By Reyna Crooms
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Accidental drowning is the most common cause of death for children under four, but there are steps families can take to help avoid a fatal accident.
It is something read in the news often: a child passing away because of drowning. The second group most at risk for drowning are teenagers who are 15-19 years old.
Some Wilmington City pools are set to open on June 1, which is why Dr. Erin Adonnino with Wilmington Health Pediatrics is giving tips families can follow this summer.
“Unfortunately, drowning happens far too often than I think it should. In the United States, 5,400 children die each year from drowning. Of each child that dies, there are seven children or teenagers that go to an emergency room or hospital to recover from non-fatal drowning,” said Adonnino.
There are different life vests for different water activities, and making sure your child has the right one is important when it comes to keeping them safe.
More information about finding the right life vest can be found here. Dr. Adonnino also wants parents to know that the arm floaties made for younger children are not enough, especially if the child can not swim.
Life vests should be brightly colored and not blue. Vests should be U.S. Coast Guard approved with a stamp that says so on the inside. Make sure the vest is in the right weight range for your child. When the vest is on, you should be able to zip it up and secure the buckles fully.
To ensure the vest fits properly you can have your child lift their arms above their hit and gently tug on the shoulders of the vest. If it comes above the ears then the life vest is too big.
Dr. Adonnino says following a few guidelines can decrease the likelihood of accidental drowning. She says a life vest alone can not prevent drowning and people should always use a buddy system when in the water.
“The biggest thing is making sure we are keeping our children and teenagers safe. We need to have a responsible adult watching them at all times. That is not an adult who is also taking part in conversations with other adults at the party it’s someone whose sole job is to watch children in the pool. Because it does not take very long for something to go wrong,” said Adonnino.
She says parents should sign their children up for swim lessons and do what they can to get them acclimated with the water. More information about a free swim lesson happening in June can be found here.
“Studies have shown that after the age of one is effective in helping children to learn swimming skills. When we are looking at the toddler ages it’s more of a family learning event where families are learning things about water safety,” said Adonnino. “Around age four is when children can actually learn swimming skills or learn how to do things like front crawl or swim themselves to a safe exit to get out of the water.”