Water safety

Whether it's a pool, lake, ocean or water park, water is a big part of summer time fun.  Unfortunately, water also can be very dangerous and it is important to take steps to ensure your child's safety. A submerged child can lose consciousness in less that two minutes and sustain permanent brain damage in four to six minutes. Each year, nearly 1,000 children ages 14 and under drown and another 16,000 are rushed to hospitals for near drowning. Children ages 4 and under are at the greatest risk. 

Most drownings happen in swimming pools and open bodies of water, however children can drown in as little as one inch of water and also are at risk of drowning in bathtubs, buckets, toilets and even drainage ditches and canals.

Swimming lessons are very helpful and a lot of fun, but swimming lessons alone do not protect kids from drowning. Most kids are developmentally ready for swimming by age 4, but infant and toddler swim classes are still fun for parents and kids.

Here are some good rules to follow to keep your child safe:

• Never leave your child alone in or near water. 
• Use "touch supervision". Infants and toddlers should be no farther than an arm's length away from an adult while in the water.
• Enclose your pool or spa with four-sided fencing at least five feet high with self-closing and self-latching gates. Do not use your house as one of those four sides.
• Empty and turn over wading pools immediately after use.
• Teach your child never to run, push or jump on others around water.
• Make sure your children swim in designated areas in oceans, lakes and rivers.  Look for clear water with little or no current and check the depth of the water before swimming or diving.
• Never let your kids dive into the water except for approved areas of swimming pools or lakes.
• While boating, be sure your family always wears U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets. Air-filled swimming aids, such as "water wings," are not safe substitutes for life jackets.
• Life jackets help, but should not be relied on to prevent drowning.

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