How to Prevent a Common Cause of Death Among Children May 15, 2009

Even if summer hasn’t officially arrived in Florida yet this year, the warm weather certainly has. And with warm weather, we all spend more time near water. Whether you prefer the ocean, the pool or lakes and rivers, you should know a few simple safety tips because playing near water can quickly become very dangerous.

Every year in places like Daytona Beach, Orlando and Jacksonville, the number of drownings increases during the summer. Drowning is one of the most common causes of death among children so following a few simple safety precautions can go a long way in keeping your summer an enjoyable one.

Follow these safety tips to keep our children safe:

• Respect the water. The ocean, lakes and pools can be dangerous places. Treat them as such
• Most child drownings happen when an adult is not present. Always supervise your children around water of any kind. It is possible to drown in just a few inches of water.
• To ensure you can always be present when your children are near your pool, keep a phone near you at your poolside so phone calls don’t take you away from supervising your children and so, if an emergency does arise, you can call 911 immediately.
• Even strong swimmers drown. Do not assume that your child is immune from drowning because he or she has taken swim lessons. In addition, flotation devices can fail or may be discarded, don’t let them lull you into a false sense of security.
• If you have a pool at home, use a device to alert you when doors to your pool area are opened. That way you’ll never be caught off guard and you’ll always know if your children are near your pool and require your supervision.
• Long hair can get sucked into pool drains and vacuum hoses. If your child has long hair, secure it to the head, braid it, or stuff it into a hat.
• Get swim lessons and CPR lessons for everyone in your family, especially if you own a pool. Make sure everyone knows what to do if they see someone in trouble in the water.
• Install pool fencing.
Here’s the corresponding video blog: