Water Safety Tips for Parents

Drownings can happen anywhere there is water. A toddler can drown in just a few inches of water. If you are not within arm's reach, you're too far. It takes just seconds for the unthinkable to happen. For instance, even if the gate to the pool is locked a small child can climb on a chair to remove it.

The Canadian Red Cross offers parents the following advice to help ensure a safe and fun summer in and around pools, lakes and rivers:

• Make sure children are well supervised by adults at all times in, on and around the water. Be your children's lifeguard!
• Enrol your children in swimming and water safety courses.
• Ensure your children inform you or their caregiver as to where they are going — and if there is any change of plan.
• Make sure each occupant in a boat - including adults - wears a properly-fitted lifejacket or personal floatation device (PFD).
• Complete CPR and first aid training.

Canadian Red Cross

Canadian Red Cross website

Children and Drownings -The Facts

• Drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional death among Canadian children between the ages of one and four (motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause).
• For every toddler (1 to 4 years old) who dies from drowning, there are an estimated 6 to 10 additional near-drownings which require hospitalization.
• One in every five toddlers who experience near-drowning will suffer permanent brain damage.
• Forty-six percent of drowning victims aged one to four are alone at the time of drowning. An additional 17per cent are accompanied only by other children.
• Half of the toddlers drown when their guardian's supervision is distracted — only for a moment.
• A small child can drown in only a few inches of water — enough to cover the mouth and nose.
• None of the toddlers who died in water-related deaths were known to be swimming or playing in the water in 1999. About 76 per cent were only playing or walking near water.
• Prior to 1995, several infants (0-1 year old) drowned each year in bathtubs, but since 1995 infant bathtub drownings have averaged less than one per year, and none took place in 1999.
• Over two-thirds of all toddler drownings occur in the afternoon and early evening. The largest number occur on Saturdays and Sundays; 33 per cent between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., and 29 per cent between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
• Children between one and four years old are more than twice as likely to drown in a constructed environment (e.g. pool) than any other segment of the population.
• Thirty-eight percent of toddler drownings occur in private swimming pools.
• Boys are the most frequent victims of drowning (82 per cent).
• Children drown in almost every imaginable setting, including: river, lake, dam, canal, ditch, water troughs.
• Drownings occur in less time than it takes to read the above safety messages.

Source: Canadian Red Cross, National Drowning Report, 2001 Edition.

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