Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury related death among children ages 1 –14.

Most drownings and near drownings happen in home swimming pools and in open water sites (such as lakes, ponds, or rock quarries). However, children can drown in as little as one inch of water and can drown in wading pools, bathtubs, buckets, diaper pails, toilets, spas and hot tubs.

More than half of drownings among infants (under age 1) happen in bathtubs. Most children who drown in swimming pools had been missing from sight less for than five minutes.

Prevention Tips

• Never leave a child unsupervised (not watched by an adult) in or around water.
• Empty water containers right away after use and store out of reach of children.
• Never depend on a personal flotation device (PFD) or swimming lessons to protect your child from drowning.

For More Information

National Safe Kids
The National SAFE KIDS Campaign is the only national non-profit organization dedicated solely to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury — the number one killer of children ages 14 and under.

Related Programs and Services

Child Safety Injury Prevention Program