By Amit Jain, MD FAAP MBA | Pediatrician

Summer has arrived, offering the perfect opportunity to enjoy the sun and water. Dive into these water safety tips for a fun and safe experience!

Water Safety Tips

Swimming is a great way to beat the summer heat here in Arizona and is a fun, healthy way to enjoy summer. However, water safety and drowning prevention are critical. Drowning is a very common cause of accidental, injury related deaths. Kids between 1 and 4 are at the highest risk.

General Pool Safety Tips

• Never leave children alone – even for a moment – in or near pool areas or other bodies of water (lakes, beaches, and even bathtubs or buckets of water!)
• If an unexperienced swimmer is near the pool, make sure there is a designated adult for supervision. This adult should not be under the influence of alcohol or anything else, should not have any distractions (cell phone turned off or handed to another adult), and preferably knows how to swim and perform CPR.

Home Pool Safety Tips

• Talk to your pool operator to make sure your pool / spa and its drains are compliant with the pool and spa safety act.
• Install a fence at least 4 feet tall around the pool, which should ideally surround the pool on all sides and completely separate the pool from your home and yard. It should not have any gaps that a small child could slip over, under, or through.
• The gate should be a self-closing and self-latching gate that cannot be opened / reached by a small child.
• Newer technology offers alarms, both for the gate and the pool that alerts you to anyone around the pool.
• Keep rescue equipment such as a shepherd’s hook and a life preserver to reach / throw for rescues.
• Avoid inflatable swim aids such as floaties, as they are not a substitution for proper life-preserving equipment such as life jackets.

Swimming Lessons

• Start swimming lessons early! Consider lessons for your child around age 1, but definitely by age 4. It may reduce the risk of drowning. Some neighborhoods that have pools have frequent swim classes for all ages.
• Infant swim lessons are not advised because there is no evidence that swim lessons reduce a child’s risk of drowning under age 1 year old.

 Lastly, your NOAH pediatric team wishes you a safe and relaxing remainder of your summer!