Surfer Bethany Hamilton knows the pain of losing a loved one to a bathtub drowning. Fifteen months ago, Bethany’s three-year-old nephew died after drowning in a bathtub. According to the family’s donation page, the toddler was sick and soaking in a bathtub with six inches of water just 15 feet away from the kitchen and living room. The page stated, “He was found unconscious--which is baffling as he's the strongest child of his 5 siblings at that age and an amazing swimmer, even in the open ocean.”

Sophia Price, trauma injury prevention specialist at Cook Children’s, offers tips to follow at bathtime:

1. Always ensure an adult stays at the side of the tub, in reach of the child, as this is too big of a responsibility for siblings.
2. Avoid multi-tasking such as talking on the phone, washing clothes, preparing dinner or anything that will cause a distraction from bathing the child.
3. Always be prepared by making sure to gather all bathtub essentials such as towels, soap, lotion and toys prior to bathing the child, so that the child is not left alone in the tub.
4. If you must leave the bathroom during bathtime, wrap the child in a towel and take them with you. If there are other children in the house, be sure to secure the door to the bathroom.
5. When bathtime is finished, be sure to drain the tub of all water, and remove all toys.
6. Use safe proof items to secure the bathroom door to prevent children from accessing the bathroom without an adult.

Drowning is preventable, and we want to help your children stay safe. Learn more about how to keep your family safe during bath time with our Lifeguard Your Child campaign.

“A drowning can occur in any body of water at any time,” said Jillian Mitchell, community health program coordinator at Cook Children’s Health Care System.

Mitchell explains that data shows infants have the greatest risk for drowning inside the home, while children ages 1-4 have the greatest risk for drowning overall. Cook Children’s has developed strategic partnerships and efforts to inform and educate families on water safety.

“After seeing that a majority of drownings were occurring during a planned swim time, it became clear that strong messaging around adult supervision is key,” said Mitchell.

Eighty-eight percent of drownings occur with at least one adult present. The “Lifeguard Your Child” program teaches parents how to create a safety plan for children anytime they are around water.

Those tips include:

• Designate an adult Water Watcher to ensure constant visual supervision of children in and around water.
• Implement 15-minute shifts for Water Watchers.
• No Distractions: The Water Watcher must have no distractions, including conversations, phones, reading, or consuming alcohol.

“We know that distractions are a key component of unintentional injuries around planned swim time, so sharing these messages are strong reminder that drowning-related injuries and fatalities are preventable with non-distracted supervision,” said Mitchell.

Swim Lessons

Learning to swim can reduce drownings by more than 80%. Cook Children’s recognizes there is a disparity in access to swim lessons and saw an opportunity to collaborate with swim schools in the community. As a result, free Water Safety lessons are provided in select areas in under-resourced neighborhoods through community partnerships.

“By committing to taking a multi-layered strategic approach, the goal is to encourage safer choices in and around open water activities,” said Mitchell.

It is not just pools but ponds and lakes where water safety is important, and life jackets can help. Cook Children’s has a partnership with the Brazos River Authority in Granbury and Possum Kingdom Lake to provide water safety education at local schools and camps. The efforts extend into more than a dozen counties with loaner life jacket stations that Cook Children’s has built and supports.

“We hope to instill the importance of choosing the safest floatation device for their child,” said Mitchell. She adds that life jackets are not a substitute for supervision.

Choosing the right life vest:

• If the lifejacket does not say “U.S. Coast Guard-Approved” or “USCG approved,” you can assume it is not safe. Always check the label.
• As your child grows, the lifejacket needs to meet their new weight.
• Get a new lifejacket if there are rips and tears or if the straps are fraying.
• Do not rely on floats or other toys to keep children safe.
•  Always assign an adult water watcher when children are swimming, even if they are fitted with a life vest.

Water safety is year-round

Mitchell adds that water safety continues well into the winter months.  Drowning can happen in only an inch or two of water, just enough to cover your child’s nose and mouth.  Last year, Cook Children’s saw an uptick in bath-related drownings.

“We know that bath-related drownings are 100% preventable,” said Mitchell. “Much of our education focuses heavily on behavior change around preparedness, 100% adult supervision, and general safety concepts.”

Bathtub safety tips:

1. Ensure an adult stays at the side of the tub within reach of the child throughout the entire bath. This is too big of a responsibility for siblings and other children, so don’t ask them to take over for you. 
    
2. Avoid multitasking. Preparing dinner, folding laundry, or any other housekeeping tasks can and must wait until after the bath is over.
    
3. Ignore distractions like the doorbell or cell phones. Stepping or looking away from your child for even a few seconds can put them at risk of drowning.
    
4. Be prepared. Keep a towel and bath supplies close at hand, so you do not need to get up and leave during bath time. 
    
5. Treat every bath as a time to relax and bond with your baby or toddler. Bath toys like foam letters, animals that shoot water, and waterproof books are a great way to make the bathtub more fun and teach your child new things at the same time! 
    
6. Safety proof your home to prevent young children from accessing the bathroom without an adult. The more barriers in place, the safer your child will be.
    
7. If you absolutely have to leave during bath time, swaddle your child in a towel and bring them with you. 
    
8. Remove all toys and drain the tub immediately after each use.

Summer has begun, which means more outdoor activities and finding ways to cool down. Cook Children's Health Care System experts share tips for parents on how to keep children safe and prepared for the heat, from cooling down at the pool to summer travel safety.

As the 4^th of July approaches, we are sharing the latest drowning data from Cook Children’s Health Care System. As of January 1 to June 18, there were 20 drownings treated at Cook Children’s, two of which were fatal. Most of these patients have been in the 5-year-old and under age group.

So far in 2025, there has been a decrease with 18 drownings and two fatalities. Most drownings in 2025 have occurred in a swimming pool or spa, second highest were bathtub-related.

While most drowning encounters were not fatal, drowning injuries can result in severe effects, especially on a child’s brain development. Drownings can happen silently and quickly. A submerged person might not attract attention or appear to be in danger.

Cool Down: Water safety and drowning prevention

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury and death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause for kids 5-14 in Texas.  Eighty-eight percent of drownings occur with at least one adult present. 

• Wear swimsuits with bright colors that are easily detectable in water.
• Designate an adult Water Watcher to ensure constant visual supervision of children in and around water.
• Implement 15-minute shifts for Water Watchers.
• No Distractions: The Water Watcher must have no distractions, including conversations, phones, reading, or consuming alcohol.
• Communication is key: Talk with all caregivers (family and friends) about your child’s swim ability or water competency skills.
• Never assume that adults will be watching, but rather verbally confirm it before leaving your child in their care.
• Barriers: Locks, alarms, and pool fences can help keep unsupervised young children from entering swimming pools.

Fun in the Sun: Boating Safety

The risk of drowning in open water triples at age 15. Setting safety expectations with the whole family ahead of time is paramount. Most drowning fatalities in natural water are not related to boating. Texas law requires that all children 13 and under wear a life jacket while on a boat. Cook Children's Health Care System supports over 60 Loaner Life Jacket Stations in North Texas lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. The goal is to make sure no child or adult drowns at a public lake because they did not have access to a life jacket.

• Make sure life jacket usage is mandatory, along with adult supervision.
• Toe In/Vest On Policy: If a toe is in the water, a life jacket goes on.
• Life Jackets: Must be U.S. Coast Guard-approved.
• When your life jacket is on, ensure that it is buckled on your child as directed.  Always. 
• Know water conditions before getting into open water. Water conditions in lakes and oceans can vary daily.  

Heat Safety

Spending too much time in the heat can lead to heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

• Stay hydrated: Water is best, but other fluids count if they do not include caffeine.
• Hot car danger: Make a habit of double-checking your backseat each time you get out of the car.
• Watch out for hot buckles on car seats, as these can cause burns on your child’s skin.
• Be aware of heat illness. Know the difference between heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Sun’s Out, Fun’s On

When it comes to sunburn, prevention is key. 

• Use a zinc oxide-based sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30.
• Cover skin with SPF clothing.
• Apply sunscreen generously and frequently, 15 minutes prior to sun exposure.
• Reapply sunscreen every two hours and after swimming.
• For infants: Keep them out of direct sunlight, especially during peak hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Keep their skin covered with lightweight pants, a lightweight, long-sleeved shirt, and a wide-brimmed hat. 
• Wear sunglasses: Look for sunglasses that protect your child’s eyes from at least 97% of the UV rays. 
• If you are worried about any burn, even if it seems minor, consult your child’s pediatrician.

Fireworks
Fireworks can cause severe injuries that are both harmful and painful to children. Children should never handle fireworks. Even seemingly harmless sparklers can heat up to more than 1,200 degrees, making them dangerous for young children.

• The safest way to enjoy fireworks is at a professional display.
• If setting off fireworks at home, adults should only set them off in a “kid-free” zone.
• Adults should not hold fireworks in their hands or keep any part of their body over them while lighting.
• Avoid accidental burns: keep children away from bonfires and grills.

Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 4, and the second leading cause for kids 1-14 in Texas. 88% of drownings occur with at least one adult present. 

