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Drowning prevention 🛟

  • drnatprevatt
  • Jul 21
  • 3 min read

World drowning Prevention day is a global advocacy day highlighting the impact of drowning. We dont talk enough about water safety - and perhaps because of our UK weather our children are often unprepared for the pool.


Drowning is in the top 5 causes of death for all children across the world, and in children travelling from the UK it's the second biggest killer.


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Fenced pool


For every child that drowns, another 6 or 7 near-drown and they may be left with severe neurodisability from the brain being starved of oxygen.

Whilst over 90% of drowning and disability occurs in open bodies of water and storage vessels in the low and middle income countries -in the UK child context most of these accidents are in swimming pools. So whilst we need to be extra careful with kids in the sea because the waves are unpredictable, we also need to be ready to protect children from drowning in swimming pools and hot tubs.


See below for my evidence based safety tips.


 🛟 Drowning prevention has to start long before your holiday:


The place:

  • Make sure there is a fence with latching gate (at least 1.2 m (4 feet) high) around the hotel pool, if not don’t stay there with young children, it's a big risk.

  • Your accomodation should not have direct access from your room to the pool.

  • Your accomodation should not have direct access from the play area to the pool.

  • Consider staying only in hotels with lifeguards 🏊‍♂️


The child:

  • Enrol your child in swimming lessons as early as possible

  • At a minimum teach them how to float, hold onto the side and climb put of the pool

  • Know how to resuscitate a drowned child

  • Know how to call for an ambulance locally

  • Take authorised floatation jackets not arm bands on holiday if your child can't yet swim. Life jackets are designed to return children to a face up position 🦺


Arm Bands can deflate, fall off, or cause tipping. They are not certified safety devices.
Arm Bands can deflate, fall off, or cause tipping. They are not certified safety devices.

If your child banged their head and became unconscious at least a life jacket should have them eventually floating face up, arm bands could put them floating face down.


🛟 If you have older kids who can swim well:


  • Tell them never to swim alone

  • Teach them to check water depth markings or lack of them (so they never dive in shallow water- high risk of spinal cord injury).

  • Teach them to check around the pool for hazards before they enter

  • Tell them not to use hot tubs alone (hair can get caught in the cleaning vents and pull them under) 

  • Teach them to float instead of panic should they get into difficult water, it might save their life (see RNLI float to live videos)



 🛟 If you have kids who can't swim well:

Around the pool:

  • Tell children to wait for permission to enter the water

  • Don’t assume the pool is safe- check for hazards like slippery surfaces &broken vents

  • Remove toys from the pool after use to discourage children from reaching in

  • Don’t rely on older children to supervise younger ones

  • Never leave a child alone in or near a pool; not to pay for drinks, not to pop to the loo, not to read your book!

  • Never supervise under the influence of alcohol, this has been shown to be a risk for drowning - as even one drink delays parents reaction times🍸

    and It only takes 2 minutes to drown


In the pool:

  • Practice ‘touch supervision’ meaning you should be always within touching distance of anyone who can’t swim well 

  • Use floatation jackets bearing N or EN for the right age group, weight & chest size so you know they provide adequate buoyancy for their weight.

  • Don't use arm bands and pool floatation toys to keep them afloat, these are just toys.

 


All the best,

Dr Prevatt


 
 
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