Despite a 40 percent decline since 1987, drowning is still the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death to children ages 1 to 14, taking more than 900 children’s lives each year.
Each year, some 20 children in Harris County drown, most of them in backyard pools or lakes. For every child who drowns, four more are hospitalized for near-drowning. Texas Children's suggests all parents learn how to prevent drowning.
"The most important precaution is to actively supervise any child in or near water," said Dr. Rohit Shenoi, attending physician in Texas Children's emergency room and assistant professor of pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine. "Give them your undivided attention – no talking, eating, reading, taking care of another child or other distracting activities."
To help keep children safe, Texas Children’s Hospital recommends these precautions:
· Put as many layers of protection between your child and a backyard pool as possible.
o Lock doors and windows leading to the pool.
o Add alarms or self-closing/self-latching devices for outside doors.
o Fences at least 6 feet tall around the outer edge of the property are required for homes with pools in Houston. Pool fences, called isolation fences, should be at least 4 feet high and go all the way around the pool.
o Look for self-closing and self-latching gates.
o Install gate alarms and pool alarms to alert you when someone is in the pool area.
· Keep rescue equipment, a phone and emergency numbers by the pool.
· Enroll kids age 4 and older in swimming lessons taught by a certified instructor – but don’t assume swimming lessons make your children “drown-proof.”
· Learn infant and child CPR. Classes are offered by the Red Cross and several EMS locations.
· Young children can drown in as little as 1 inch of water.
o Stay with your child when he or she is in the bathtub, even if he or she is with an older sibling.
o Keep toilet lids shut and use toilet locks if you have an infant or toddler in the house.
o Empty buckets as soon as you are finished with them. When taking a break, put the bucket where your child cannot reach it. Store empty buckets upside down.
· Have toddlers wear life jackets, not floaties or water wings. Life jackets should fit snugly. If you cannot pull the jacket up to the child’s ears, his or her nose will stay above water.
· Store water toys away from the pool when the toys are not in use. Don't assume young children will use good judgment and caution around water.
“If a child is missing, always check the pool first — there’s no time to spare,” Shenoi said.
Even a near-drowning incident can have lifelong consequences. Kids who survive near drowning may have brain damage; after 4 to 6 minutes under water, the damage is usually irreversible.
