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Are You Prepared For Summer? Water Safety Advice From Our Virtual Doctor

July 7, 2021

With warm weather comes more opportunity for pool and beach time, and it’s important to refresh ourselves on water safety around our pediatric patients.  

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), drowning is the leading  cause of injury-related death in kids ages 1-4 years. Drowning is the second leading cause of death, second only to motor vehicle accidents. Males have about a two-fold risk over females and African American children are nearly 5.5 times more likely to die by drowning than their Caucasian peers. The good news: drowning is essentially preventable.  

Common Questions Your Pediatrician Will Ask About Water Safety

When you see the Pediatrician for routine child well checks, some of the topics  discussed fall under the category of anticipatory guidance. Anticipatory guidance are things to expect as a child develops along their trajectory and how to manage it. Water safety is a topic often reviewed during in person or virtual doctor visits. Common questions that may come up during a water safety conversation are:

  • How does your child react to water, including bath time?  Is your child enrolled in swim lessons or have you investigated any  avenues for swim safety?  
  • Do you have a pool or access to a pool?  
  • How is the child protected from the pool area?  
  • Do you have and use life vests or other child flotation devices?  

Important Tip: Remember that a young child can drown in as little as an inch or so of water. We can not emphasize enough the importance of direct and uninterrupted supervision, early and safe water exposure as well as prevention measures.  

Swimming is an Important Life Skill

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises swim lessons begin as early a year old and many swim facilities offer swim readiness training to toddlers and their caretakers. As affordability may be a  concern to utilize commercial schools, you can check your town’s park  and recreational facility to discover potential options for discounted  pricing for more local community programs. The decision to begin swim  lessons may vary for some families depending on the child’s physical  and emotional development, but swimming is a life skill and starting in toddlerhood has been shown to reduce the risk for drowning. Infant swim lessons are not recommended due to lack of evidence to support that swim lessons in this age group lower drowning risk.   

Take As Many Precautions As Possible

Young children are naturally curious and move quickly. The majority of  drownings occur in settings without appropriate supervision or safety in  place. An in-ground, residential pool is required to have a barrier fence  of at least four feet high and surrounding three sides of the pool with the house acting as the fourth side. If this is the sole barrier, door alarms  should be placed on the doors that open to the pool. It is further  protective to have an actual four-sided barrier fence surrounding the pool  itself with an automatic locking gate. Additionally, another layer of  protection is a pool cover, however these should never be used alone  without barrier fencing.  

Open bodies of water, such as lakes or oceans, present some of their  own unique challenges, including poor visibility compared to a pool, and  potentially strong currents. Using a life vest approved by the US Coast  Guard is always recommended for children exposed to outdoor water.  

Aside from physical barriers, supervision is imperative: direct and  constant. Equipment malfunction, such as a broken gate latch or failure  of proper life vest use, can lead to more risk, which is then mitigated by  your constant presence with the child/children. Never take on water  supervision with children while intoxicated and never leave older  children to watch younger children. “Touch supervision”, or being at  arm’s length of the child, is advised by the AAP. Ideally, getting into the  water can be more helpful in acquainting children with safety while also  promoting a fun experience.  

Have More Questions? Schedule a Virtual Visit Today!

With these ideas in mind, you can feel more secure about your young  water-lovers taking on a healthy and splashingly good summer!  For any additional questions or concerns you may have regarding swim safety, scheduling an online doctor visit with My Virtual Physician is a quick and convenient way to reach our Board Certified General Pediatricians, who are happy to help!  My Virtual Physician provides parents with high quality medical care via video visit and are able to treat a variety of health conditions. Schedule a virtual visit today!

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