Pediatricians, DPHHS offer water safety tips
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News from DPHHS
HELENA — With rising summertime temperatures, Montanans are expected to take advantage of the many water sport activities the state offers. DPHHS and the American Academy of Pediatricians provide tips to help keep children safe when around water and layers of protection against drowning:
— Always be watching. Close, constant, attentive supervision around water is important. Assign an adult ‘water watcher,’ who should not be distracted by work, socializing, or chores.
— Everyone, children and adults, should wear US Coast Guard-approved life jackets whenever they are in open water, or on watercraft.
— All children and adults should learn to swim.
— Around the house, empty all buckets, bathtubs and wading pools immediately after use. If you have young children, keep the bathroom door closed, and use toilet locks to prevent access.
— Pools should be surrounded by a four-sided fence, with a self-closing and self-latching gate. Research shows pool fencing can reduce drowning risk by 50%. Additional barriers can include door locks, window locks, pool covers and pool alarms.
— Adults and older children should learn CPR.
— Parents and teens should understand how using alcohol and drugs increases the risk of drowning while swimming or boating.
DPHHS provides additional tips on how to keep children safe at home:
— Never leave a baby alone or with young siblings in a bathtub even for a second.
— Always keep baby within arm’s reach. Children can drown quickly and silently.
— Keep the toilet lid down, and keep young children out of the bathroom when unsupervised.
