Did you know that drowning is the second leading cause of death in children under the age of 5?
And most childhood drownings occur during non-swim times. This means that while you can’t have your eyes on your children 100% of the time, you can and should implement safety measures or layers of protection around the water to help your children stay safe.
Drowning is fast, silent, and preventable.
And while none of these things on their own can guarantee that your child will never have an accidental water event, they help by making you more aware, buying your child time should an accident occur, and preparing you to respond in case of an emergency.
Here are 10 layers of protection to implement around the water to help keep your kids safe:
Let’s take a closer look at each step to ensure you set your children up for success around the water.
And most childhood drownings occur during non-swim times. This means that while you can’t have your eyes on your children 100% of the time, you can and should implement safety measures or layers of protection around the water to help your children stay safe.
Drowning is fast, silent, and preventable.
And while none of these things on their own can guarantee that your child will never have an accidental water event, they help by making you more aware, buying your child time should an accident occur, and preparing you to respond in case of an emergency.
Here are 10 layers of protection to implement around the water to help keep your kids safe:
- Provide active supervision when children are swimming or playing around the water.
- Designate a Water Watcher.
- Ensure everyone swims with a buddy.
- Take breaks!
- Clean up the pool area when you are done swimming.
- Invest in a pool fence.
- Install door alarms.
- Wear US Coast Guard-approved life jackets when boating or around open water.
- Get certified in CPR.
- Enroll your child in survival swim lessons.
Let’s take a closer look at each step to ensure you set your children up for success around the water.
Provide active supervision when children swim or play around a body of water.
Active supervision means having eyes on the swimmers at all times. There’s a difference between supervising water activities and providing active supervision, so here are some tips to ensure you provide someone with the best resources to do so.
Accidents can happen in just a few seconds, so this is not the time to take a quick phone call, step inside for a drink, or to use the bathroom.
If you do need to leave the water area for any reason, make sure you designate someone to take your place.
Another crucial part of active supervision is sometimes referred to as touch supervision. This means that young swimmers and non-swimmers stay within arm’s reach of you at all times in and around the water.
So get in the water and play with your kiddos! This is the best way to make sure you always have them within arm’s reach!
Active supervision means having eyes on the swimmers at all times. There’s a difference between supervising water activities and providing active supervision, so here are some tips to ensure you provide someone with the best resources to do so.
Accidents can happen in just a few seconds, so this is not the time to take a quick phone call, step inside for a drink, or to use the bathroom.
If you do need to leave the water area for any reason, make sure you designate someone to take your place.
Another crucial part of active supervision is sometimes referred to as touch supervision. This means that young swimmers and non-swimmers stay within arm’s reach of you at all times in and around the water.
So get in the water and play with your kiddos! This is the best way to make sure you always have them within arm’s reach!
Designate a Water Watcher.
A great way to help ensure that someone is providing active supervision in and around the water area is to designate a water watcher.
It’s important to note that a Water Watcher is not a lifeguard.
A water watcher is a responsible adult in your group who understands and accepts the responsibility of providing active supervision to all swimmers.
They are not drinking, on their phones, or engaged in other tasks while providing that active supervision.
Here is a link to download a Water Watcher badge. While this badge does not hold the same weight as a CPR or a lifeguard certification, it does serve as a reminder to that person and the rest of your group that there are children around the water, and everyone needs to be mindful.
It’s also a good idea to take shifts (even 15 minutes each) so that each watcher can have a break and not experience fatigue.
A great way to help ensure that someone is providing active supervision in and around the water area is to designate a water watcher.
It’s important to note that a Water Watcher is not a lifeguard.
A water watcher is a responsible adult in your group who understands and accepts the responsibility of providing active supervision to all swimmers.
They are not drinking, on their phones, or engaged in other tasks while providing that active supervision.
Here is a link to download a Water Watcher badge. While this badge does not hold the same weight as a CPR or a lifeguard certification, it does serve as a reminder to that person and the rest of your group that there are children around the water, and everyone needs to be mindful.
It’s also a good idea to take shifts (even 15 minutes each) so that each watcher can have a break and not experience fatigue.
Ensure everyone swims with a buddy.
No one is drown-proof—not even experienced swimmers. This is why swimming with a buddy is a critical layer of protection for water safety (even for adults!).
The “buddy” is another swimmer who could call for help if an accident were to occur.
Take breaks!
Even experienced swimmers can face fatigue. But children don’t always have the experience to understand that something as simple as fatigue can lead to a potentially life-threatening situation.
The adults in the situation should implement regular breaks for water and snacks. Proper hydration has the added bonus of helping to prevent muscle cramps!
No one is drown-proof—not even experienced swimmers. This is why swimming with a buddy is a critical layer of protection for water safety (even for adults!).
The “buddy” is another swimmer who could call for help if an accident were to occur.
Take breaks!
