qualifications of the instructor and the program. Ask what specific skills will be learned and techniques used to teach these skills.
- Be sure your child will learn how to swim, turn on his back to float, rest and breathe and flip back over to swim to the wall. This sequencing of skills is very important to get your child to safety.
- Make sure all swimming lessons are on an individual basis. Never enroll in a program where the instructor must divide attention in the water between several students learning to swim.
- Watch several lessons, ask questions of other parents whose children are enrolled in the program and ask your pediatrician about any swimming program.
- Be sure your child's instructor can thoroughly explain hyponatremia(water intoxication) to you. And, ask what precautions are taken before and during the lesson to avoid such a situation.
- Do not allow your child to be worked with in the water longer than 10 minutes. Any longer than 10 minutes could be potentially dangerous to a small child.
- Do not enroll your child in any swim program before the age of 6 months.
- Do not enroll your child in any swimming program that uses any type of flotation device. Flotation devices can lend a false sense of security to both you and your child.
- Do not allow anyone to throw your child into the water. This is extremely dangerous and could result in brain damage.
- Do not believe that your child or anyone will be drown-proofed by any lessons. No one is ever drown-proofed. Constant supervision in and around the water is the only sure way to prevent drowning.
Spa and Swimming Pool Safety Tips: (from swim-safety.com)
Almost everyone enjoys swimming on a hot summer day. If you live in a warm climate, you and your neighbors may have pools in your yards. While pools are highly enjoyable, owners must be wise to prevent accidents and even deaths with good swimming pool safety. It is recommended that proper care be taken if one is engaged in recreational or competitive swimming.
Swimming is considered to be an excellent type of exercise and is commonly used for the purpose of recreation apart from competitive swimming. Studies have revealed that swimming can prove as an excellent relaxation technique apart from providing a complete workout of the entire body.
It is often recommended by trainers and physicians for rehabilitation purposes after occurrence of any type of injury or disability. This is primarily because of the fact that the human body’s density is similar to that of water. During swimming, the human body is ably supported by water and therefore the level of stress on the human bones and joints is relatively less.
Swimming pool safety tips:
The spa provides a treatment, done through the medium of water, which is also known as balneotherapy. It may also denote an activity performed in a tub, or a “long hot bath” used for the purpose of relaxation and invigoration which includes a device for increasing whirlpools in water.
Similar to swimming pool safety, take these measures to ensure spa safety:
Avoid accidents with these swimming pool safety strategies and insure years of joy and health for you and your family.
Swimming is considered to be an excellent type of exercise and is commonly used for the purpose of recreation apart from competitive swimming. Studies have revealed that swimming can prove as an excellent relaxation technique apart from providing a complete workout of the entire body.
It is often recommended by trainers and physicians for rehabilitation purposes after occurrence of any type of injury or disability. This is primarily because of the fact that the human body’s density is similar to that of water. During swimming, the human body is ably supported by water and therefore the level of stress on the human bones and joints is relatively less.
Swimming pool safety tips:
- A fence or barrier must be installed around the pool which must be at least 4 feet in height.
- If the pool is in one’s home, doors leading to the pool must be protected by door alarm for access by children.
- Power safety covers, which is a barrier (motor-powered) used and placed over the water area, may be used as a substitute for door alarms.
- Ladders and steps must be locked and may be removed when not in use.
- Constant supervision must be made by babysitters while a child is swimming.
- Learn the technique of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which is an emergency procedure of providing first aid to someone who has problems of cardiac or respiratory arrest.
- There must be no toys, cycles or tricycles near the pool, as they are known to attract children.
- Make necessary arrangements for maintenance and oiling of latches and hinges.
- Keep the pool safe and hygienic.
The spa provides a treatment, done through the medium of water, which is also known as balneotherapy. It may also denote an activity performed in a tub, or a “long hot bath” used for the purpose of relaxation and invigoration which includes a device for increasing whirlpools in water.
Similar to swimming pool safety, take these measures to ensure spa safety:
- Regular maintenance and conformity to the guidelines issued by health and government authorities must be ensured at all times, without any irregularity.
- The skimmer covers must be unbroken and screw-fastened and in place.