That’s scary information, but there are steps you can take to help protect your child around water, whether it is swim time, unplanned time around water or even bath time:

1. Designate a Water Watcher to ensure constant visual supervision.

• Drowning occurs silently, so designate a Water Watcher to watch children in and around all water, even when a lifeguard is present. A Water Watcher should be in-reach of the children in the pool. The safest way is to be in the pool with them.
• A Water Watcher tag can be used to designate responsible adults to watch the water when you have a party at the pool, lake or beach. At social gatherings, 10-15 minute shifts are recommended. During that time, Water Watchers should not be distracted by conversations, cell phones, reading, etc.
• Stay alert. There isn’t a more important responsibility.

2. Keep backyards and bathrooms safe. 

• Dump all water buckets and empty kiddie pools when they are not in use.
• Install multiple barriers in areas leading to pools and spas: pool fences, self-closing, self-latching gates and door alarms.
• Keep pool area picked up and clear of toys and other items which might attract an unsupervised child.
• Never leave children unattended in the bathtub. Keep a towel and bath supplies close at hand, so you do not have to leave during bath time.
• Install safety latches on toilets

3. Wear lifejackets. 

• The single most important thing when it comes to open water safety is a life vest. Especially in murky water with a current, it can be the difference between life and death. If the lifejacket doesn’t say “ U.S. Coast Guard-Approved” or “USCG approved,” you can assume it’s not safe. Always check the label.
• As your child grows, the lifejacket needs to meet their new weight. Get a new lifejacket if there are rips and tears or if the straps are fraying.
• Do not rely on floats or other toys to keep children safe.

4. Sign up for CPR and swim lessons. 

• Studies show that formal swim lessons for children under age 4 reduce drowning by 88 percent.
• Take swim lessons with your child if you don’t know how to swim yourself. Even adults who are strong swimmers should never swim alone.
• Need help finding swim lessons? Check out this list of providers in the Tarrant County Area. If you’re not in Tarrant County, you may want to contact your local YMCA, Red Cross, or parks and recreation center for information in your area.
• Learning CPR can be the difference between life and death while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive. Check your local Red Cross and YMCA for CPR classes.

5. Have a safety plan in place. 

• If an emergency does happen, remember that seconds count. Call 911 immediately and then begin CPR while EMS is in route.
• Know water conditions before you get into open water. Water conditions in lakes and oceans can vary on a daily basis.

Related Stories

• Lifeguard Your Child: Prevent Bathtub Drownings 
• Lifeguard Your Child: Don’t Take a Vacation From Water Safety
• What Color Is Your Child's Swimsuit? Experts Say Choose Safety Over Fashion 
• In the Words of a Grieving Mother: Teenagers & Open Water Drowning 
• What's a Water Watcher Tag? How One Item in Every Household Can Help Prevent Drownings
• Checklist: Keeping Your Pool Safe for All Swimmers 
• Keeping Kids Afloat: Infant Swimming Resource Self-Rescue 
• Swim Lessons Save Lives: Answering Top Questions With a Professional Swim Instructor
• Try on for Size: Tips for Best Fit, Safe Practices for Wearing Life Jackets

It's the end of summertime, and that means it's time to get in one last vacation. With families taking trips over the Labor Day weekend, it is important to educate parents and caregivers on drowning prevention and safety outside of their normal environment. We talked to experts at Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth, about their advice when families travel out of their normal environment with children who will be around water.

“Parents have to be very vigilant. They need to use whatever locks and barriers that may be in place. Let the children know they are not supposed to go out to the water unless an adult is with them,” Sharon Evans, Trauma Injury Prevention Coordinator, said. 

Parents need to be prepared when it comes to their children being around water at their destination. Evans suggests parents buy traveling alarms to put on the doors that either buzz or siren when the door is open. Along with alarms, communicating with your partner is vital so that someone is always on watch. This can look like communicating taking naps separately. 

Even with putting safety measures and communication in place, be prepared and know CPR and the address in case there is need to call 911.

Evans addresses when children should start swim lessons by recognizing that each parent has to decide what is right for their child. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggest children start swimming lessons around the age of one year where they are learning how to be safe and float on their back in the water. Now is the perfect time to remind parents to choose safety over fashion when it comes to their children’s swimwear.

“There are studies showing brightly colored swimsuits are easier to see in the water than more mundane colors. It’s hard to keep your eyes on the child when they are jumping in and splashing around in the water, so any help with a brightly colored swimsuit or life vest would be a great help,” Evans said.

Whether you are traveling to an Airbnb or a family home, recognize that your child is going to explore whether you want them to or not. It is smart to become familiar with the new environment before they do.

“You want to become familiar with the environment first. What kind of access points can the child use?” Jillian Mitchell, Program Coordinator, Community Health, said.

Mitchell encourages parents to pack temporary locking devices for doors and gates. She also emphasizes that communicating with your children and setting expectations of what the trip will look like is important. When it comes to the water, Mitchell emphasizes that a child’s first interaction with water will be bath time as an infant at home. In order to help with the child’s interaction with water in other locations, like on vacation, parents should aim to make bath time a hands on and positive experience.

When you travel to the beach or the pool, Mitchell highlights that you get to choose where you sit. Knowing this information, it should be key in parents’ minds to position themselves where they can see their children.

“Try to sit near a lifeguard, in a designated swim area on vacation. That area is designated for a reason,” Mitchell said.

Two of Cook Children’s values are imagination and safety. For this scenario where families travel out of their normal environment, parents’ should focus on uncovering new solutions and discoveries when it comes to their children being around water, and creating an environment that is physically and psychologically safe for their kids. Learn more about how to lifeguard your child here.

Drowning is the number one cause of unintentional death in children ages 1-4. It only takes a second for a child to slip underwater, and oftentimes, babies and toddlers are unable to pull themselves up.  

It is vitally important to practice water safety not just in pools, oceans, and lakes, but also in the bathtub. Drowning can happen in only an inch or two of water—just enough to cover your child’s nose and mouth. 

Bathtub Safety Tips

Cook Children’s has seen an increase in bathtub drownings in the last few years, and we want to help you keep your little ones safe. We started the Lifeguard Your Child™ Campaign to spread water safety awareness far and wide, and we’ve shared some of our tried and true tips below: 

1. Ensure an adult stays at the side of the tub within reach of the child throughout the entire bath. This is too big of a responsibility for siblings and other children, so don’t ask them to take over for you. 
    
2. Avoid multitasking. Preparing dinner, folding laundry, or any other housekeeping tasks can and must wait until after the bath is over.
    
3. Ignore distractions like the doorbell or cell phones. Stepping or looking away from your child for even a few seconds can put them at risk of drowning.
    
4. Be prepared. Keep a towel and bath supplies close at hand, so you do not need to get up and leave during bath time. 
    
5. Treat every bath as a time to relax and bond with your baby or toddler. Bath toys like foam letters, animals that shoot water, and waterproof books are a great way to make the bathtub more fun and teach your child new things at the same time! 
    
6. Safety proof your home to prevent young children from accessing the bathroom without an adult. The more barriers in place, the safer your child will be.
    
7. If you absolutely have to leave during bath time, swaddle your child in a towel and bring them with you. 
    
8. Remove all toys and drain the tub immediately after each use.

The Importance of Family CPR Lessons

While we wish all cases of childhood drowning could be prevented, sometimes they can’t. And when they can’t, every second matters. If something goes wrong, quick, efficient CPR can be the difference between life and death while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive. 

Learning CPR is an important part of any family’s safety plan. We can’t stress enough the importance of being ready to act in critical situations. To sign up for classes, check with your local Red Cross or YMCA. 

Help Us Share the Message 

Now that you know all the ways to protect kids from drowning in the bathtub, help us spread the #LifeguardYourChild message. It takes a village, and together, we can save another child’s life. 

 

As families start their summer traveling, water safety vigilance is key at all ages and no matter where your family might be. Swimming pools, lakes and beaches all pose risks but with the right preparation, you can avoid tragic outcomes.

“Many families stay on rental properties with pools and they may not have a pool at home,” said Sharon Evans, trauma injury prevention coordinator. “Knowing ahead of time what questions to ask and the kind of barriers to put in place lowers the risk of a drowning event.”

Cook Children’s has already treated 10 drownings so far this year, one of which was fatal. Parents need to remember that 70%  of toddler drownings happen during unplanned swim time. This is when parents didn’t expect their child to be in or around the water. 

Ensuring the pool is completely secure after swimming for the day is extremely important. Remove all toys and floats from the pool area so children are not tempted to get close to the water. For above-ground pools, make sure the ladder is removed and not accessible when it’s not swimming time.

Staying Afloat with the Right Life Jacket

Evans says it is not always a matter of strong swimming. Especially with murky water, your child could hit his head on an object underneath and quickly become disoriented. That is why life jackets are a must at lakes and beaches. Texas state law requires all children under 13 years old to wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket on boats under 26 feet in length. With so many life jacket options, be sure you choose one that fits properly and is Coast Guard-approved.

A life jacket that is too big will cause the flotation device to push up around your child’s face but too small means it will not be able to keep your child’s body afloat. If there is excess room above the openings and the life jacket rides up over your child’s chin or face, it does NOT fit properly.

A snug fit in these areas signals a properly fitting life jacket. Do not buy a life jacket for your child to grow into – it must fit your child just right. Check the weight limits on the label – and try it on before getting in the water.

