Preventing child drowning

Drowning is the second most common cause of death among kids ages 14 and younger. Why? Kids are attracted to water and it only takes one inch of water for a child to drown.It is therefore extremely important to maintain Safety in and around your pool. And in addition to any safety meaures we propose below, IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE RESPONSIBLE ADULT AT ALL TIMES.


- TIPS - -Never leave your child unattended in a pool, spa or hot tub - Download - Preventing Child Drownings from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
-Install and routinely inspect fences, self-closing and latching gates, baby barrier fences and alarms
-Have life-saving devices like a pool/hook or flotation devices near the pool
-Warning signs by the manufacturer, builder, or installer are displayed according to the manufacturers' specifications
-Children under three years and children who cannot swim must wear a life jacket or personal floatation device.
-Have emergency phone numbers listed at the telephone closest to the pool
-Remove all toys from the pool after use so children are not tempted to reach for them later
-Secure the pool so that children can not get back in after they are done swimming



Tips on Preventing Drowning (Birth to 4 Years Old):
-Never leave children unattended in or near the swimming pool, even for a moment.
-Don't leave them in a flotation device or under the supervision of another young child. –
-Stay within an arm's length or touching your children at all times.
-When supervising children in a swimming pool, don't allow yourself to be distracted by conversation or other activities. Keep your attention on them at all times.
-You (or whoever is supervising children in and around water) should know how to swim, how to perform CPR, and where the nearest phone and life preservers are in case of an emergency.
-If your child will be in a child care program, find out what water activities they will participate in. Ask about child-staff ratio, supervision, and CPR training.
-Air-filled flotation devices like water wings are fine in the swimming pool. But if you are participating in water sports or near an open body of water, use a Coast Guard-approved life preserver instead.
Tips on Preventing Drowning (5 to 12 Years Old):
-Teach them how to swim.
-Remember that swimming lessons do not drown-proof your children.
-Teach them never to swim alone; they should use the buddy system, and have adult supervision.
-Teach them to always enter a new swimming pool area feet first. Teach them to find out (or ask you) the depth of the pool, and check for obstacles, before jumping in.
Tips on Preventing Drowning (13 to 19 Years Old)-Teach them everything that 5 to 12 year olds are taught, PLUS:
-Teach them the dangers of mixing swimming with drugs and/or alcohol consumption.
-Remember that boys in this age group are at much higher risk than girls, so take extra care to teach them safety.
-Teach them CPR, or find a class for them to take.
Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Guidelines for Rescue Breathing
If an accident happens, you should first determine if the child is conscious and breathing by seeing if he/she responds to gentle shaking. Be especially careful if the child may have sustained head or neck trauma so as not to cause spinal cord injury. But even if the child is conscious—or if you have any doubts whatsoever—you should immediately call “911” or the emergency medical services number in your area. If the child is unconscious, follow the procedures below:
1. Call out for help. Stay with the child while someone else calls “911” or other EMS number in your area. If you are alone and the child is obviously not breathing, try one minute of CPR rescue breathing techniques before leaving the child to call for help.
2. Position the child on his/her back, lying flat on a firm surface. If there is evidence of head and neck injury, use extreme caution in moving the child and keep in mind that the child must be turned as a unit with firm support of the head and neck so the head does not roll, twist, or tilt.
3. Straighten the neck (unless injury is suspected) and lift the jaw.
4. Give slow steady breaths into the infant’s nose and mouth; into the larger child’s mouth with
nostrils pinched closed. 5. Breathe at 20 breaths per minute for infants and 15 breaths per minute for children, using only
enough air to move the chest up and down.

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Sources:Water Safety (American Academy of Pediatrics)Drowning Prevention Strategies (National Children's Center)Leading Cause of Death Reports (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control)Water Safety Checklist for Kids (PDF) (Safe Kids)http://nespapool.org