Anna Hartz
You Don’t Need a Lifeguard to Keep Kids Safe — But You Do Need This
Across the world, families are heading to pools, lakes, and beaches to cool off and have fun.
But this time of year, at least in the northern hemisphere, it also comes with risks.
Drowning remains one of the leading causes of death for children. It happens quickly and quietly. And many of these tragedies take place at home, in backyard pools.
Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and mother of two, spoke with CNN about how to prevent drownings and keep kids safe near water.
Each year, about 4,000 people in the U.S. die from accidental drowning. That’s an average of 11 people every day, according to the CDC.
Young children are especially vulnerable. In 2022, 461 children between ages 1 and 4 died by drowning. That’s nearly a 30% increase from 2019.
The data also shows that drowning affects some communities more than others. Black and Indigenous children are at higher risk.
Fewer Black and Hispanic adults have had swim lessons compared to White adults. This can make it harder to supervise children safely in the water.
Residential pools are where most child drownings occur. In cases where the location is known, 4 out of 5 drownings happened at a home.
These were often pools belonging to the child’s family, a neighbor, or a friend.
Supervision is a major factor. Public pools often have lifeguards. Private pools do not. Sometimes an adult is watching, but they may be distracted.
Other times, children are left with older siblings who may not be able to react fast enough in an emergency.
To help prevent drowning, Dr. Wen recommends constant, focused adult supervision. Put the phone away.
Don’t drink alcohol while watching kids. Make sure the supervising adult knows how to swim and can perform CPR.
She also urges swim lessons for both kids and adults. Children who take formal lessons have a much lower risk of drowning.
Adults who can swim are more confident and better able to protect their children.
Water safety starts at home, and it starts with awareness. A few steps can save a life.