A Safe Day at the Beach

At beaches, pay close attention to the warning flags as they can change throughout the day. A red flag is a high hazard meaning high surf and/or strong currents. A yellow flag is a medium hazard meaning moderate surf and/or currents. A green flag is a low hazard meaning calm conditions, exercise caution. A purple flag means dangerous marine life spotted.

“The safest way to play at the beach is with a life jacket,” Sharon said. “Strong waves can come out of nowhere and pull a child down to the bottom causing you to quickly lose sight of them.”

Preparations to make before landing at your vacation spot:

• Check to see if the pool has barriers such as fencing.
• Ask if there are locks high up on doors leading to the outdoors and door alarms.
• Ask if there are dog/pet doors that have direct access to the pool area. Young children can fit through these doors without triggering the door alarm.
• Bring bright swimsuits for your children – choose swimsuit colors that do not blend into the body of water in which your child will be swimming. Light colors, like white or light blue, tend to blend into the swimming pool, making the child harder to see. Neon colors are more noticeable and contrast against the water at pools, lakes and beaches.
• When there are children around water, always designate a Water Watcher, an adult who is in charge of watching all children without any distractions.
• Pack water watcher tags for adults to wear at the pool.
• Refresh CPR and first aid skills.
• Bring portable door alarms and body alarms for additional layers of protection.
• Bring doorknob covers.

RELATED STORIES:

• What Color Is Your Child's Swimsuit? Experts Say Choose Safety Over Fashion (checkupnewsroom.com)
• Tips for Best Fit, Safe Practices for Wearing Life Jackets (checkupnewsroom.com)
• Pediatrician Shares Top Beach Vacation Tips (checkupnewsroom.com)
• Water Watcher Tag: 1 Item Can Help Prevent Drownings (checkupnewsroom.com)

Kids everywhere are counting down the days until they can take their first leap into the water for summer swim season, which has parents on the hunt for the perfect swimsuit. But before you purchase those cute swim trunks or that adorable suit for your little swimmer, it’s important to look beyond the latest fashion trends and consider safety, too.

Yes, a swimsuit’s color can be a safety hazard or help, according to water safety experts.

“The color of a swimsuit helps with visually keeping an eye on the child and being able to watch and make sure that they're obviously still moving and swimming in the water. Typically, we recommend bright colors,” said Kathryn Lammers, a professional swim instructor, owner of The Swim Lesson People and chair of Safe Kids North Texas - Fort Worth.

A video demonstrating the visibility of swimsuit colors in the water recently made a viral splash on social media and sparked a number of media stories. For good reason, experts say. A child’s swimsuit color is one of the many layers of protection parents and caregivers can use to help prevent drowning.

Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most drownings in children 1 to 4 happen in swimming pools, so it's important to be able to spot your child quickly. Cook Children’s has treated 10 drownings so far this year, one of which was fatal. 

Adult Water Watcher

Other layers of protection include teaching your child to swim, wearing Coast Guard-approved life jackets when in and around water, installing physical barriers and alarms to pools, ensuring your pool drain is fitted with a safety cover, learning CPR and, most importantly, closely watching your child when they are in and near water.

“It really goes back to that active supervision, no matter how many layers we put in place,” Lammers said. “We can teach swim lessons all day long, do CPR and have protective barriers. But those layers are there to help us if we have a lapse in supervision because, being a mom, we know that we're tasked with so many different things, and as much as we try to be vigilant and hypervigilant little things happen, but that active supervision is the most important.”

Water Watchers are adults designated to watch children who are in or around water at all times. They should have no distractions, this means no phone, magazines, books, eating, or conversing with friends.

Choosing a Swimsuit Color

Choose swimsuit colors that do not blend into the body of water in which your child will be swimming, be it a pool, lake or ocean. Consider the color of the bottom of the body of water. Is it light or dark? Think about how the swimsuit may appear or disappear both floating on top of the water or under the water when there is agitation, like splashing. Light colors, like white or light blue, tend to blend into the swimming pool, making the child harder to see.

Bottom line? Bright, contrasting, neon colors are the most visible in most bodies of water, according to tests performed by aquatic safety experts from Alive Solutions. Neon yellow, green and orange are the winners in pools with dark bottoms and in lakes. Neon pink, yellow and orange win out in light-bottomed pools.

“They just stand out better,” said Jillian Mitchell, child safety program coordinator for the Center for Community Health, led by Cook Children’s. “If they're wearing blue or green or even like a muted purple, those kinds of colors, they kind of blend in and are harder to see. So it might make a difference as far as noticing a child at the bottom of the pool for too long, or they're not playing anymore and may be in trouble.”

The same goes for life jackets, especially in the lake. It’s much easier for a boater to spot a swimmer or fallen skier who is wearing a neon orange or yellow life jacket than it is for them to see a black life jacket in murky water.

Mitchell says parents should consider a few other swim season fashion factors, too. For young children whose swim skills are still developing, choose suits without frilly and dangly design features that could become entangled in a pool toy or an old pool drain that does not meet current safety standards. Pull long hair back with a hair tie or braid to keep their faces clear while in the water.

“Think about your environment and what that entails,” Mitchell said. “If you're going to the beach, especially later in the season, the sand is hot so you want to protect your child's feet with well-fitted water shoes that are safe for that age. I'm not going to say no one should wear flip flops, but understand where your child is developmentally and what's going to prevent them from tripping and falling.”

Other tips for splashing safely:

• Before you let your child loose in the water, have them practice wearing anything they plan to wear while swimming, like water shoes and life jackets, so they get used to the fit, feel and function of the item in the water.
• If your little one wears a long-sleeve swimsuit or cover up, don’t forget to put sunscreen on their hands.
• Be cautious about allowing kids to swim in attire other than swimwear because of the drag regular clothing can cause in the water. For example, denim shorts and a cotton t-shirt are heavier than a swimsuit and will weigh a child down, making it more difficult for them to swim.
• Don’t choose one layer of safety over another. They are meant to all work together.

“Do not depend on one piece or one layer of protection,” Lammers said. “Know that these are all best practices. So even though we're promoting multiple layers, the layers work together and it's not just relying on one piece over another. If you go to the pool or the lake, don’t just rely on the life jacket or on swim lessons or on having a water watcher, but use everything in combination with each other. That is the overall best practice.”

Cook Children’s has treated nine drownings so far this year, one of which was fatal. As the weather warms up, parents and caregivers should take time to review how to keep their young children safe around water.

With the recent news of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player’s 2-year-old daughter drowning in their swimming pool, we are reminded of how quickly water can turn into a tragic accident. It only takes a minute for a child to drown, and most of the time it is silent.

According to Safe Kids Worldwide, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children between 1 and 4 years old. Even if a child survives a drowning, it's possible to have lasting neurological effects. Cook Children’s leads a campaign called Lifeguard Your Child for parents and caregivers to learn how to protect children in all kinds of water.

Drownings can occur even with many adults present. One key tip is to designate a “water watcher” – a responsible adult who agrees to watch the children in the water without distractions.

Sharon Evans, trauma injury prevention coordinator at Cook Children’s, said it is vital for parents and homeowners to realize they must be on guard at all times if they have a pool.

“All of the barriers along with swimming lessons can prevent drownings,” Sharon said. “Not only having these barriers in place but ensuring the alarms work and are on and the gates remain closed is important as well.”

Drownings can happen silently and quickly. A submerged person might not attract attention or appear to be in danger. Younger children most often drown in swimming pools by falling in while unsupervised. Parents can put barriers in place to help prevent a child from accessing the water or make it more difficult to access when an adult is not present.

Top Pool Barriers
The more barriers in place, the safer the child will be.

• Four-sided isolation fences with self-latching gates
• Alarms (pool, door, gate)
• Automatic pool covers
• Doorknob covers and high locks on doors leading to the outdoors
• Reroute dog/pet doors that have direct access to the pool area

Lifeguard Your Child

Cook Children’s initiated a drowning prevention campaign called Lifeguard Your Child in 2015 in response to a high number of drowning injuries treated in the Emergency Department and medical center that year. The Lifeguard Your Child campaign is spread through the Safe Kids North Texas Coalition, which is based in Fort Worth and led by Cook Children’s.

The campaign’s strategies include Cook Children’s Loaner Life Jacket Stations at many lake entry points across the region. Families can go to the stations to find U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets in a variety of sizes with easy tips for a proper fit.

Safety tips for home swimming pools: 
• Restrict access by installing door locks high out of children’s reach. Door and window alarms can signal if someone leaves the house. 
• Install four-sided fencing around pools with a self-latching gate that only opens out. The fence should be at least 4 feet (preferably 5 feet) high. 
• Remove all toys and floats from the pool area so children are not tempted to get close to the water. 
• For above-ground pools, make sure the ladder is removed and not accessible when it’s not swimming time. 
• Consider a pool surface alarm to alert if anyone/anything falls into the water. 

Safety tips for the bathtub: 
• An adult must stay at the side of the tub in reach of the child. 
• Pay attention. This is not the time for multitasking. 
• Ignore distractions like the doorbell or phone calls. 
• Drain the tub after each use. 
For more information about drowning prevention, go to www.lifeguardyourchild.org.

As summer draws to a close, one mother, Dana Gage, is sharing her journey to making her son’s tragic drowning death matter.

On Aug. 31, 2012, Dana's son, Connor, left for a friend’s birthday party at a rented lakehouse. Little did either of them know, it would be the last time Dana would see what she calls her son’s “1000-watt smile.”

