- Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa.
- Always watch your child when he or she is in or near water.
- Keep children away from pool drains, pipes, and other openings to avoid entrapments.
- Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim as well.
- Floatation devices such as armbands, floatation rings, and inflatable toys give parents a false sense of security. These devices should not be relied upon to keep your child from drowning.
- Install four-sided isolation fencing, at least five feet high and equipped with self-closing and self-latching gates, around a home pool or spa.
- Learn CPR and keep rescue equipment, a telephone, and emergency numbers poolside.
- Always wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket when on a boat, near open bodies of water, or when participating in water sports, even if they know how to swim.
- Don't let kids operate personal watercraft (such as jet skis).
Childhood drowning and near-drowning can occur in a number of settings - pools, hot tubs, beaches, lakes, bathtubs, and buckets. Activities such as boating, jet skiing, water skiing, sailing and surfing are also associated with water-related injuries and fatalities. Most drowning incidents happen when a child falls into a pool or is left alone around water. It can take only a couple of seconds for a child to drown, and drowning typically occurs when a child is left unattended or during a brief lapse in supervision.