Preventing Drowning in Toddlers
Toddlers can drown in as little as an inch of water and in only a few minutes. Children must be supervised at all times around water. Even when lifeguards are present (e.g., in public pools, lakes, and beaches), parents and caregivers must watch children closely.
Toddlers should never be left alone in the bathtub, even with an older sibling. Parents and caregivers who must leave the room should remove the child from the tub.
Childproof locks should be placed on closed toilets and bathroom doors should be shut at all times. Any containers of standing water, including pails and small toddler-sized pools, should be emptied immediately after use.
Home pools should be surrounded by a fence at least five feet tall. Gates leading to pools should be secured with a lock that is out of the reach of children. If the house itself is one of the barriers to the pool, the door leading to it should be locked as well. Alarm systems can help alert adults if doors or gates have been opened. After using the pool, toys should be removed immediately so that children do not try to enter the pool to get them.
Frozen lakes and rivers are also dangerous and children should never be near them alone. Children should be taught never to walk on the ice.
Toddlers should always wear a regulation life jacket (i.e., one that is approved by the U.S. Coast Guard and certified by Underwriters Laboratories [UL]) when riding in a boat, swimming, or playing near water. The life jacket should be a bright color, have no missing straps or fasteners, and be the correct size for the child's height and weight. Pulling up on the jacket by the shoulders is one way to test the size: if the child's chin and ears slip through the neck holes, the jacket is too big. Life jackets for toddlers should have head support so that they can float face-up. Inflatable rafts, bubbles, water wings, and toys are not designed to be life preservers and are not substitutes for regulation life jackets and adult supervision.
