How to Prevent Child Drowning: A Must-Read Guide for Parents

Samuel Kamat was an adventurous, fun-loving little boy who had always been cautious around water. When the 4-year-old completed swimming lessons on June 12, 2008, his confidence soared. His father, Singa, took a picture of his proud son wearing his swim goggles and beaming. Samuel said it was "the best day ever!" The next day, his mom, Namaachanja, took him and his 6-year-old sister to join two other families at a popular community pool.

Samuel and the other children played and splashed in the fountains and sprinklers in the shallow end of the pool — under the supervision of several parents and lifeguards. Before his last trip into the water that day, Samuel gave Namaachanja a kiss and went to play in the shallow end.

Then within a few minutes, he was out of sight. It's difficult for his parents to describe the events of that day, but Namaachanja remembers frantically scanning the pool, searching for him. Moments later he was pulled from the shallow water by another swimmer, lifeless.

Perhaps most disturbing of all is the fact that Samuel's death wasn't so unusual.

Young children can drown silently in as little as 25 seconds, even in the shallow end or in a baby pool, says Lois Lee, M.D., M.P.H., an emergency-medicine specialist at Boston Children's Hospital.

"Most children drown because their parents turn their head for just a second or have no idea that their child is even near the pool," says Druann Letter, who founded Water Watchers, a water-safety program run by Phoenix Children's Hospital, to honor her son Weston who drowned at only 3 years old.

In nine out of 10 drownings, parents or caregivers say they'd been supervising the child at the time, according to research by Safe Kids Worldwide. But kids — especially toddlers, who are at highest risk — are impulsive and fast. They'll dart out a screen door, crawl through the doggy door, or wander into the pool area to get a toy.

And when a child drowns, it's nothing like what you might see on TV or in the movies.

"Toddlers don't yell or splash, and they sink fast," warns Steven Kernie, MD, a pediatric critical-care physician at Children's Medical Center Dallas. Ironically, many drownings occur at parties with plenty of adults around because everybody assumes that someone else is watching the water, says Dr. Kernie.

The role of parents is critical when it comes to preventing drowning, including supervision, enrollment in swim lessons, requiring and modeling life jacket use, having effective barriers in place and knowing CPR.

Read on for 10 steps you can take now to prevent your child from drowning:

The AAP advises that supervision of children in and around the water must be close, constant and attentive.

Kids who are not yet experienced swimmers need constant touch supervision when they're playing in or near a pool or at the beach. That means you (or another responsible adult) should stay in the water with your child at all times, within touching distance, giving him 100 percent of your attention.

"When your child is in or near the water, you need to keep your eyes on her at all times," says Tom Krzmarzick, MD, medical director of the Regional Pediatric Trauma and Emergency Center at the Children's Medical Center of Dayton. If you need to leave a pool area, take your child with you. Don't let babysitters take her swimming unless you're confident that they'll watch her constantly.

Once your child has learned to swim long distances and float on his back, he won't necessarily need you right next to him, but you should always keep him in sight, no matter how old he is. Kids of all ages can get stuck underwater, grow tired, or panic.

RELATED: Swim Safety (and Fun) for Babies

Make a pact with yourself: When your child is near or in the water, silence your phone and stow it out of reach in your bag so you're not tempted to use it.

"If you hear a text message come in and turn to your phone for five seconds, that's long enough for a child to be submerged," says Anne Beasley, M.D., a pediatric hospitalist at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

This doesn't mean, however, that you should leave your phone at home; it's best to keep it fully charged and within reach in case of emergency. You should also memorize the address of wherever you're swimming so you can easily give your location to an ambulance.

Small children and nonswimmers should always wear a well-fitting life jacket when they are near water and when swimming.

"Parents put too much faith in flotation devices that were never made to be life preservers," says James Callahan, M.D., a pediatric emergency physician at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. If your little one is a nonswimmer, it's okay to let her use floatie toys, but only if you're right there next to her in the water.

And just say no to toy mermaid fins; they can trap your child's legs, preventing her from easily kicking her way to the surface from beneath the water.

All children should also be required to wear life jackets whenever they are in or on water, and all adults should wear life jackets when boating to model safe behavior and to facilitate their ability to help their child in case of emergency.

If you are fortunate enough to have a pool where you live, install a four-sided fence that separates the pool from the house/building and the rest of the compound with a self-closing, self-latching gate. This includes inflatable and plastic pools.

Experts caution against using large kiddie pools because they're too heavy to empty after each use and are usually not protected by fences and covers. If you use a smaller baby pool, be sure to drain it afterwards, and don't leave it outside where it can accumulate rainwater. Watch your child even when he's in very shallow water.

"Most parents think that a 3- or 4-year-old can just stand up and get out of a baby pool," says Dr. Krzmarzick. "But if he falls and gets a mouthful or a lungful of water, he can get scared and not know what to do. Even a child that age can drown in a few minutes."

The recommendation is that all children and parents learn to swim. We know this is difficult in many cases, but when possible, please learn how to swim and make sure your kids also learn. Basic water competency swim skills including ability to enter the water, surface, turn around, propel oneself for at least 20 meters and then exit the water.

So what age is best to start swim lessons? Any time after your child's first birthday.

RELATED: How to Teach Kids to Swim: A Parent's Guide

As an extra layer of protection, experts recommend that kids follow the buddy system. Pair your child with a friend or a sibling, and explain that each kid is responsible for knowing where her buddy is at all times.

But don't forget that a pal doesn't replace adult supervision; the system serves as a supplement.

You should keep a telephone and equipment such as life buoys, life jackets and a reach tool, such as a long wooden stick near pools.

For easy memorizing, stick to these five:

If the worst happens and you have to rescue a distressed swimmer, conducting CPR while you wait for an ambulance to arrive could save that person's life. When the heart stops, continuing to circulate blood to the brain helps prevent a bad outcome, explains Dr. Beasley.

"In a perfect world, all parents would be trained in CPR." You can find a class through a community center or hospital, or via the Kenya Red Cross Training Institute.

If you're untrained or rusty on CPR, do chest compressions (100 per minute), and skip rescue breathing, also known as mouth-to-mouth. When it comes to drowning, doing something is always better than doing nothing.

Most deadly accidents affecting young kids happen in backyard pools, but there are also sneaky hazards around the house and at the beach. That's why being aware of drowning dangers and safety precautions is so important.

Here's where to start:

Attribution:

parents.com

By Ari Brown, M.D.

Published on June 24, 2012