Perhaps you could introduce them to swim lessons, if you haven't already. Here's why: A new study says drowning kills more young children (ages 1 through 4), than any other cause, except birth defects.
The report, released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also found that males are drowning victims four times as often as females.
As the co-author of the study put it: "It really makes sense for children to take swimming lessons, so they can manage themselves in the rare event that they end up in the water and survive long enough so parents can find them and get them out."
The federal report also found that half of all children who drown nationwide had somehow been left alone in a swimming pool. Besides swimming lessons, parents are also urged to take extra precautions to block access to home swimming pools, and to be more vigilant of a child's whereabouts when it comes to water.
Of course swimming can be great fun for a youngster and good exercise, but only after he or she becomes comfortable with being in the water. It's important to remember that teaching a child to swim, doesn't guarantee their safety in the water.
Here are more tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics:
1. Parents should never leave a toy in or around a pool.
2. Teach children never to swim alone, or run, jump or push on others around water.
3. Always make sure you're within arm's length of your child in the water.
By the way, the study on child drownings can be found in the May 18th issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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