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Steps to Prevent Child Drowning Accidents

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Important Tips from a Swim School Near Me

Every year, tragic drowning accidents involving young children are reported on the news. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that drowning is the leading cause of preventable deaths among children between the ages of one and four and the second leading cause among children ages one to 14. Even among children who survive drowning incidents, the consequences can be severe. Approximately 20% of people who survive these incidents have lasting neurological disabilities. Caregivers, parents, and pool owners should take steps to prevent children from drowning. Here are some steps you should take to prevent children from drowning.

  1. Actively Supervise Children Around Water

Children who are playing in or around water should be supervised at all times by adults. When more than one adult is present, one should be designated to supervise children when they are playing in or near water. The designated adult should not leave the area for even a moment to use the bathroom, answer the phone, or get a drink. Instead, parents can hand off the supervision duty to give each person a break as needed. The assigned adult should watch the children at all times and avoid distractions so that they are prepared to act in an emergency.

  1. Erect Barriers Around Pools

Most states have laws mandating pool enclosures. For example, under § 515.29, Fla. Stat. (2022), Florida requires pools to be enclosed by fences that are at least four feet tall. The fence must also have a locking gate and must not have any gaps large enough for a child to crawl through. This law is meant to make it more difficult for children to climb over or through a fence to gain access to the water. Swimming pools and spas must also have covers over them to keep children out during the winter months.

  1. Install Alarms

People who have doors and windows that open out into a pool area must affix alarms that sound when they are opened. You should also install an alarm that will alert you if the barrier around your pool is breached so that you can react quickly.

  1. Remove Furniture and Other Objects Away From the Pool Fence

You should remove any furniture or objects that are near the fence around your pool. Children can and will use furniture and other objects to help them climb over fences to access pools. In some cases, children have climbed over fences and have died in drowning accidents.

  1. Check Before You Leave the Pool

When you leave the pool area, double-check to ensure the gate is closed and locked. Make sure to lock the doors to your home behind you when you go inside. Finally, remove any toys that your children might have left in the pool area so they won’t try to go back to retrieve them.

  1. Check the Pool First

If you can’t find your child in your home, check the pool first before searching throughout your house. Children can drown in just a few minutes. By checking the pool first, you can greatly increase the chances that your child will survive if they have had a swimming pool accident.

  1. Keep an Emergency Phone By the Pool

It’s a good idea to have a landline phone mounted by the pool area so that you can call 911 in case of an emergency. This can save precious time if you need to perform CPR on a child until help arrives.

  1. Learn How to Turn Off Your Pool Pump

You need to know how to turn off your pool pump. The suction can trap a child’s or adult’s swimming suit or hair and prevent them from swimming to the surface for air.

  1. Make Sure your Children Learn to Swim

You should make sure your children learn to swim by taking swimming lessons from Baby Otter Swim School®. They specialize in teaching very young children how to swim to help prevent drowning accidents. With the proprietary Turn, Kick, Reach ® program, the swimming instructors at Baby Otter Swim School® can teach children what to do if they fall in the water as soon as they are able to crawl. Baby Otter Swim School® is a traveling swim school that teaches in Five Days. One on One instruction.

The CDC reports that swimming lessons can reduce a child’s chance of drowning by 88%.

Find A Swim School Near Me

Signing your children up for swimming lessons at Baby Otter Swim School® is one of the first steps to take to keep them safe. The school offers lessons at appropriate developmental levels to teach children the skills they need when they are in and around water.

Call us today at 1-888-SWIM-KID (794-6543) to get started.