Hours later, Connor drowned in a swimming incident that was 100% preventable. He was 15 years old.

In the 10 years since Connor’s death, Dana and her family established The LV Project, to raise awareness about drowning prevention and advocate for the use of life vests on lakes. We asked Dana to share with us how Connor inspired what has become her life's work since his death.

What is one of your favorite memories of Connor?

I spent my career in marketing and advertising. One of my favorite memories is sitting with Connor and watching TV. An ad would come on and he’d say, “Mom, that’s a really good commercial.” Then, in great detail, he’d proceed to tell me why. And he was always spot on. I remember thinking, how on earth does this little kid have the ability to discern between good advertising and bad advertising? How does he deconstruct these ads down to the nuances that result in a great commercial?  But he did, and it was fun. For me, it was sort of like having a pint-sized work buddy at home. 

At a very young age, Connor seemed to understand that connecting with people emotionally is the way to get people to think, and hopefully, act. On one of his school assignments, Connor was asked what he would do with his life. He wrote, “I’ll probably go into advertising or something.” In many ways, he has, as we share his story in hopes of preventing drowning deaths.

As you reach the 10-year mark of Connor's death, what do you want people to know about his legacy and remember about his life?

It’s taken every bit of the last 10 years to pry my broken momma heart loose from the magnetic force of lament mode and force myself into joy mode. It’s like weightlifting. It’s a constant struggle not to be crushed under the loss. There are many days I am still on the floor, in a heap of grief. But I get up. I fall down. Then I get up. After 10 years, as my grief muscle continues to develop, I find that I’m getting up more quickly, and I’m falling down less. 

I’m trying not to dwell in the lament of what Connor could have been and, instead, genuinely celebrate what Connor was. A happy kid who enjoyed his life. I guess when people think of Connor, they’re naturally going to remember the boy who died. But what I truly hope is that they remember the boy who LIVED. Connor lived joyfully, happily, buoyantly. He made his 15 years count far beyond his 15 years. There are no guarantees in this life, and there are no do-overs. Connor made his count.

We remember his buoyant spirit. We remember his smile, and we remember that come what may, we can keep going.

How does Connor's life inspire the work of The LV Project?

I started The LV Project in November 2012, just two months after we lost our boy. Why? Honestly, because it was the only alternative to losing my mind. I had to do something. Doing nothing wasn’t an option.

On that awful day, Riley lost his only sibling and his best friend. Brett and I lost our family, our dreams, our hearts, our future. It was too horrible to be true. Yet, it WAS true. My baby DID die. This WAS now my life. And I had no idea how to face it. Broken open, shattered in a million pieces, sitting in the rubble, I spent my days walking in literal circles over and over inside my house. From the living room to the kitchen to the dining room and repeat. Groaning and walking. Walking and groaning. I guess you could say, all those circles led straight to The LV Project.

Most people think of LV’s mission as drowning prevention, but in reality, it’s heartbreak prevention and hope. We’re in the buoyancy business. That’s true on water and in life. No mom, dad, brother or sister should feel the way Brett, Riley and I do every day. Not when it can be prevented. And the thing is, it really is possible to end these tragedies. Drowning really is a problem we can fix. The LV Project is where we make our suffering matter. If you live long enough, you’re going to suffer. We have to make it count. Because suffering without meaning is just despair. That’s why The LV Project isn’t just about how Connor died. It’s about how he lived. And Connor lived buoyantly.

Why is it important that parents, health professionals, lawmakers and anyone responsible for a child's safety and life understand The X Effect?

The seeds for The X Effect were planted pretty quickly after Connor’s death, though we didn’t know it at the time. In the weeks that followed, we were surrounded by the loving support, but also stunned by how few people mentioned the fact that the boys weren’t wearing life vests at the lake party where he died. No one brought it up. The blame seemed to fall on Connor. It was chalked up to “boys will be boys” and “reckless teenage behavior” or just “a terrible accident.”  That sickened me. Still does. Terrible it was, but accident it wasn’t. Connor’s death was not some random, unstoppable event. It was preventable.

Even more shocking was how little people understood the dangers of open water. If my underage son had died in a car because the driver didn’t require seat belts there would’ve been shock and rage at the carelessness. If Connor had been killed by a drunk driver there would’ve been a certain fury at the recklessness. But very few people seemed to understand that allowing a kid to swim after sunset and jump from high places in an unfamiliar lake without a life vest is every bit as dangerous. 

There was a time when people didn’t wear seat belts. And there was a time when people drove while drinking alcohol. But, unnecessary deaths—deaths like Connor’s—created the change necessary to save lives. Now is the time for people to understand that knowing how to swim does NOT make a kid drown-proof. Now is the time for people to understand that a life vest in a lake is like a seat belt in a car. Now is the time for people to understand that it’s our responsibility to protect those at the highest risk—teenagers age 15 to 19—from drowning in open water.

What everyone needs to understand is this: you can’t out-water the water. The water always wins. We hope The X Effect opens a lot of eyes to the reality of drowning for ALL kids—little and big.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about teens and drowning?

Absolutely the biggest misconception is that people think good swimmers are drown-proof. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially in open water.

There were many factors that contributed to my son’s death. Paramount is the fact that I did not ensure that my son would be required to wear a life vest, nor did the host family require the boys to wear them. That was a recipe for disaster. The five boys at this party were given permission to swim very late in the day. Connor went under at 8:15 pm. The sun had set that day at 7:55 p.m. It was entirely too late to be in the water. It’s impossible to see anything in lake water at high noon, much less after sunset. We have a saying, “When the sun’s low, the kids gotta go.” Low light conditions can turn an already risky situation deadly.

The other challenge is our life vest laws which, I believe, work against us. The law in Texas says life vests only need to be worn by kids 12 and under, and only in boats. That leads most parents and kids to a false sense of security. The irony is that in Texas, 80% of open-water drownings happen beyond the boat, meaning in open water settings such as shorelines or simply swimming in the lake. So, there’s this presumed assumption of safety because the law says you don’t need a life vest when you’re 13 or older. Meanwhile, our strong swimmers are drowning. Per the CDC, open water drownings triple at age 15, and the drowning rates remain elevated through adulthood. So as the life vests come off, the drowning rates spike.

But the most important thing is to know the numbers. In open water, more teens and adults drown than small children. We love our littles. We love our bigs. We have to protect them both by making life vests a must.

What work still needs to be done when it comes to action and awareness of this issue?

Raising the current mandatory life jacket wear age from 12 to 16 as a law would be an amazing first step. That would save a lot of lives, and also serve as an effective signal to parents and their teens that good swimmers can drown and do.

Secondly, everyone should have the opportunity to learn how to swim. Getting swim lessons into our school curriculums as a basic life skill would be a fundamental lifesaver. In those lessons, bridging the gap between pools and open water is important. Swim lesson instructors should plant the seeds early about the differences between closed and open water so the safety measures continue as the kids age into adolescence.

Lastly, just like every young parent learns how to keep their kid safe when they’re babies with car seats, poison control and more, we need to educate our young moms and dads about the reality of teenage drowning. Water safety goes beyond learning how to swim. It’s the second leading cause of death, after automobile accidents, for kids ages 15 to 19. I’m sure if more adults knew that, requiring teenagers to wear a life vest wouldn’t be a maybe, it would be a must.

Lifeguard Your Child

Lifeguard Your Child offers parents these tips for keeping their kids safe in open water:

• Life vests should be “US Coast Guard Approved (USGA).” Check the inside label for this stamp of approval. They should also be worn inside the boat or in the water, as most drowning fatalities in natural water are non-boating related.
• Know before you go. The water conditions of lakes, rivers and oceans can change daily, from clear to murky and calm to rough. Be aware of the conditions before you get in and know that there may be harmful debris under the surface that you can’t see.
• Children, whether toddlers or teens, should be watched by an adult when in or near the water. Teens are often fearless and unaware of danger. They need responsible adults to help them avoid risky behavior.
• Have a safety plan in case of an emergency. Learn CPR so that you can administer rescue procedures while EMS is in route.

For more information about keeping children and teens safe in and around water, check out www.lifeguardyourchild.org, a program of The Center for Children’s Health, led by Cook Children’s.

Ten years ago this week, Connor Gage blew his mother a kiss as he left for a friend’s birthday party at a rented lakehouse. Little did either of them know, it would be the last kiss he’d ever give her and the last time Dana Gage would see what she calls her son’s “1000-watt smile.”

Hours later, Connor drowned in a swimming incident that was 100% preventable. He was 15 years old.

“He was funny,” Gage said describing her son. “He was a Justin Bieber doppelganger. He was silly. He loved to run. He was smart. He loved his friends. He was his brother’s best friend. He was a great writer. That boy was creative. Even at a young age, his mind bent toward the art of great storytelling.”

Connor was no stranger to lake life, either. His family owned a lakehouse and spent many summer days on the water boating, swimming, tubing and wakeboarding. Even though both of their boys were great swimmers, Brett and Dana Gage were cautious. Wearing a life jacket was non-negotiable. “Toe in, vest on,” they would always say.

Dana Gage assumed every family did the same.

“The biggest mistake of my life was assuming everyone else had the same rule,” she said. “I never asked. That mistake changed my life forever.”

