Why Is Water Safety Important?
Water safety isn’t just about keeping kids safe in the pool. Bathroom water safety is also important. Things you might not think about — like catchment ponds, drainage ditches, and runoff areas in your neighborhood — can be hazards too.
Drowning Facts
In the U.S.:
- Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related death in children, especially those younger than 4 and teens.
- Most kids with nonfatal drowning injuries need emergency room care. Half of them will need further care, often in a hospital.
- Surviving a drowning can leave someone with severe brain damage — 5%-10% of childhood drowning cases result in long-term disability, such as persistent vegetative state or quadriplegia (the loss of use of all four limbs and torso).
How kids drown varies by age:
- Under age 1: Babies most often drown in bathtubs, buckets, and toilets.
- 1–4 years old: Young children most often drown in swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas.
- Older kids, teens, and young adults: Most drownings in these age groups happen in natural bodies of water, such as lakes and rivers.
So parents need to know how to keep kids safe in and on the water — whether they’re in the bathtub, on a boat, in your backyard pool, or out and about.
Drowning Prevention
These safety steps can protect kids and teens around water:
- Assign an adult “water watcher”
- Use pool fences, alarms, and covers
- Have your children take swim lessons
- Learn CPR
- Use Life Jackets
- No alcohol or drugs
- Empty all bathtubs, baby pools, and water buckets after use
- Talk to your children and teens about water safety
Bathroom Water Safety
The most important safety rule is: Never leave a young child unattended in the bathroom. This is especially important during bathing. Even a child who appears to be well-propped in a safety tub or bath ring can slip down and drown. This can happen in seconds. Most bathtub drownings or accidental burns happen when a child is left unattended, even briefly.
Water temperature is also important. Young children have thinner skin than older kids and adults, so they can burn more easily. Just 3 seconds of exposure to tap water that’s 140°F (60°C) can cause a third-degree burn. You can reduce the risk of scalding by setting the water heater thermostat in your home to 120°F (49°C) and by always testing the water with your wrist or elbow before placing your child in the bath.
Pool Safety
Having a pool, pond, spa, or hot tub on your property is a huge responsibility when it comes to safety. Ask yourself these safety questions if you have a backyard pool:
- Is there climb-proof fencing at least 5 feet (1.5 meters) high on all sides of the pool?
- Does the pool fence have a self-closing gate with a childproof lock?
- If the pool can be accessed through a door to the house, do you have a door alarm installed?
- Have all ladders been removed from an above-ground pool when not in use?
Outdoor Water Safety
Swimming in an open body of water (like a pond, lake, river, or ocean) is different from swimming in a pool. Even kids who are good swimmers need to take care. Here are some tips:
- Teach kids to never swim alone.
- Talk to teens about why they shouldn’t use drugs or alcohol while swimming at lakes, rivers, and ponds.
- Try to find an area with lifeguards on duty.
- Teach kids to stay away from weeds and grass in the water.
- Kids should wear foot protection such as aqua socks or water shoes to protect them from jagged rocks, broken glass, and other sharp objects.
- In bad weather, especially lightning, everyone should get out of the water right away.
- If you live or stay near a lake, river, or pond and have kids who can’t swim or are new swimmers, keep all doors locked (even those that don’t face the water).
- Take a safe boating course. States offer courses and online courses also are available.
- Children and adults should wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets while on a boat or jet ski, even if they can swim.
