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The Statistics

I believe that to help your child be as safe as possible it is important to be well informed.  Please review the following statistics and make use of the links on the left side of this page.  Educate yourselves and think about what you can do to make your homes and lives more secure.

Overview

• In 2002, there were 3,447 unintentional drownings in the US, averaging 9 per day.  This figure does not include drownings in boat related incidents.  (CDC 2004)
• For every child 14 and younger who drowns, three recieve ER care for nonfatal submersion injuries.  More than 40% of these children require hospitalization (CDC2004).  Nonfatal accidents can cause brain damage that results in long-term disabilities ranging from memory problems and learning disabilities to the permanant loss of basic functioning (i.e. permanant vegetative state).

Groups most at risk

• Males:  In 2002, males accounted for 80% of drownings in the US(CDC 2004)
• Children:  In 2002, 838 children ages 0-14 yrs. died from drowning.  Although drowning rates have slowly declined, drowning remains the second leading cause of death for children 1-14 yrs. of age. (CDC 2004) 

Risk Factors

• Children under age one most often drown in bathtubs, buckets, or toilets (Brenner et al. 2001)
• Among children 1 to 4 yrs., most drownings occur in residential swimming pools (Brenner et al. 2001).  Most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of site for less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time (Present 1987)

A multi-state study conducted by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) revealed that most children younger than 5 years who drowned or nearly drowned did so by entering the pool from their home through the unprotected side of the pool (the side of the pool that directly faces the house, with no intervening fence.)  Most children were last seen in the home and were out of the parent's or caregiver's contact for only a moment and the immersion was silent (no screams or splashing heard).

 

Prevention

Prevention is Key!!!

Drowning is preventable!  We can all help save lives by taking a few precautions to make sure our homes, pools, and hot tubs are as safe as possible.  

Home safety 

• NEVER leave your child unattended in the tub.  Not for a second, not for any reason. Not if your phone rings or someone knocks on your door or you left the clean washcloth on the changing table.  Take your child out of the water if you need to leave the room.  We have all heard it before, I know, but I'll repeat it-children can drown in as little as 1 inch of water. 
• Never leave buckets of water around.  We have probably all done it.  I know I have!  You get done mopping the floors and leave the bucket sitting by the back door to dump later.  This is such an interesting thing for an infant or toddler.  Water is fun!  If they fall in they don't have the strength to pull themselves back out.  At this age they are still kind of top heavy and most of the time cannot physically pull themselves back out.  So, dump those buckets immediately.
• Keep the bathroom off limits.  Wether you put a lock on the toilet lid or the door, keep the kids out of the bathroom.  As with the buckets, when kids fall in, they often don't have the strength to get themselves back out.  There are some great products out there-locks for the toilet lid, the door etc.  We used the simple doorknob covers for the bathroom.  Emma never did manage to figure them out no matter how hard she tried!  And she did try!

Pool Safety

Most experts recommend having at least three "layers of protection" in place if you own a pool or hot tub.  The most common "layers" are fences, door/window locks and alarms, and pool safety covers or alarms.

Fences

Pools/hot tubs should be enclosed on all four sides.  The fence should be at least 4 feet high and have no hand/foot holds that would enable a child to climb.  Nothing should be near the fence that could be climbed on-chairs, tables, large potted plants, etc.  Vertical fence slats should be no wider than 4 inches to prevent children from sqeezing through.  Chain link should not be used as it is easily scaled-toddlers love to climb and I don't know about everyone else's kids but Emma could climb like a monkey long before she could walk!  Fence gates should be self closing and self latching.  The latch should be out of childrens reach.  Most pool supply stores either install safety fences or can provide info about company's in your area who do this.  Safety fencing specifically designed for pools is a little expensive but would you rather spend money on a safety fence or a funeral?

Door and Widow Alarms

If the house forms one side of the barrier, then doors and windows leading from the house to the pool should be alarmed.  The alarm should be loud enough to be heard anywhere in your home.  There are many types to be found from small battery operated ones that you can buy at stores like Target or online to systems you can have installed through home protection companys.  They usually have a switch or keypad that an adult can access to turn it off for entering and exiting the home.  But keep in mind-it needs to be on for it to work.  It may be a pain in the butt to have to turn off an alarm everytime you go outside but again, it's a high price to pay if you don't use it.

Safety Covers

There are many types of safety covers.  There are mesh type covers that stretch taut across the pool and are kept in place with small hooks along the edges.  They usually come with a hand powered reel at one end so they can be quickly unhooked and neatly rolled up when the pool is in use.  They are able to withstand the weight of an average person.  The holes in the mesh are usually too big for a child to comfortably walk/crawl on yet small enough that they cant get their heads through.  There are also more elaborate power safety covers.  These normally have to be made to stand up to strict regulations.  They must be able to handle the weight of two average adults plus one child so that if a child happens to venture out onto it, an adult can rescue him/her.  They are also designed so as to not hold water.  So after a heavy rain, there won't be standing water on the cover.  As we all know by now, kids can drown in very little water so this feature is important.  For hot tubs, there are fitted covers that can be locked in place.  Most hot tubs are sold with these covers but if you don't have one they can be purchased seperately.

Pool Alarms 

There are many styles and brands of pool alarms.  Some are attached to the side of the pool with a small arm that reaches down into the water.  When the alarm is on and something falls into the pool a very loud alarm sounds.  Most can be easily removed or just turned off when the pool is in use. There are also personal alarms.  Your child wears a bracelet (the one I checked out was a cute little turtle bracelet) and when it gets wet an alarm sounds from a base that you can have anywhere in the house.  These seemed best to me for older kids who would be able to play outside alone.

Above Ground Pools  

Steps and ladders leading from the ground to the pool should be secured and locked or removed completely when the pool is not in use.

Swim Lessons

Here is a greatly debated subject.  The American Academy of Pediatrics states that "children are generally not developmentally ready for formal swim lessons until after their fourth birthday".  I can't help but want to scream when I read this.  Look at the facts!  In many states including FL, which is where we live, drowning is the number one cause of death in children 5 and under! 

There are many swim instructors who begin lessons when children are 6 months old.  The lessons are not so much "swimming" as learning how to flip onto their backs and float.  As they get older they are taught how to swim, float, swim.  They learn how to swim on their bellies with their faces in the water, flip and float when they need to breathe, and flip again to continue swimming.  Most instructors who teach this method offer classes 4 days a week for about 10 minutes at a time.  Infants and toddlers don't have a very long attention span so this is a schedule that fits them best.  There isn't a set amount of time for them to have to learn these skills.  Some children may learn in as little as a few weeks while others may take a few months.  These classes are usually one on one or small groups in which the parent is in the pool with the child at all times.  They also are usually tested at the end-fully clothed, shoes, diapers and all. 

So, while I agree that children under 4 may not be ready for lessons that are most often conducted in a group, that try to teach specific strokes, and are confined to a set time period, I do feel that "survival" swim lessons can be nothing but good.  Our daughter Hannah, who is 6 months at the time I am writing this begins her lessons April 3, 2006.  I will keep everyone updated on her progress in the forum. 

One more point-expense.  I know swim lessons are expensive.  I had researched them before Emma died and had planned to start her as soo nas we moved into our new home.  I was a little daunted by the cost.  I can say this-I would much rather pay $60 a week for swim lessons than pay in tears every day for the rest of my life.  How much is that little life worth?

After hearing the fears about swim lessons a fellow parent recently expressed, I would like to address a common misconception.  Under no circumstances should a qualified swim instructor THROW your child into the water.  EVER.  This is a myth, it is not how swim lessons are conducted by reputable instructors.  If your child is being thrown into the water, your instructor isn't doing his/her job properly.  Hannah has started her lessons and if you check out the forum, I will tell everyone, in detail, what happens at her lessons.

 

 

All Content provided by Jennifer Shelton