As the sun began to set over the lake on Aug. 31, 2012, the teen boys attending the party were given permission to jump into the water from a high boat dock. None of them were wearing life vests.

At 7:30 p.m., Gage received a text from Connor: “jumping in, brb.” About an hour later, Connor flipped from the dock, landed badly and never resurfaced. It took a dive team 45 minutes to locate and pull his body from the water.

After attempts to resuscitate him, Connor was pronounced dead just five hours after blowing his mother that final kiss in the driveway.

“Connor died at age 15, just as he was starting his freshman year of high school, and just as he was turning the corner from boyhood to manhood,” Gage said. “There’s truly no way to describe it. We’d worked so hard, my husband and I, so long, so intentionally to get to this point. We’d been married 20 years. Our two teenage boys were now a freshman and junior in high school. Best friends who just happened to be brothers running on the same varsity cross country team.

"The future was so bright, and it was a magical time. All the pieces of our family’s puzzle were fitting together perfectly, and we were just so expectant. So eager for this incredible chapter in our family’s life. The best was yet to come. Until, that day. That Friday when our perfect family puzzle got blown to pieces.”

LiVe and LoVe Buoyantly

In the 10 years since Connor’s death, Dana and her family have been working hard to heal their broken hearts and make their suffering matter. As much as the family wants to bring awareness to how Connor died, they also want to honor how he lived. They say Connor lived and loved buoyantly—always full of joy and life—and want to give others a chance to do the same. Just two months after Connor’s death, the Gage family started The LV Project to help others “LiVe and LoVe buoyantly on the water and in life.”

“Something amazing happens when life deals you an unimaginable blow,” Gage said. “Suddenly, everything becomes incredibly clear. The things that matter, matter more. And the things that don’t, don’t. 

"I’ve talked about this a lot with other grieving moms, and we all agree that this remarkable clarity is a rare silver lining among the dark clouds of despair. Soul-crushing heartbreak can be a way-paver to crystal vision. At least it was for me. The color in my world was gone, but the resulting black and white view was profoundly crisp. No ambiguity. No fog. No nonsense.

"As I began to acclimate to this new life lens, one fact became indisputably clear: Connor should not have died on August 31, 2012. It was so preventable. So unnecessary. So wrong. This wasn’t an accident. This was 100% preventable. I decided to do something about it. I immediately quit my job in corporate America, and I started The LV Project.”

During the summer months, The LV Project raises awareness about drowning prevention and advocates for the use of life vests on lakes. Had Connor been wearing a life vest, even with an injury, he would have resurfaced and could have been rescued quickly for a chance at survival.  

Once the lake and swimming season is over, The LV Project turns its attention to helping people who need a lift in their everyday lives through what Gage calls life buoyancy projects. The LV Project has funded the construction of a soccer field in Ghana for West African children rescued from trafficking, for example. Closer to home, The LV Project has completed projects with several Dallas/Fort Worth-area organizations to help support their missions, including Achieve DFW, The Gatehouse, Project ELF Dallas and many more.

Gage is also a friend and supporter of the Lifeguard Your Child program through the Center For Children’s Health, led by Cook Children’s. She has shared Connor’s story at several Lifeguard Your Child events, helping the program bring awareness to the dangers teens face in open water and the easy steps parents can take to protect and save their lives.

The X Effect

When Gage started The LV Project, she first went to work pouring over drowning data. She knew Connor was one of many who had lost their life to a preventable drowning death, and she wanted the numbers to help her make a case beyond her own experience for the importance of life vests. The LV Project needed a clear target for their mission. What they got is what Gage calls The X Effect.

“You know that saying, ‘you can’t hit a target you can’t see?’” she asked. “I wanted to know the target. I wanted the numbers. I wanted to know how many deaths like Connor’s were happening every year across the country. I quickly discovered that drowning data in the U.S. is scattered and siloed. Worse yet, the data that does get shared doesn’t tell the full story. It’s like a book that’s unfinished. The chapter about teenage drownings often gets left out.”

Gage began searching every data source she could find, from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services to USA Swimming and more. She plotted all of the data she gathered in an Excel spreadsheet by age and drowning location of pool versus open water. The work took months. When it was done, she said, a simple pattern emerged from the graph: an X.

That pattern illustrates how younger children are more likely to drown in a swimming pool, most during an unplanned swim time. As kids age, the likelihood they’ll drown in a pool decreases while the risk of drowning in a natural body of water increases. By age 15, a teen’s chance of drowning in open water triples.

“The short story is drowning is a risk for the littles, and most of those are happening in pools,” Gage said. “But it’s also a risk for the bigs, and most of those are happening in open water. Nobody is drownproof, regardless of swim ability. We have to protect our kids at all ages, in all water. Always.”

Teens are naturally impulsive, fearless and often unaware of risk, especially boys, which puts them at higher risk, according to the CDC. Running through the water-safety checklist and identifying hazards such as water depth or debris beneath the murkiness is not always the first thing that pops into a teen’s mind before jumping in. 

The ability to swim gives many a false sense of security, too. Adults often assume teens are strong swimmers and that will protect them from drowning. But swimming in a lake or ocean with currents, unclear water, and unseen hazards below the surface is altogether different from swimming in a pool.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 79% of boating-related deaths in 2019 were drowning related. Of those who died from drowning, 86% were not wearing life jackets. When it comes to open water, teens are at great risk. Adults in charge in open water environments have a responsibility to protect teenagers, just as they would protect a small child. That’s why Dana channels her grief into advocating for the use of life vests on lakes. So not one more parent has to experience the tragedy of losing a child to drowning.

Lifeguard Your Child

Drownings are the No. 1 cause of unintentional death in children ages 1 to 4 and second leading cause of unintentional injury death, after car accidents, for kids ages 1 to 14, according to the CDC. From May to August 2022, 47 children were treated for drowning incidents in Cook Children’s emergency department.

“Some of the most tragic things we see as emergency room physicians are injuries and deaths that could have been prevented, and that’s the case with most drownings,” said Corwin Warminck, M.D., emergency department medical director at Cook Children’s Medical Center. “Parents can help prevent drownings by having layers of protection. In open water that means wearing life vests at all times regardless of their swim ability and lifeguarding your child no matter their age.”

Lifeguard Your Child offers parents these tips for keeping their kids safe in open water:

• Life vests should be “US Coast Guard Approved (USGA).” Check the inside label for this stamp of approval. They should also be worn inside the boat or in the water, as most drowning fatalities in natural water are non-boating related.
• Know before you go. The water conditions of lakes, rivers and oceans can change daily, from clear to murky and calm to rough. Be aware of the conditions before you get in and know that there may be harmful debris under the surface that you can’t see.
• Children, whether toddlers or teens, should be watched by an adult when in or near the water. Teens are often fearless and unaware of danger. They need responsible adults to help them avoid risky behavior.
• Have a safety plan in case of an emergency. Learn CPR so that you can administer rescue procedures while EMS is in route.

For more information about keeping children and teens safe in and around water, check out www.lifeguardyourchild.org, a program of The Center for Children’s Health, led by Cook Children’s.

From May to August, there were 47 drownings treated at Cook Children’s Health Care System, two of which were fatal, marking a decrease compared to the same timeframe in 2021.

While most patients survived these incidents, drowning injuries can result in severe effects. Drownings can happen silently and quickly. A submerged person might not attract attention or appear to be in danger.

Drownings can occur even with many adults present. When there are children around water, always designate a Water Watcher, an adult who is in charge of watching all children without any distractions.

May – August 2022:

• Total drownings: 47
• Fatalities: 2

May – August 2021:

• Total drownings: 67
• Fatalities: 7

May – August 2020:

• Total drownings: 27
• Fatalities: 1

May – August 2019:

• Total drownings: 54
• Fatalities: 3

May – August 2018:

• Total drownings: 68
• Fatalities: 10

Parents can put barriers in place to help prevent a child from accessing the water or make it more difficult to access when an adult is not present. Barriers – such as locks, alarms and fencing – can help keep unsupervised young children from getting into swimming pools.

Water safety is important at any age. When it comes to drowning, seconds count. It is silent and can happen in an instant. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 4, and the second leading cause for kids 1-14 in Texas. But with your help, we can change that.

RELATED: Water Watcher Tag: 1 Item Can Help Prevent Drownings (checkupnewsroom.com)

Checklist: Keeping Your Pool Safe for All Swimmers (checkupnewsroom.com)

Parents and caregivers should ensure that a home swimming pool has an effective swim safety plan and extra layers of protection. Most drownings seen at Cook Children’s happen in a swimming pool during the least expected moments. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death among children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause for kids 1 to 14 in Texas.  

Commonly, during unplanned swim time, children sneak off unnoticed, curious and looking for adventure, and that’s when drowning most often occurs. It’s vital never to lose sight of your child when you are in or around a swimming pool.

Drownings are preventable - more often than not, parents do not hear their children drowning; this is why children must be given undivided attention at or near the swimming pool. 

Don’t be the person to think, “It won’t happen to me.” Drowning can happen to anybody in a split second, not just neglectful parents not watching or paying enough attention to their children, and not just children who can’t swim. 

A parent’s water safety job is not over when their child learns to swim. Even experienced swimmers are susceptible to drowning and should still be watched, or wear a life vest at all times.