- There must be regular removal of obstructions from the main drain cover and always ensure that the heater, electrical equipment and wiring of spa are functioning in a normal state.
- In case of a smell around the heater, call the concerned authorities immediately.
- And remember, it is always wise to follow the guidelines, rules and regulations prescribed by the local, health and governmental authorities.
Avoid accidents with these swimming pool safety strategies and insure years of joy and health for you and your family.
More Water Safety Links
To find out more about the importance of water safety, please view our Family Aquatic Safety List or visit the The Trevor "Birdie" Davis Water Safety Foundation website.
In the News - It just takes a Moment
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Deaf child drowns in NW Harris County pool By ANITA HASSAN
HOUSTON CHRONICLE Jan. 4, 2010, 12:04AM
TEXAS CHILD DROWNINGS 2005: 66
2006: 70
2007: 63
2008: 82
2009: 112
Source: Child Protective Services
A 4-year-old girl who was deaf drowned Sunday in a neighbor's pool in northwest Harris County — marking the region's first child drowning of the new year, authorities said.
The child's mother called 911 around 9 a.m. after realizing the girl had been missing for a few minutes from the home in the 17400 block of Laguna Trail, said Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman Deputy Thomas Gilliland.
While searching the neighborhood, the father spotted the girl floating in the next-door neighbor's backyard pool, Gilliland said.
As the father pulled her out of the water, deputies arrived and began administering CPR, Gilliland said.
The child was taken to North Cypress Hospital, where she died a few hours later.
No charges are being filed in the case at this time.
“As of right now, it just appears to be a tragic accident,” Gilliland said.
The death marks the first confirmed child drowning of 2010. Last year, 112 Texas children drowned, including 32 in the Houston region — both record numbers since the state started counting in 2005, said Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter.
Ages 1-4 most at risk According to Texas State Child Fatality Review Team research, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional, injury-related death among Texas children. Children between the ages of 1 and 4 are most at-risk, accounting for 45 percent of all child drownings.
Children can drown in any body of water, including pools, buckets and bathtubs, within a matter of minutes, Carter said.
“What we always tell parents is that anything can be a potential danger and they have to be really, really watchful of their children,” she said.
Homes should be outfitted with proper door locks and access to pools and other hazardous areas must be restricted, officials said.
“However, those are just precautions, nothing takes the place of being able to see your child,” Carter said. “If you're able to see your child, you're more likely to be able to save them.”
MCP_PLUCK=0 [email protected]
CPSC Warns of In-Home Drowning Dangers With Bathtubs, Bath Seats, Buckets WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The end of outdoor swimming and pool season doesn't mean the end of drowning dangers for young children. After pools, more children drown in bathtubs than in any other product in and around the home.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO )
For 2003-2005, CPSC staff received reports of an average of 90 children younger than 5 years of age who drowned in bathtubs (62%), baby seats or bathinettes (15%), buckets and pails (11%), landscaping or yard products (6%), and other products (4%). There was an annual average of an additional 39 reports of non-fatal submersion incidents for 2005-2007 that were reported for the same products. The majority of drownings and non-fatal submersion incidents involved children younger than 2 years old.
"What parents need to know is that anywhere there is water, there is a potential drowning hazard to children," said Inez Tenenbaum, CPSC Chairman. "Parents shouldn't let their guard down; young children need constant supervision around bathtubs, bath seats and buckets."
Many of the reported incidents involved a lapse in supervision by caregivers, such as leaving the bathroom momentarily while the child was in the bathtub to answer the phone/door or to retrieve an item like a towel. In other incidents, an older sibling was left to watch a younger sibling.
CPSC recommends parents and caregivers follow these safety tips when children are around bathtubs, bath seats, buckets, spas, or decorative ponds or fountains:
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products -- such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals -- contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Consumer Product Safety Commission: July 2, 2009:
Aqua-Leisure Industries Recalls Inflatable Baby Floats Due to Drowning Hazard.
