We are water safety experts from the National Drowning Prevention Alliance! Ask us anything about keeping kids safe near water!

@ajamure Wow, tough one! You'll hate this, but it depends. If you are with children with lifesaving skills (they can control their breathing, float and traverse a distance), then you can likely supervise several children at a time. If the children have no lifesaving swim skills, then one on one is best. It is helpful if there is a lifeguard at the pool as a back-up just in case someone gets out of sight, but you are wise not to rely on a lifeguard for primary supervision. You'll also want another adult to give you a break after a while. Good supervision can be exhausting. Good luck!
 
@prepared4all Hello! What to say to grandparents who are dismissive about water safety? My husbands parents roll their eyes anytime I tell them they need to fence in their pool and they act like toddler proofing the pool is not worth the time or money since she’s not visiting them every month. I tell them that the reason our 3 yr old daughter isn’t visiting them at their house more often is because the pool is completely open and accessible from a sliding door. They are older doctors who act like they know more than me because of their occupation and they keep saying that these drowning deaths happen only because parents aren’t paying attention well enough to their children and if we keep an eye on our child at all times(24/7) then she should be fine and no need for pool protection. It literally enrages me that they act like it’s not important to toddler proof the pool and I don’t know what else to say to try convince them to fence in their pool besides just saying nothing and refusing to take her to see them at their house.
 
@dmbtiger I am convinced my son saved his cousin’s life when he was two. There were three adults to two kids (!). I had eyes on my son the whole time and if I got out, I made sure one of my parents knew they were responsible. My niece was there too - and on the other side of the pool with my mom (it was me, my parents, my son, my niece - both of them were 2 years old).

My dad and I were playing with my son when he pointed across the pool. My niece was bobbing up and down in 4 ft of water while my mom was ON HER DAMNED PHONE about 15 feet away. I have NO idea what the hell she was thinking. I was able to get over to her and get her out and she laughed. My parents thought I was overreacting that she was in trouble. But I am convinced my son saved her life.

I do not let anyone but my husband and I take my son to a pool or ocean now. Not my parents, not my sister, not my in-laws. Nope.
 
@dmbtiger I'm sorry to hear this. Maybe take a few moments to share with them the facts about drowning. We find that most physicians don't know the true facts about drowning, especially that drowning is the leading cause of death for children 1-4 and that over 70% of toddler drownings happen during non-swimtimes. This is why barriers and alarms that lead to the pool area are critical. You may also want to consider enrolling your child in water competency lessons so they can learn basic skills such as floating, just incase they make it to the water. You can learn more at ndpa.org/firstsport about swim lessons for young children and about the 5-layers of protection.
 
@curious1101 Great question! A non-swim time is when a child was not expected to be around the water. It is unplanned access to an environment where water is present.
 
@hashe How paranoid should I be at the Y leaving my 3.5 year old in their childcare with a pool?

My plan was to tell her every single time she is not to go to the pool nor to leave the childcare area by herself at all. As well as telling her she is never allowed to swim unless mom or dad put her in her suit and take her.

Anything else I can do other than more swim lessons?
 
@paul3993 I don’t work at the Y, but I do work at a different gym in the childcare center. We have magnetically locked gates at the entrance and kids cannot just leave the childcare area on their own (the person at the desk would get fired if a kid escaped). It’s also a completely separate area from the pool. A child would have to escape the magnetic gates, go through the childcare lobby doors, get through the hallway, walk all the way through the locker rooms, open a heavy door, and walk across the pool deck without getting noticed/stopped to get to the water. I assume the Y has a similar setup? It would be a big liability risk if kids were able to get to the pool from the childcare center. I would definitely tour the facility and ask though!
 
@paul3993 Never ever hesitate to ask questions about any childcare center or camp's safety practices. It is your right as a parent to know and understand the safety precautions they have in place. As @kevinm1984 states, they should have a plan in place to ensure that no child can wander to the pool area of the facility. Barriers and restricting access are super important and the Y should have proper protections. Be sure to ask them what steps they have taken and never hesitate to make your concerns known. So many parents assume that every facility has a thorough safety plan in place (as the facility should), but we encourage every parent to inquire about this! You can learn more about the 5-layers of protection to reduce the risk of drowning at www.NDPA.org/firstsport
 
@curious1101 My guess would be that it's when a toddler wanders off and falls into a body of water or drowns in the bathtub. I would think "swim time" is time when the caregivers are saying "alright, now we're going to go swimming!"
 
@paulgilldrums We are familiar with this technology. We, as NDPA, don't recommend or endorse any specific technology as we don't conduct independent product testing, and some new technologies don't have standards just yet. We are super supportive of new technology for drowning identification and detection as these systems can be future game changers. However, there is no single way to complete eliminate drowning. We see this as an additional layer of protection to make the environment safer, but don't rely on only one layer of protection. Visit NDPA.org/layers to learn more!
 
@prepared4all What’s the best way to stop my 2yo swallowing water. He opens his mouth as he goes under. My husband thinks experience but that doesn’t seem right to me.

He went to baby swim but had too many ear infections to continue so we’re starting from pretty much scratch at 2.5.
 
@lind1975 This is a great question and a common issue with young children. I recommend researching what swim lesson options are available in your local community. You may want to find an instructor specializing in working with young children (ages 1-4). Finding the right instructor and program can make all of the difference!
 
@prepared4all Statistically how does the US compare to other countries? I’m Australian and these figures seem quite shocking, in the 90’s there was a massive campaign called “do the five stay alive” along with strict laws around pool ownership, since then there has been a decline in drowning deaths. Most children are taught to swim from birth and Australian schools have swimming lessons, the campaign and law changes changed Australias culture around water. Anecdotally a lot of the child drownings I see on the news tend to be tourists that don’t understand water safety.
 
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