Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital

Tips for Parents

Preventing a Tragedy this Summer

When you think of summer sun, many picture a swimming pool full of happy lively children having a good time. But that good time can turn tragic if adults are not careful.

Because drowning is the third-leading cause of injury-related deaths for children one to 17 years of age in Harris County, Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital and the Houston/Harris County Child Fatality Review Team want to make sure your child does not become a statistic.

Following are some easy and yet important tips for parents regarding water safety.

Tips

Make sure an adult is constantly watching young children when swimming or playing in or around any type of water.
Do not read, play cards, talk on the phone, mow the lawn, or do any other distracting activity while watching children in the bathtub, in a pool, or at a beach.
Teach children of all ages to swim only with a buddy.
Keep small children away from buckets containing even the smallest amount of liquid.
Empty buckets when households chores are done.
Install a four sided, isolation fence with self closing and self latching gates around swimming pools.
Prevent children from having direct access from the house or yard to a swimming pool
When boating, kids and adults should always wear Coast Guard approved personal floatation devices (life preservers).
Children who do not know how to swim should ALWAYS wear a life preserver and be closely supervised whenever they are even near water.