Children love water and love to play in water.
Children should be supervised at all times around any body of water.
Kidsafe NSW Inc. has identified drowning as the number one cause of death for children under five. For every drowning, approximately three other children are hospitalised from near fatal drowning incidents. Some of these near misses have resulted in children experiencing brain damage.
Always supervise children from within arm's reach when they are near:
- Swimming pools, including inflatable and portable pools
- Indoor and outdoor spas
- Bath tubs
- Containers filled with water
- Rivers, creeks and beaches
- Dams, water tanks and lakes
In addition, other house hold water environments that are a potential risk can include:
- Fountains and water features
- Pets' drinking water bowls
- Fish ponds
- Buckets/ watering cans filled with water
- Toilets
Older siblings should not be relied upon to supervise younger children. Children should not be given this responsibility.
It is important for all family members to learn infant and child cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
All children should begin swimming lessons from an early age.
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