Parents are constantly balancing the amount of freedom they give to help kids learn with the amount of supervision they give to keep them safe. But when it comes to swimming or even being near water, there is no alternative to constant supervision of young children.

Before you go near water again with your family, read this article that explains why drowning doesn't look like drowning. An excerpt: "The Instinctive Drowning Response – so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect."

Even though we all know the importance of water vigilance, the surprising information in this article will help you to NOT get distracted from supervising kids around water or make a decision like, "I'll go get the phone, it'll only take a second."

And more sobering statistics: About 3,500 people die each year of unintentional drowning. That's 10 people a day, and this rate goes even higher in the summer. More than twenty percent of these drownings are in kids younger than 15. And more than three-quarters of all pool- and spa-related deaths and injuries occur in children younger than five years of age.

How to Prevent Water-Related Injuries

• Constant supervision of young children in or around pools or bodies of water.
• Regardless of age, always swim with another person.
• Avoid alcohol when swimming or supervising young kids around water.
• Learn CPR.
• Do not use air-filled or foam toys as a replacement for water flotation devices like a life jacket.

Sources:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Unintentional Drowning: Fact Sheet
Pool or Spa Submersion: Estimated Injuries and Reported Fatalities, 2010 Report. May 2010. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Mario Vittone

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