A child or weak swimmer can drown in the time it takes to reply to a text, check a fishing line or apply sunscreen. Death and injury from drownings happen every day in home pools and hot tubs, at the beach or in oceans, lakes, rivers and streams, bathtubs, and even buckets.

The hard facts about drowning:

• Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children between 1 and 4 years old.
• It’s the third leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children 19 and under.
• Children less than a year old are more likely to drown at home in the bathtub or a bucket.

Tips to keep your children safe:

Watch kids when they are in or around water, without being distracted. Actively supervise children without distractions such as reading or talking on the phone.

Empty tubs, buckets, containers and kids’ pools immediately after use. Young children can drown in as little as one inch of water. Empty and store these items upside down and out of children’s reach.

Close lids and doors. Keep toilet lids and doors to bathrooms and laundry rooms closed when not in use.

Install fences around home pools. A pool fence should surround all sides of the pool and be at least four feet tall with self-closing and self-latching gates.

Choose a Water Watcher when swimming in a pool or open body of water. When there are several adults present, choose one to be responsible for watching children in or near the water for a certain period of time, such as 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, select another adult to be the Water Watcher.

Teach children how to swim. Every child is different, so enroll children in swim lessons when they are ready. Things to consider include age, development and how often they are around water.

For more water safety information and tips visit https://www.safekids.org/poolsafety.