May is National Water Safety Month, and with summer just around the corner, water safety and drowning prevention could help keep you and your friends and family safe this season while having fun at pools, lakes and water parks during the hot summer months.
There are three main tips to keep in mind when thinking about water safety according to Aqua-Tots Swim School, and they break down to the ABCs of Water Safety. Those include:
- Adult Supervision: Parents need to stay within arm’s reach of non-swimmers, while avoiding distractions like phones, reading materials or other people who may talk to them while keeping track of those who can’t swim well, like toddlers and older swimmers
- Barriers: If you are at a backyard pool, make sure it has enclosed fencing with self-latching gates and locks. If you have pool toys that are no longer in use, be sure to put them away so small children don’t reach for them and fall into the pool. According to The Consumer Product Safety Commission, 69% of children younger than five were not expected to be at or in the pool at the time of a drowning incident.
- Classes: Children as young as four months old should be enrolled in a consistent, year-round swim program until they become safe and confident swimmers. Some places to find classes for toddlers include SafeSplash, SwimLabs and Goldfish Swim School. According to the National Institutes of Health, participation in formal swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children one to four years old.
Drowning is the number one cause of death for children one to four years old, and the second leading cause of death for children ages five to 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
This article appears in Apr 24 – May 7, 2024.