When choosing a life vest for your child, always check the label. If it does not read “US Coast Guard Approved” or “USCG Approved”, do not use it - assume it is not safe and untrustworthy. As your child grows, the lifejacket needs to meet their new weight. Get a new lifejacket if there are rips and tears or fraying of the straps.

Sharon Evans, trauma injury prevention coordinator at Cook Children's, shared tips and insight on safety at the pool. 

What are some tips you have for parents this summer while they’re at their home pools?

The biggest thing is  keeping your eyes or hands on your kids at all times. The large majority of our drownings we see at Cook Children’s are in backyard pools. It’s not always the homeowner's child - a lot of times they’ve gone to somebody else’s house for a barbecue or party. 

When you have a pool party for example, the more people you have at a pool, the higher the risk a child will drown because everyone assumes someone else is watching the kids. Wear a Water Watcher tag for 15 minutes, while you wear it, you cannot eat, drink or talk to anyone else- you’re strictly just watching the kids in the pool. Then, pass the tag onto someone else.

What are common incidents seen at Cook Children’s?

We see similar stories every time: The child will be in the pool, swimming with a life vest on, and then they get out of the pool to go to the bathroom or get something to eat and the parents will take the life vest off and somehow they get back into the pool. Drownings are always silent, not like in the movies where we see the kid thrashing and screaming. We’ve had parents sitting on the edge of the pool on their phones, unaware that their kid is drowning because it is so silent. 

Are life vests the safest option for children?

Anything that is Coast Guard approved is safe. We see a lot of parents using puddle jumpers and those are safe too, as long as they are Coast Guard approved and are not inflatable. Blow- up floaties or anything that’s inflatable can deflate at any moment.

Does drowning prevention differ from age to age?

Generally, drowning prevention is the same for all ages. We’ve had older adolescents/early teenagers go to the pool and they get tired and are unable to swim. You should always be watching, even if they’re a great swimmer, that doesn’t mean you can take your eyes off them. 

Pool Safety Checklist:

Choose a Water Watcher

• A child must have constant supervision while near or in a swimming pool. Decide on a designated Water Watcher and make sure they have no distractions. 
• If more than one adult is present, switch water watching jobs every 10 minutes. 
• Put your phone or other possible distractions away.

Install fences around home pools

• Proper fencing around pools could prevent 50% to 90% of childhood drowning incidents. 
• Four-sided isolation fencing should be around your home pool. 
• Fences around pools should be at least 4 feet tall.
• Self-latching/self-latching gates that only open outwards.
• Gates with childproof locks should remain locked at all times if the pool is unattended. 

Be aware of pool drains

• Teach your children to stay away from pool drains or any equipment with strong suction that hair or clothing can get caught in. 
• Make sure any swimming pool your child is at has compliant, working drain covers.

Use pool/door/child alarm

• An alarm can give you crucial seconds that could save a child's life.

Empty inflatable or portable pool immediately after use 

• Even shallow pools are a drowning risk.
• Store them upside down so they cannot collect water.

 Know what to do in an emergency

• Take family CPR lessons. 
• The adult should call 911 immediately and then begin CPR while EMS is on the way.
• Schedule water safety and swim lessons. 

For more information and resources, go to LifeguardyourChild.org.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning parents, caregivers and health professionals about the dangers of inflatable neck floats after the death of one baby and the hospitalization of another. The flotation devices are especially dangerous for children with developmental disabilities such as spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome, according to the FDA. 

The floats are much like an innertube but fit around a baby’s neck to keep their head above water while their body and limbs float freely. They have been used in bathtubs, swimming pools and water therapy sessions. 

Like anything inflatable, there is a potential for the float to spring a leak, deflate and put the infant at risk of drowning. One popular infant neck float manufacturer issued a recall of its product in 2015 for this reason. 

The FDA contends the floats may also cause injury from the strain on an infant’s neck, but this claim is disputed by at least one manufacturer. According to a statement on the manufacturer’s website, the company is working with the FDA to “help them properly evaluate the benefits and the risks of neck floats, specifically around the concerns of potential neck strain which have never been reported to us after millions of … sessions.”

Lydia Robey, a Cook Children’s physical therapist, shares the FDA’s concern about neck traction, or pull on the spine, that infant neck floats may put on small children and babies.

“Some developmental disabilities have a higher likelihood of bony neck anomalies that could be compromised, or a condition exacerbated if traction is placed on the neck,” Robey said. 

Children with disabilities do benefit from water therapy, she said. They can move more freely and comfortably in the water thanks to the decrease in gravitational force on their muscles that buoyancy provides.

"I recommend that parents hold their child while they move in the water to be sure they are 100% focused on the child's safety," Robey said.

Sharon Evans, trauma injury prevention coordinator at Cook Children’s Medical Center, worries that if a baby is left unattended in the float and it overturns in the water, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the baby to turn the float and themselves upright.

Infant neck floats are not approved flotation devices by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). The USCG establishes and oversees marine safety regulations, including the proper fit, function and use of personal flotation devices such as life jackets. Their stamp of approval means the personal flotation device meets certain criteria when put to the test in various water conditions.

“If they're not USCG-approved, then they don't have to pass any kind of USCG guideline or safety test to see if it will actually even keep your kid afloat,” Evans said.

Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death in children under the age of 4. In June, 19 children were treated for drownings at Cook Children’s Medical Center. While not all drownings result in death, they can cause severe brain damage. 

Drownings are preventable. Wearing a USCG-approved life jacket is one way to be safe around water. Keeping your eyes on your child at all times while in or near the water, be it the bathtub, pool or lake, is critical even if they are wearing a life jacket or any flotation device. In both of the neck float cases that prompted the FDA warning, neither infant was being directly monitored by their caregiver, according to the FDA. 

“I think parents just see floats like this and think it helps them in the water, and they put their baby in there and think they’re safe and it takes all the responsibility off,” Evans said. “But there is no replacement for an adult watching a child in the water and being within arm’s reach at all times.”

While you’re having fun by the pool this summer, ensure your pool safety plan includes a Water Watcher: an adult who is designated to watch children around the pool at all times. Drowning is silent, so it’s vital to designate a Water Watcher when children are around all bodies of water - swimming pools, kiddie pools, lakes, or the beach. Kids can drown in just 2 inches of water.

Cook Children’s created a wearable Water Watcher tag to ensure that the adult wearing the tag is in charge of watching the children in or near water. Fifteen-minute shifts are recommended for the Water Watchers. During that time, the designated Water Watcher should have no distractions, this means no phone, magazines, books, eating, alcohol or conversing with friends. The only time a phone should be used is during an emergency to call 911. After 15 minutes, pass the tag to the next adult in charge.

Cook Children’s Medical Advisor for Digital Health, Diane Arnaout, M.D., explained the importance of having an assigned adult at all times, especially now that summer is in full swing and social gatherings are held around bodies of water.

“I have a pool myself and we love to have friends over," Dr. Arnaout said. “It’s so easy to talk yourself into thinking your children are being watched when you’re in a group of 12 people because six adults certainly seem like more than two adults watching the kids, so certainly it’s more secure. But the problem is it’s actually less secure.”

Dr. Arnaout also noted that it does not have to be the official Cook Children’s tag, yet the rules remain the same. People can use a rubber band, bracelet or a hair tie as a substitute.

“By using the Water Watcher tags, it basically says the wearer of this does not play on their phone, does not drink, does not talk to other friends at the time - their sole job is to watch children at all times,” Dr. Arnaout said. 

Water Watchers add an extra layer of protection to prevent children from drowning. Swimming lessons are just one layer of protection and do not guarantee safety. Even strong swimmers can drown, so always designate a Water Watcher.

Other extra layers of protection include maintaining barriers to and around the pool, keeping pools clear of toys attractive to little ones when not in use, having a designated water watcher and wearing a life jacket.

A Water Watcher tag can be found in many of Cook Children’s pediatrician offices. Call your pediatrician to get one to use next time you're at the pool. You can also reach out to the Lifeguard Your Child department and one will be mailed.

When wearing the Water Watcher tag, you have one job and one job only - Lifeguard Your Child. 

To get a Water Watcher tag of your own, send an email to safe.kids@cookchildrens.org or follow this link: Water Safety Product Order (jotform.com)

Violet Gomez admits she didn’t know much about water safety and drowning prevention when she had her first child nine years ago. It wasn’t until after the birth of her second child that she began to take the dangers of water seriously, thanks to a Cook Children’s Health Care System program she joined called the Water Safety Club.

“I never knew safety precautions and the steps to introduce my first son to water,” Gomez said. “I would just say, ‘Oh, he'll be fine.’ I would never really take him to a pool. So I really didn’t know what kind of safety steps I would have to take.”

The Water Safety Club is a drowning prevention program of Safe Kids North Texas - Fort Worth, led by Cook Children’s. It’s open to all and free to join. 

Now a mother of four, Gomez was introduced to the Water Safety Club through her kids’ Head Start program with Child Care Associates, a community partner of Safe Kids North Texas - Fort Worth. During a Head Start meeting that Gomez attended, a Safe Kids North Texas - Fort Worth representative talked about the club, the importance of water safety and how to prevent drowning.

After the presentation, Gomez signed up to learn more about how to keep her kids safe in and around water. She shared what she learned with her children and says they are now as aware of water dangers as their mother.

