Tips for keeping children safe in water

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Whether it's a pool, a lake or the beach, practicing water safety should be top of mind, especially when children are around.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death for children one to four years old, and the second leading cause of death for kids between five to 14 years old.

"It only takes one inch of water for a child to drown -- that's about how big your nose is," says Valley Children's Hospital Water Safety Coordinator Mary Jo Quintero. "So if you're down flat in a body of water and you can't get your head out so that your nose can allow you to get oxygen in and C02 out, then a drowning is going to happen."

It's during the summer months when the program starts its water safety campaigns.

A CDC graph shows that from 2018 to 2022, summertime is when drownings start to rise.

For the past five years, July has remained the month when there are the most drownings.

"Sometimes, drownings happen because of a miscommunication about who's supposed to be watching the children," Quintero said.

This is where the ABCs of Water Safety come in, and it needs to be used near any of body of water.

A stands for adult supervision. One adult has the task of watching the children in the water, with no distractions like a cell phone or magazine.

B stands for barrier. This could look like a fence around a pool. If you're at a big body of water, it could be anything that can buy you time to get to a child in a dangerous water scenario, such as a life jacket approved by the US Coast Guard.

Quintero stresses that swim vests, kick boards or arm floaties aren't recognized as safe personal floatation devices.

"They look cute and people like them, but they are not something that is going to necessarily save your child's life," she said.

Quintero says water competency will save a child's life, which is learned through C - classes.

Kids can start classes as young as one so they get familiar with being in the water.

By sharing the ABCs of Water Safety, Valley Children's hopes parents use them to keep children safe this summer.

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