[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/05\/drowning-prevention-tips\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/05\/drowning-prevention-tips\/","headline":"Summer Safety: 10 Critical Tips to Prevent Drowning","name":"Summer Safety: 10 Critical Tips to Prevent Drowning","description":"Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in children younger than 14. Learn more about how you can keep your children safe. ","datePublished":"2017-05-30","dateModified":"2025-05-27","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/emergency-medicine","name":"Trauma & Emergency Medicine","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/emergency-medicine","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/trauma-emergency-medicine\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/drowning-prevention-tips.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/drowning-prevention-tips.jpg","height":325,"width":752},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/05\/drowning-prevention-tips\/","about":["Safety"],"wordCount":713,"keywords":["drowning","emergency medicine","safety","trauma","water safety"],"articleBody":"For millions of children, summertime means warm weather, summer camps,\u00a0pools, and beach vacations. The summer months may also bring an increase in the number of children in emergency departments and trauma care units, particularly due to water injury. In fact, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in children under the age of 14, with an estimated 1,100 to 1,400 deaths per year in the United States.Two-thirds of drowning deaths happen between May and August. But the right preventive steps can help keep your family safe around the water. Prepare your family for summer with these safety tips.Drowning Prevention TipsUp to 90% of drowning victims are within 10 yards of safety at the time of drowning. Ensure all young children are properly monitored.Small children should never be unattended around any body of water: pools, bathtubs, lakes, and more.Be aware of streams, creeks, ponds, ditches, and other small bodies of water on or near your property. Standing water left in buckets, wading pools, bathtubs, and toilets can also be dangerous to toddlers.Water safety courses can help young children, but they do not replace the need for supervision around water.Parents, guardians, and babysitters should be trained in CPR.Swimming pools should be enclosed by a four-sided fence that is at least 5 feet tall and separates the pool from the house. Pool fence gates should be self-closing and self-latching. They should be located on the side of the fence closest to the pool and be out of reach for small children. Complete pool fence enclosures reduce drownings by 50%.Do not rely on pool covers to keep children safe. They are not an adequate way of keeping children out of the pool.All people in a boat or other watercraft should wear an approved personal flotation device.If you or your child are unable to swim or unsure of your swimming abilities, wear a flotation device anytime you’re around a body of water.Children’s \u201cwater wings” are not a dependable flotation device and not a substitute for adult supervision.Dry Drowning and Secondary DrowningThe words \u201cdry” and \u201cdrowning” seem at odds with one another. Yet, this rare occurrence already has taken the lives of children over the years. Both dry and secondary drowning occur after someone has left the water (post-immersion).Dry drowning affects the vocal cords and throat. Inflammation in the vocal cords prevents normal breathing and results in less oxygen. Secondary drowning refers to water in the lungs. Both can occur by inhaling water through the nose or mouth.As a parent, your concern isn’t worrying about the difference between the two. Instead, focus on being in tune with your child’s behavior, staying mindful that they recently had exposure to water, and watching for symptoms.Medical professionals tend not to use the terms dry or secondary drowning, but the terms still persist in the public as ways to explain atypical drowning.SymptomsDry drowning and secondary drowning share the same symptoms. They include:Chest painCoughingDifficulty breathingIrritabilityLow energySleeplessnessVomitingIf your child has experienced a near drowning episode, it’s important to keep a watchful eye for up to 24 hours after the time of the incident.Medical treatment for dry and secondary drowningTreatment for any kind of drowning depends on the timeline of events and specific symptoms. Ultimately, medical professionals work to restore breathing and getting oxygen into the body.Difficulty breathing is always an emergency. Stay calm and seek emergency treatment immediately.What about dry drowning in adults?Dry and secondary drowning can happen in adults, but it’s more likely in children because of their size.Teenagers are more likely to experience these incidents that are related to drugs and alcohol, so talking to your older kids about risks and responsibility can prevent avoidable tragedies while boating, tubing, water skiing, surfing, and cliff diving.However, if a person of any age exhibits the severe symptoms listed above \u2014 especially difficulty breathing \u2014 it is an urgent situation. If you are unsure what to do or where to go, call your pediatrician, family doctor or internist \u2014 whatever practice provides primary care to the patient \u2014 for advice.Editor's Note: This article was originally published on May 30, 2017, and was last reviewed on April 15, 2022."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2017","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"05","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/\/05\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Summer Safety: 10 Critical Tips to Prevent Drowning","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2017\/05\/drowning-prevention-tips\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]