“For me, it's helped so much, and it's helped my son because he didn’t know at a younger age,” Gomez said. “I learned myself to be able to teach them what safety steps they have to do before even going in the water. I have learned how to introduce them to the pool.”

The club exists to generate awareness and ongoing conversations about water safety and how to prevent drowning.

“We want to make sure children are educated, and that parents are talking to their kids about having a healthy fear and an awareness of the water,” said Jillian Mitchell, a community health specialist at Cook Children’s. “Because if we're not talking about it, then kids don't understand what's OK and what's not OK”

Drownings are the No. 1 cause of death in children ages 1 to 4. Already this year, more than 50 children have been treated at Cook Children’s for drowning injuries. This is a significantly higher number than in recent past years during the same time period.

“Not all drowning incidents are fatal, but non-fatal incidents can also be devastating,” Mitchell said. “That's why we want to have these conversations over and over to help build awareness.”

Community partnerships, like the one with Child Care Associates, help spread the message of the Water Safety Club and provide membership access. Currently, there are about 2,000 members and some from as far away as Alabama.

In addition to education and information, Water Safety Club members also gain access to free or reduced-cost safety resources such as life jackets, bathtub kneelers, swim goggles, water safety lessons and CPR instruction. For her membership, Gomez received free life jackets for her children.

“Whenever we have gone to any pool I tell them to make sure you put your life jacket on first,” Gomez said. “They're like, ‘Can I go in the water? I'm just gonna put my legs in there.’ I'm like, ‘Nope. If your legs are in, you have to put on your life jacket because you don't know what can happen.’”

Gomez says she’ll continue to teach her children what she learns as a club member. She also encourages her family members and friends to join.

“I find it amazing because they've learned so much, and I want them to continue to learn so much,” she said. ‘I have invited other moms, friends of my daughter and my sons. I'm like, ‘Hey, you should learn more about this program. It helps you know what to do in case something happens or how to prepare before even taking your children to the pool.’”

Joining the Water Safety Club is easy. Click here to become a member, to view current membership incentives, to identify community partners, and to learn more about how to lifeguard your child. 

The display is located in front of Cook Children’s Medical Center, located at 801 7^th Ave. It is on the north lawn, directly across from the N.E.S.T. Clinic on Cooper Street.

This is a record number of drownings for this time period at Cook Children’s. We installed the display ahead of Memorial Day Weekend in hopes of preventing future drownings as this is typically one of the worst weekends for drowning patients at Cook Children’s.  

he drownings were unrelated and all took place at home pools after the children escaped adult supervision, with two of the toddlers getting outside through doggie doors. 

“This recent burst of drownings is incredibly worrisome,” said Sharon Evans, trauma injury prevention coordinator at Cook Children’s. “Now is the time for parents, grandparents and caregivers to reassess the ‘layers of protection’ they have at home. Make sure that pool gates still close and self-latch correctly, locks on outside doors are up high and out of reach of children and certainly don’t let your guard down!”

Sadly, 2021 surpassed recent years for the number of drowning injuries seen at Cook Children’s, with 82 children admitted to our hospital. Seven were fatal and four resulted in life-altering diagnoses. The data includes drowning in bathtubs and open water, such as lakes; the majority, however, occurred in swimming pools.

While the fall season is here and temperatures in Texas begin to cool down, this is a reminder that a child can drown at any time of the year and in any place where there is water. 

"Home safety checks are helpful for families with busy households and small children," said Dana Walraven, manager of community health outreach for the Center for Children’s Health. "Go through each room of your home to identify all points that would allow access to potential danger zones both indoors and outdoors."

Pool season in Texas tends to run through November, and even into the winter months with heated pools and hot tubs. Water safety advocates urge pool owners to put multiple safety measures in place to help prevent pediatric drownings. 

Safety tips include:

• Prevent access when adults are not watching:
  • Doors with locks out of reaching of children, safety alarms for both pools and children, doorknob covers on doors accessing water, etc.
• Install four-sided fencing around home pools with a self-closing/self-latching gate that only opens out.
• Reroute any doggie doors that have direct access to the pool area.
• Install pool and spa covers that are sturdy enough to support the weight of a child or multiple children.
• Schedule water safety and swim lessons.
• Take family CPR lessons.
• Create and follow pool rules.

For more information about steps to prevent drowning, go to www.lifeguardyourchild.org.

This is sound advice that everyone should follow but with so many kids home, Cook Children’s has begun to see rising numbers in outdoor- and home-related injuries.

During the past month, Cook Children’s Trauma team numbers show five children were treated for non-fatal drownings and two children were treated for non-fatal gun-shot wounds.

“Parents are multi-tasking even more today. Even though they may be working from home, they are balancing watching the kids, doing school work and trying to do their full-time job. Everyone is stressed about finances and what the future holds as well,” said Sharon Evans, Trauma/Injury Prevention outreach coordinator at Cook Children’s. “All these factors create the perfect storm for injuries. With all of the COVID-19 stress, the last thing a parent or maybe even a grandparent needs is for a child to be injured or killed because they weren’t watching their children. There are no ‘do-overs.’”

Many families have turned to walks, bike riding and other physical activities outdoors, which have led to increased injuries from not using helmets, protective gear and other safety guidelines. Head and arm injuries are common problems associated with outdoor riding and other activities.

“While we are ecstatic that children are finding ways to get exercise and enjoy the mild weather, we want to remind parents to make sure that kids are protected while having fun and, of course while maintaining social distancing,” Kara Starnes, D.O. medical director of Urgent Care at Cook Children's said.

In order to prevent head injuries, Dr. Starnes recommends proper supervision and use of helmets and other protect equipment. Arm injuries can be prevent by using protective equipment and teaching your children to fall on their forearms rather than on the outstretched hand-one of the most common types of fractures.

“As a pediatrician, it is hard for me to fathom for my patients no parks or interaction with other children, but we are living through a difficult time with COVID-19. Some ideas to keep your children healthy and active while maintaining safe distancing from others include a multitude of online activity classes online geared towards children such as dance lessons, yoga, or exercises geared towards certain sports,” Dr. Starnes said. “Other ideas include creating a contest between your children to see who can dribble a basketball the longest with the winner getting to skip their least desired chore for the day.”

There is no instruction manual for parenting in a pandemic, but following safety precautions can drastically improve some of the stress from having the kids outside all day.

Here are some particular precautions you should consider in regards to keeping your child safe during this time:

Water and Pool Safety in the time of COVID-19

One of the great things about being stuck at home is the opportunity to start some of your summer activities early.

Grills are firing up. Kites are flying. Pools are starting to be used.

But all the early summer play and exploration is not without risks.

Over the past few weeks in the start of the COVID-19 orders to stay at home, Cook Children’s has seen five non-fatal drownings in both parent’s and grandparent’s pools.

It’s important to keep in mind this risk as parents are distracted at home more than ever by their own fears and work responsibilities. Alcohol use has also increased which can lead to distracted parenting. Even during the best of times, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause of death for kids 1-14 in Texas.

Here are some general and COVID-specific tips to help protect your child:

• While swimming in your pool, remember to practice social distancing in the water, just like you do on land.
• Install four sided fences with self-latching gates around pools. Walk around existing fences and gates and check for proper functioning.
• Have your family safe swim talk today. Especially enforce no swimming alone as bored children tend to explore.
• Remind your kids that the water might be cooler than they expect. Surprise cold water can lead to panic and increased risk.
• Use pool door/child alarms and check their functioning.
• When able, take CPR and swim lessons. If your child can’t swim, you must be within arm’s reach AT ALL TIMES.
• Have a non-distracted adult watching the water at all times. Designate who that person is and rotate frequently.

For more information on how to implement this advice, please visit Cook Children’s Water Safety website.

Gun safety during Stay at Home

Well, parents, welcome to helping to teach your kid whether you wanted to or not.

But, while we might not be able to help all our kids with “The New Math,” there is one particular topic that you should definitely cover with your children during these times as it could save their life: gun safety.

Gun awareness and gun safety are a passion for Daniel Guzman, M.D., the medical direct of the Aim for Safety program at Cook Children’s, which promotes fire arm safety. Dr. Guzman has the following advice:

Safe Play

If your child sees a gun, teach them to:

• Stop
• Don't touch
• Run away
• Tell a grownup

Safe Storage

• Store firearms unloaded in locked locations, out of reach of children.
• Use trigger locks and gun boxes.
• Secure ammunition separately.
• Hide gun safe and trigger lock keys.
• Keep unlocked guns in your possession.
• Make sure all guns are equipped with effective, child-resistant gun locks.
• If a visitor has a gun in a backpack, briefcase, handbag, or unlocked car, provide them with a locked place to keep it when your home.

Safe Children

• Ask the parents of your child’s friends if they have guns in their homes and how they are stored.
• If you are asked about your guns, don’t be offended.

Another way to easily remember and share with family and friends is what Dr. Guzman coined the "3T's of firearm safety and children.

Talk – to your family, friends, and neighbors about the importance of firearm safety to keep our children safe

Teach – your children how to respond if they encounter an unsecured firearm

Take – personal responsibility to store your firearms appropriately to keep ALL our children safe

Other safety concerns include:

• Chemical exposure - Extra cleaning supplies around the house are important to keep our families safe but ensuring safe and secure storage is important, particularly with younger children in the house. Click to learn more way to protect your child.

