Did you know that children can drown in as little as one inch of water?

Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death among children ages 1 to 14. For infants less than 1 year, drowning is the third leading cause of death.

Children can drown in a variety of circumstances – during water recreation (such as swimming and boating) or when a young child is left unsupervised for even seconds in the bathtub or around the home with access to pools and hot tubs.

A child can drown in as little as one inch of water, and drowning is usually quick and silent. A child will lose consciousness two minutes after submersion, with irreversible brain damage occurring within four to six minutes.

Parents and caregivers need to understand the dangers of drowning and know the proper steps to take to protect children.

Follow These Tips To Keep Your Child Safe

• Watch your child constantly when he is in or near the water, even if he is a good swimmer.
• NEVER leave your child alone in or near a pool, even for a few seconds.
• Always keep infants and toddlers within arms' reach.
• Enroll kids in swimming classes.
• Know how to perform CPR on a child.
• Surround a backyard pool with a 4-foot to 6-foot fence with a self-locking gate, and remove all toys from the pool after use.
• Never substitute a floating device for your full-time attention. Floating aides can be great fun, but they are not meant to be safety devices.

Facts: Safe Kids