Along with cars, water presents the greatest danger to young children.  Pools, ponds, bathtubs, and even buckets of water can be silent killers.  While many parents might generally understand that drowning presents a hazard, they do not fully appreciate how quickly, and quietly, it can happen.  Young children do not splash or cry for help. Instead, they slip quietly beneath the surface, and irreversible brain damage can occur within seconds.  

    Even products that seem like safety devices can present serious hazards.  For instance, water wings and other inflation devices can give parents a false sense of security and make it more likely for them to take their eyes off their child, even for a moment.  Similarly, bathtub chairs, which hold babies upright in the tub, sometimes give parents the impression that it safe to leave a child unattended for a few moments.  These devices can tip over, and when they do, a child can drown in the few moments that his parents have stepped away.  

So follow these tips to help keep your kids safe around water.

    1.    NEVER leave your child unattended when he or she is in or around water -- even for a moment.

    2.    ALWAYS empty bathtubs and buckets after each use, and keep toilets covered.  

    3.    ALWAYS make sure that pools are completely surrounded by a fence with a childproof self-latching gate, and cover hot tubs with an approved, rigid cover.

    4.    ALWAYS make sure a child wears an approved flotation device when on or around a boat.

    5.    Enroll your child in swimming and water safety classes at an early age.  3 and 4 years olds can learn to swim with proper instruction.  The best way to prevent drownings is to learn to swim.  Even when young children have become proficient swimmers, however, close adult supervision is still necessary.

    6.    Learn CPR and, if using other caretakers, make sure they know CPR as well.

    7.    Talk to your children about the dangers of water.