Drowning Prevention

By Author: John Patton
Total Articles: 6
Comment this article

The death of any child is a tragedy. But nothing prepares parents for unexpected, accidental deaths of infants, toddlers and preschoolers especially when that death is by drowning. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, drowning is the greatest cause of accidental death among children below the age of five. Many of these types of children die in only two-inches of water in the bathtub, toilet, pools and buckets.

Drowning can happen in very shallow water as the immediate reaction of a young child lying face down in water is to either cry or breathe, causing the inhalation of water into the lungs.

How do we protect infant children from being a drowning statistic? What can we do to safeguard our homes, pools, and children?

Infants (ages 0-1)

The home has many drowning hazards for the 0-1 age group. Coolers, toilets, bathtubs, coolers that have melted ice, and significant buckets. Many of such drownings crop up when children are left alone or with young siblings for a few moments. A young child can easily lean forward to look into the bucket or toilet and tip into the container ...
... and under the water. With children this age, the heads are the heaviest facets of their bodies, making it easy to fall into a container, but make it difficult to get out. Most of their bodies weigh less than the container filled with a relatively a small amount of liquid, according to the fact sheets.

How to Safeguard Your Home:

· Always keep a sharp eye on your children, especially in the tub and when they discover to crawl.

· Empty all buckets following use.

· Keep bathroom doors closed at all times and/or install a latch on the door so that it cannot be pushed open by a child.

· Keep toilet lids closed so children can not fall in.

Regardless of the age of your children, bringing about a CPR class is an important side of drowning prevention. Call the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association or your local hospital or fire department for classes close to you.
John Patton is an indepentant author and writer