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Home > Safety Basics > Big Kids (5-9 years) > At Play
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Drowning Prevention for Big Kids At Play

While your child may know how to swim better than when he was younger, swim lessons are not a substitute for active supervision.

Childhood drownings and near-drownings can happen in a matter of seconds. They typically occur when a child is left unattended or during a brief lapse in supervision. 

Whether he’s in a backyard swimming pool, at a community center or in the ocean, always actively watch your child in and around water.

Safety TipTop tips

In the bathroom:

  • Never leave children unattended in a tub or other body of water, even if they have learned how to swim.
  • Keep doors to bathrooms and laundry rooms closed.

In the pool and hot tub:

  • Do not allow children to swim alone.
  • Install four-sided isolation fencing, at least five feet high and equipped with self-closing and self-latching gates, around a home pool or spa.
  • Learn CPR and keep rescue equipment, a telephone and emergency numbers poolside.
  • Install multiple drains in all pools, spas, whirlpools and hot tubs. This minimizes the suction of any one drain, reducing risk of death or injury
  • Install a door alarm, a window alarm or both to alert you if a child wanders into the pool area unsupervised.

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Safety Tools

There are many tools that parents can use to help to keep children safe from injuries. Many of them are affordable and can be found at many stores.

What you'll need:

Pool fencing Pool fencing
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