5 Tips to Protect Your Kids From Drowning This Summer l How to Prevent Drowning

Kids need constant supervision around water and we can't stress this enough. Whether it is a wading pool, a swimming pool, the lake, the beach or a stream, children are at risk and could drown in just two inches of water. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared that from 2005 through 2014, there was an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings, which were not associated with drowning deaths from boating accidents annually in the United States — about 10 deaths per day. "About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries," CDCP reported. The stats are quite frightening and any child is vulnerable to drowning-related accidents. Children need to be supervised no matter what their swimming skills are, so don't assume anything. Here are five tips to protect your kids from drowning this summer.

Buy a Life Vest

Invest in proper life vests and have kids wear them whenever they are near water. Kids Health shared with readers that it is important to check the weight and size recommendations on the label. If your child is below the age of five choose a vest with a "strap between the legs and head support — the collar will keep the child's head up and face out of the water." Parents believe water wings on the arms of your children are enough to protect them from drowning, this is not true, according to a one swimming school. "When kids use them, they can become overly confident about their ability to stay safe in the water. They may slip them off during a break from swimming to dry off and then forget to put them back on before jumping back in the pool," hubbardswim.com reported. Don't rely on floats or water wings, invest in a life vest.

Install Alarms

Install alarms on your doors that lead to the pool or to the beach. You can install an alarm on the side of the pool or within a range of 200 feet. You can attach it to doors and gates and the alarm will go off and alert you in the house if the device has a monitor. Also, there are alarms that act like invisible fences. When a child or an animal crosses the field, the alarm will sound. There are wearable alarms, which are great when you are near a lake or at the beach. "This type of alarm only works with adult supervision. An alarm like the Safety Turtle Pool Alarm is worn by your child around his or her wrist. The alarm sounds when child’s wrist gets immersed in water," Swimming University found. Don't just rely on alarms to protect your family, use whatever tools you need for safety.

Never Leave Them Unsupervised

One of the top things that you can do for to make sure your kids remain safe? Never leave them unsupervised near a pool, hot tub or by a kiddie pool. While it is easy in the summer to become distracted, know that it just takes a few moments of not paying attention for there to be an accident. Put a designated watcher on duty to watch the kids. Take turns with parents to ensure that all kids are being taken care of. Doing this will allow everyone to have find feel less stressed about the risks. "Children under age of four should be supervised at arm's length, even if they can swim. Don't rely on air-filled or foam toys, such as water wings, noodles or inner tubes, to keep children safe," WebMD also recommended.

Be Leary of Swimming Lessons

"While some swim programs claim to teach water survival skills to children less than 12 months old, the evidence does not show that they are effective in preventing drowning," the American Academy of Pediatrics explained. Most children age four and older can learn to swim. However, lessons will not prevent drowning 100 percent, so you need to be cognizant of the risks. The organization emphasizes that children develop at different rates. Some children might not be ready. Although getting instruction is important, it is equally important for you to be trained in Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid, if there is an incident. If you are not a swimmer yourself, you need to take some kind of lessons. It could save your life and your child's life.

Beware of Pool Drains

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Singer Usher's 5-year-old son survived a near-drowning incident involving a pool drain in 2013."The force of a drain on a residential pool has a weight of at least 500 pounds," said Paul Pennington, founder and chairman of the Pool Safety Council, a non-profit advocacy group told the New York Daily News. "A parent can't lift 500 pounds off the ground." When children get too close to the drain their hair or body parts become trapped by the suction. Purchase drain covers to prevent this from happening. In the case of Usher's son, his toy fell to the bottom of the pool and he got stuck. The best bet in a scenario like this is to put your fingers between the child and the drain to loosen them away from from the suction. Although this story had a pleasant ending, not all kids are that fortunate. Make sure you purchase drain covers to prevent this from happening to you.