Even experienced swimmers can face fatigue. But children don’t always have the experience to understand that something as simple as fatigue can lead to a potentially life-threatening situation.
The adults in the situation should implement regular breaks for water and snacks. Proper hydration has the added bonus of helping to prevent muscle cramps!
Clean up the pool area when you're done swimming.
Kids are naturally curious, and who can blame them for wanting to continue playing with the toys that were so fun an hour ago?
However, if those toys are at the water’s edge or floating in the water, that’s an accident waiting to happen.
It’s so important to make sure pool toys are picked up and stored somewhere other than the pool deck.
This helps remove the temptation to try and get to those toys and helps prevent your child from falling in the water.
Kids are naturally curious, and who can blame them for wanting to continue playing with the toys that were so fun an hour ago?
However, if those toys are at the water’s edge or floating in the water, that’s an accident waiting to happen.
It’s so important to make sure pool toys are picked up and stored somewhere other than the pool deck.
This helps remove the temptation to try and get to those toys and helps prevent your child from falling in the water.
Invest in a pool fence.
If you have young children, you know better than anyone that you can’t keep your eyes on them every second of the day. They are great at wandering, and they are especially good at climbing.
And if you have a backyard pool, it’s essential that you have a pool fence.
When installing a fence around your pool, keep in mind that there are some very specific things all pool fences must have in common to be effective:
If you have young children, you know better than anyone that you can’t keep your eyes on them every second of the day. They are great at wandering, and they are especially good at climbing.
And if you have a backyard pool, it’s essential that you have a pool fence.
When installing a fence around your pool, keep in mind that there are some very specific things all pool fences must have in common to be effective:
- They should be at least 4 feet high.
- They should be enclosed on all four sides (separating the pool from the house and any doors).
- They should have a lock and be locked at all times when you are not swimming.
- These fences should be made of material that your child cannot climb. This means no chain link or wooden slats.
Install door alarms.
Even if you have a pool fence installed, door alarms are essential if you have a backyard pool or access to any body of water near your house.
Most childhood drawings occur during non-swim times, and in those cases, the majority of parents have reported that their child was supposed to be in the house at the time of the drowning.
Any parent will tell you that it is impossible to have eyes on your child 100% of the time.
This makes door alarms a no-brainer. They buy you precious seconds and ideally allow you to respond early and prevent an emergency.
Even if you have a pool fence installed, door alarms are essential if you have a backyard pool or access to any body of water near your house.
Most childhood drawings occur during non-swim times, and in those cases, the majority of parents have reported that their child was supposed to be in the house at the time of the drowning.
Any parent will tell you that it is impossible to have eyes on your child 100% of the time.
This makes door alarms a no-brainer. They buy you precious seconds and ideally allow you to respond early and prevent an emergency.
Wear US Coast Guard-approved life jackets when children are around open water or on boats.
Though you should never rely on flotation devices to teach your child how to swim, there are times when it is not only appropriate, but imperative to wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
If you are boating or around open or fast-moving water, everyone should be wearing a properly fitted life jacket.
Here is a link to ensure you have the correct-sized life jackets for your family.
Never use a life jacket that is broken, ripped, or too big/small.
Kids are naturally curious, and they will venture toward the water. For this reason, their life jacket should be on as soon as they get out of the car and remain on until they are back in the car.
Though you should never rely on flotation devices to teach your child how to swim, there are times when it is not only appropriate, but imperative to wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
If you are boating or around open or fast-moving water, everyone should be wearing a properly fitted life jacket.
Here is a link to ensure you have the correct-sized life jackets for your family.
Never use a life jacket that is broken, ripped, or too big/small.
Kids are naturally curious, and they will venture toward the water. For this reason, their life jacket should be on as soon as they get out of the car and remain on until they are back in the car.
Get certified in CPR.
Should the layers of protection fail, early response to a water emergency could mean the difference between life and death.
By ensuring you and the other adults in your group are properly trained in CPR and first aid, you can bridge the gap between identifying an emergency and help arriving on the scene.
Click here to find a CPR class near you.
Enroll your child in survival swim lessons.
Your child’s ability to float is their best flotation device.
Survival swim lessons go beyond what a traditional swim class would teach.
Rather than teaching general water exploration and easing into swim skills (sometimes taking months to learn to float on their backs), survival lessons teach your infant or toddler how to respond to an unanticipated water event.
They learn to enter the water, roll to their back for air, and float unassisted.
Depending on their age, they will either float and wait for help or learn to roll back over and swim to a goal (a person, the wall, or something to grab onto in the water). They will perform a swim-float-swim sequence until they reach this goal. If the destination turns out to be too far away, or they get too tired, they learn to roll to their back and float and rest.
The coolest part? They learn to perform these skills completely clothed as well!
You never know when an accident will happen, and with the majority of childhood drownings occurring during non-swim times, the chances of your child having clothes or shoes on if they were to fall in are significantly higher than the chance of them falling in when they are in a swimsuit.
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