Safety reminders for families headed for water this hot holiday

A lot of families are headed for water to celebrate the holiday, and escape from the heat, so pediatricians want to make sure everyone is up-to-speed on drowning prevention.

One-thousand children drown each year, but most incidents could be prevented, according to safety experts.

The most common mistake is losing track of younger children.

It only takes 2 inches of water for a child to drown, so backyard and inflatable pools should be empty or deflated when not in use.

While swimming lessons are important, for infants they can give parents a false sense of security.

"If children are over the age of one, and the parent deems them to be developmentally appropriate, then taking a swimming class actually does reduce their risk of drowning," says Dr. Eva Love of Cleveland Clinic Children's.

But under the age of one, Dr. Love says the data doesn't show any benefit.

YMCA programs for children under one are only geared toward getting kids acquainted with the water or how to float, not swimming

Pool owners are also urged to have barriers, such as four-sided fencing, locking gates, door alarms, and pool alarms.