Pre 2002 Press Releases

Swimming Safety Tips for Children from
Saint Barnabas Medical Center

LIVINGSTON, N.J. -- As the summer approaches, children will be spending their days enjoying the warm weather by swimming. Whether swimming in the ocean or at a pool, children require close supervision from parents because drowning and near-drowning are major causes of childhood death and injury.

“It is vital that parents and caregivers be aware of the dangers associated with swimming,” says Jeanne Weintraub, R.N., M.S.N., Coordinator for the Pediatrics Ambulatory Center at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston. “Attention to the available safety tips can avoid tragedy in most instances.”

According to studies done by the American Academy of Pediatric’s (AAP) Committee on Injury and Poison Prevention, drowning is the third most common cause of unintentional death for children younger than 5 each year in the United States.

Studies have found that children less than 1 year of age most frequently drown in bathtubs and buckets; children age 1 to 4 years most often drown in home or apartment swimming pools; and children and adolescents age 5 to 19 years most frequently drown in lakes, ponds, rivers, and pools.

A study conducted by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) showed that most children less than 5 years of age drowned or nearly drowned by entering the pool from their home through the unprotected side of the pool (the side that directly faces the house, with no intervening fence). Most children were last seen in the home, but were out of eye contact for only a moment, and caregivers reported that they heard no screams or splashing. According to the USCPSC, installation of four-sided fencing that isolates the pool from the house and the yard has been shown to decrease the number of pool immersion injuries by more than 50 percent.

For greater safety when swimming, the Pediatric Ambulatory Health Center provides the following guidelines for parents:

For nfants and Children Newborn Through 4 Years of Age

• Parents should never leave children alone in bathtubs, spas, or wading pools, near irrigation ditches, post holes or other open standing water. They should remove all water from containers, such as pails and 5-gallon buckets, immediately after use. To prevent drowning in toilets, young children should not be left alone in the bathroom.
  
  
• Swimming lessons for children less than 4 years of age will not provide “drown proofing” and may lead to a false sense of security.
  
  
• Rigid, motorized pool covers are not a substitute for four-sided fencing, because pool covers are not likely to be used appropriately and consistently.
  
  
• Parents should learn CPR; and they should keep a telephone and equipment approved by the US Coast Guard (e.g., life preservers, life jackets, shepherd’s crook) at poolside. 

For Children 5 to 12 Years of Age

• Children need to be taught to swim. In addition to rules for safe swimming in pools, children need to know the requirements for swimming in lakes, rivers and oceans. Increased drowning risk arises from changing environmental conditions (e.g., depth and currents) and hazards concealed in murky water.
  
  
• Children need to be taught never to swim alone or without adult supervision.
  
  
• Children should use an approved personal flotation device whenever riding on a boat or fishing, and preferably while playing near a river, lake or ocean.
  
  
• Children need to understand why jumping or diving into water can result in injury. Parents should know the depth of the water and the location of underwater hazards before permitting children to jump or dive. 

For Adolescents 13 to 19 Years of Age

• Teenagers need counseling about the dangers of alcohol and other drug consumption during swimming, diving, and boating activities.
  
  
• Because boys are at much higher statistical risk of water-based injuries than girls, they warrant extra counseling.
  
  
• Teens should learn CPR.

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