The results of an investigation conducted in Spain (21 Spanish hospitals) revealed that in 6 out of 10 cases the child was in a private environment (swimming pools) and in 8 out of 10 their parents had left them alone or briefly failed to supervise.
According to a June 2016 report from Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen program and the baby safety group Safe Kids Worldwide, founded by Children’s National Health System, one in five parents left their child alone in the bathtub or pool and 2 in 5 admit to being distracted while their child was in the tub.
Young children are not drown-proof when they are swimming or using a float. Things happen, so we call it an accident. It is necessary to prevent and not underestimate our attention span.
How many times do situations like the ringing of the cell phone, the doorbell, forgetting the towel in the room, someone calling, etc. happen while you are bathing a child?
How many times in pool houses do parents leave just to quickly get a glass of water?
And how many times have you walked away from your child thinking that it wouldn’t take long, or didn’t even think that in that time something might happen?
But these situations don’t only happen to others…
Prevention work should begin with parents, in their attitudes towards their children when they are in or near the water.
It is important that children in swimming lessons understand their abilities and what they can and cannot do, in order to be able to report to situations that will later be experienced outside the classroom.
Starting by respecting the water, and the classmates, learning when it is safe and what can happen when the rules are broken. Knowing that you cannot enter the water, in any situation, without an adult present is the first and most fundamental of the rules of prevention.
Swimming lessons are not just for learning to swim, they play a very important role in children’s aquatic education. Look for a school that has a water safety and prevention program.

Prevent it! Your child’s life cannot wait!