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/070209_baby_floats.pdf?tag=contentMain;contentAux
Pet Access Dangers
http://www.petaccessdangers.org/pad
(Used by permission)
Always watch your children in and around the water. Use touch supervision for infants and toddlers! (Recommended by the AAP)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deaf child drowns in NW Harris County pool By ANITA HASSAN
HOUSTON CHRONICLE Jan. 4, 2010, 12:04AM
TEXAS CHILD DROWNINGS 2005: 66
2006: 70
2007: 63
2008: 82
2009: 112
Source: Child Protective Services
A 4-year-old girl who was deaf drowned Sunday in a neighbor's pool in northwest Harris County — marking the region's first child drowning of the new year, authorities said.
The child's mother called 911 around 9 a.m. after realizing the girl had been missing for a few minutes from the home in the 17400 block of Laguna Trail, said Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman Deputy Thomas Gilliland.
While searching the neighborhood, the father spotted the girl floating in the next-door neighbor's backyard pool, Gilliland said.
As the father pulled her out of the water, deputies arrived and began administering CPR, Gilliland said.
The child was taken to North Cypress Hospital, where she died a few hours later.
No charges are being filed in the case at this time.
“As of right now, it just appears to be a tragic accident,” Gilliland said.
The death marks the first confirmed child drowning of 2010. Last year, 112 Texas children drowned, including 32 in the Houston region — both record numbers since the state started counting in 2005, said Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter.
Ages 1-4 most at risk According to Texas State Child Fatality Review Team research, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional, injury-related death among Texas children. Children between the ages of 1 and 4 are most at-risk, accounting for 45 percent of all child drownings.
Children can drown in any body of water, including pools, buckets and bathtubs, within a matter of minutes, Carter said.
“What we always tell parents is that anything can be a potential danger and they have to be really, really watchful of their children,” she said.
Homes should be outfitted with proper door locks and access to pools and other hazardous areas must be restricted, officials said.
“However, those are just precautions, nothing takes the place of being able to see your child,” Carter said. “If you're able to see your child, you're more likely to be able to save them.”
MCP_PLUCK=0 [email protected]
CPSC Warns of In-Home Drowning Dangers With Bathtubs, Bath Seats, Buckets WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The end of outdoor swimming and pool season doesn't mean the end of drowning dangers for young children. After pools, more children drown in bathtubs than in any other product in and around the home.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO )
For 2003-2005, CPSC staff received reports of an average of 90 children younger than 5 years of age who drowned in bathtubs (62%), baby seats or bathinettes (15%), buckets and pails (11%), landscaping or yard products (6%), and other products (4%). There was an annual average of an additional 39 reports of non-fatal submersion incidents for 2005-2007 that were reported for the same products. The majority of drownings and non-fatal submersion incidents involved children younger than 2 years old.
"What parents need to know is that anywhere there is water, there is a potential drowning hazard to children," said Inez Tenenbaum, CPSC Chairman. "Parents shouldn't let their guard down; young children need constant supervision around bathtubs, bath seats and buckets."
Many of the reported incidents involved a lapse in supervision by caregivers, such as leaving the bathroom momentarily while the child was in the bathtub to answer the phone/door or to retrieve an item like a towel. In other incidents, an older sibling was left to watch a younger sibling.
CPSC recommends parents and caregivers follow these safety tips when children are around bathtubs, bath seats, buckets, spas, or decorative ponds or fountains:
- Never leave young children alone, even for a moment, near any water. Young children can drown quickly in even small amounts of water.
- Always keep a young child within arm's reach in a bathtub. If you must leave, take the child with you.
- Don't leave a baby or toddler in a bathtub under the care of another young child.
- Never leave a bucket containing even a small amount of liquid unattended. Toddlers can fall headfirst into buckets and drown. After using a bucket, always empty and store it where young children cannot reach it. Don't leave buckets outside where they can collect rainwater.
- Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). It can be a lifesaver when seconds count.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products -- such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals -- contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Consumer Product Safety Commission: July 2, 2009:
Aqua-Leisure Industries Recalls Inflatable Baby Floats Due to Drowning Hazard.
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/070209_baby_floats.pdf?tag=contentMain;contentAux
Pet Access Dangers
http://www.petaccessdangers.org/pad
(Used by permission)
Always watch your children in and around the water. Use touch supervision for infants and toddlers! (Recommended by the AAP)
