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Water Safety For Kids
Although water recreation provides hours of enjoyment and exercise for children, water and children can be a deadly mix.
Infants less than 1 year old drown in bathtubs, buckets, or toilets most often, while the majority of child drownings between ages 1 to 4 occur in residential swimming pools.
Older children drown more often in open bodies of water.
What You Can Do
Prevention begins with you! There are a few easy steps that you can take to make sure kids are safe in and around water:
- Always keep your eyes on your children when they are playing in or near the water.
- Install fencing around all sides of a home pool or spa. The fencing should be at least five feet high and have self-closing and self-latching gates.
- Always wear a life jacket when on a boat, near open bodies of water or when taking part in water sports.
- Make sure the life jacket fits properly and is approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
- Teach your children to swim after age 4.
- Never dive into water that is less than nine feet deep.
5/5/08
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