• Head injuries and falls - Allow kids to get outside and relaxed rules inside can be helpful to pass the time but ensure that children are properly supervise and using protective equipment correctly. Find out more safety tips here.

• Vehicular hyperthermia - Change in routine is one of the biggest risk factors for a child being left in a car. Build in safeguards to ensure that you remember that you have a child with you anytime you are in the car. Also, always remember to keep your doors locked in the driveway to prevent child access. Learn more here.

• Parental frustration and child abuse - The stresses of COVID-19 are heavy on both children and parents. The anxiety and isolation can lead to frustration which can lead to abuse. Ensure that you are finding time to take care of yourselves and reach out for help if necessary. Read our article we wrote on this topic.

Helpful Safety Information:

• Aim For Safety/Gun Safety Program
• Bicyle Safety
• Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention
• Drowning Prevention
• Medication Safety, Storage and Disposal
• Poison Prevention
• TV and Furniture Tip-Over Information
• Vehicle/Car Safety
• Frequently Asked Questions About Hyperthermia

Even as the summer was winding down, every member of the Emergency Department knew a fatal drowning could still happen at any moment. Tragically, that moment came over the weekend when two sisters were found unresponsive in a Haltom City apartment swimming pool. News agencies report the girls were taken to Cook Children’s where they both died.

“Drownings occur year-round and there is no ‘drowning season,’ especially in Texas,” said Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of Emergency Services at Cook Children’s. “You can’t get comfortable and complacent with children and water, no matter the time of year.”

Before this weekend’s pool drownings, three children had died from drowning at Cook Children’s in 2019 – two separate incidents in bathtubs in March and one child in open water in May.

Even in the month of September, the warm Texas weather means kids are getting in the pool. From 2014 to 2018, there have been a total of  16 drownings (13 in a pool and 3 in open water) during the month of September, with two being fatal.

“I worry that with the end of the summer and kids being back in school that people will relax a bit,” said Dana Walraven, community health outreach manager for Cook Children’s. “But we can’t let our guard down even for a little bit. The temperatures are still warm and there’s plenty of time left for kids to be in the water. All the same rules apply to keep our kids safe.”

Hot weather and summer vacation means Texas kids are headed to the water. Sadly, it also means more opportunity for tragedy.

Summer has barely begun and Cook Children's has already seen 24 children at the medical center this year for drowning, with 15 occurring at a swimming pool.

Dana Walraven, community health outreach manager for Cook Children’s, stresses adults supervision of children at all times. She calls the parents who are in charge of lifeguarding the kids a Water Watcher.

So what does it mean to be a “Water Watcher?”

An adult is within arms-reach, no distractions, while children are in and around all water. After 15 minutes, another responsible adult takes over. This allows everyone to enjoy the party while ensuring the kids are being properly watched. It is especially helpful at parties or around the pool or lake. 

Water Watcher tags are available to any person or group who will use them or would like to distribute them. To receive a Water Watcher Tag, email safe.kids@cookchildrens.org. 

Leslie Zvitt works at Cook Children’s as the Senior Epic Business Intelligence Developer and is the mother of two children, ages 12 and 8 years old.

Zvitt makes sure a Water Watcher is on hand for all of her pool parties and makes sure adults are supervising the pool with undistracted attention.

"Our kids love to invite friends over for swim parties, and often times it’s a relief to us, as parents, for the kids to occupy themselves with their friends, while the adults visit and have grown-up discussions," Zvitt said. "However, we still have a very real responsibility to keep them safe from harm; after all, a pool is no substitute for a babysitter. Since I found out about Water Watchers, I’ve been applying some simple guidelines for our pool parties that are really easy to follow, and make all of us safer as a result."

Morgan Miller shared the emotional moment on her Instagram Stories Monday and her post has now gone viral, capturing the nation’s attention.

Hopefully, the post also reminds all parents of young children to take their child to swim lessons.

Drowning is the leading cause of injury death in U.S. children 1 through 4 years of age. It is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death among U.S. children and adolescents 5 through 19 years of age.

At Cook Children’s, last year was the worst on record after 79 children were treated for drowning, with 12 being  fatal.

Nicole Wineriter, a Cook Children’s pediatrician in Keller, began swim lessons for her children when they were older infants, around age 1. Dr. Wineriter says, “I can’t say enough great praises about swim lessons.” At 5, one of her children could swim laps the length of the pool in three different strokes. Another child could swim under water for 10 seconds, traveling 10 feet and climb out of the pool by the age of 2.

“I’m a huge fan of swim lessons, if started at the appropriate time for each child,” Dr. Wineriter said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states that research has found swim lessons are beneficial for children starting at around 1 and may lower drowning rates. The AAP continues that swim lessons are “increasingly available for a wide range of children, including those with various health conditions and disabilities like (autism spectrum disorder) ASD.”

“Learning to swim is a great family activity,” said Linda Quan, M.D., FAAP, co-author of the AAP’s policy statement. “Families can talk with their pediatrician about whether their child is developmentally ready for swim lessons, and then look for a program that has experienced, well-trained instructors. Ideally, programs should teach ‘water competency’ too – the ability to get out of the water if your child ends up in the water unexpectedly.’”

A parent or caregiver’s decision about when to begin swim lessons should be based on a variety of factors, according to the AAP, including comfort being in water, health status, emotional maturity, and physical and cognitive limitations.

Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children ages 1 to 4 years old, according to Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

The USA Swimming Foundation found that there’s been a 5-10% improvement among children in overall swimming abilities over the past decade. But there’s still much work that needs to be done.

Nearly 64% of African-American children, 45% of Hispanic children and 40% of Caucasian children have no or low swimming ability, putting them at risk for drowning. A frightening find in the study is that 87% of swimmers with no or low ability planned to go to a swimming facility during the summer and 34% plan to go swimming at least 10 times during the season.

While extremely important, swim lessons are no guarantee that a child will be safe in the water.

“It is important that parents not feel secure that their child is safe in water or safe from drowning after children have participated in swim lessons,” Dr. Wineriter said. “Adequate ‘touch supervision’ is still recommended, meaning an adult should be within an arm’s length at all times.”

Click here to learn more ways to lifeguard your child.

According to the Trauma registry, 10 children have died this year already. Two deaths occurred in the month of July to pass the total of eight deaths in 2016. The ages of the children who have died this year range from 17 months old to 13 years of age.

The numbers hit the staff at Cook Children’s especially hard because so much effort continues to be focused on protecting children in and around the water with the “Lifeguard Your Child” campaign.

“It has been a really bad year and it’s not even August,” said Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of Emergency Services at Cook Children’s. “For us, in the Emergency Department, it’s just sad because this is something that’s totally preventable. But this is not anything new. We live in Texas and we see this all the time. There are a lot of pools and lakes here. It’s just water and children don’t mix without adult supervision and children wearing their lifejackets.”

This year the experts at Cook Children’s have placed an emphasis on the drownings that occur during non-swim time. Half of the drowning deaths seen at Cook Children’s occurred while the child wasn’t actively swimming, meaning the children gained access during times the family hadn’t planned to be at the pool, pond, lake, etc.

“We’ve talked a lot about how parents need to ‘Lifeguard their child,’ but that doesn’t stop once a child is out of the water,” Sharon Evans, Trauma Injury Prevention Coordinator at Cook Children’s, said. “I think what happens a lot of times is that parents are on high alert while their children are in the water, but then they tend to let their guard down once the day is over and it’s time to leave the pool. Unfortunately, that’s when children are most at risk for going back into the water without anything to prevent them from drowning.”

As a parent, Dr. Warmink stresses supervision of his own children in the pool. He calls it a hallmark of making sure children are safe. Half of all drownings occur within 25 feet of an adult.

“Children should never be in water without adults watching them,” he said. “If you have a toddler, that child shouldn't be in water without what we call touch supervision. You need to be in hand's length and it's not just pools. That includes bathtubs or any other container with water. I've seen kids drown in buckets. A child can drown in any water, even a few inches deep.”

Dana Walraven, Community Health Outreach Manager at Cook Children’s, said it’s important for parents to realize that at least 50 percent of the drownings might have been prevented with layers of protection.

Mike and Jane Garner were having a birthday party for their son Jaylen four days shy of his second birthday. They were at Jane’s sister’s house and after the kids had swam all day, they ate dinner. Jaylen was on Mike’s lap, waiting for the birthday cake.

“We were about to cut the birthday cake and it never got cut that night,” Jane said. “And our lives changed forever.”

Jaylen crawled down from his dad’s lap and his parents thought their little boy was following his big brother. But about a minute later, Jaylen was found in a hot tub, near the pool. CPR was started, but Jaylen died as he was being care-flighted to Cook Children’s.

Tragically, Jaylen’s story is similar to many others at Cook Children’s and around the nation. So far this year, five of the eight drownings deaths seen at Cook Children’s occurred while the child was not actively swimming. From 2013 to July 17, 2018, 69 percent of the drowning deaths at Cook Children’s happened while the child was not actively swimming. That number matches the national number exactly, according to The Child Abuse Prevention Center.

“We’ve talked a lot about how parents need to ‘Lifeguard their child,’ but that doesn’t stop once a child is out of the water,” Sharon Evans, Trauma Injury Prevention Coordinator at Cook Children’s, said. “I think what happens a lot of times is that parents are on high alert while their children are in the water, but then they tend to let their guard down once the day is over and it’s time to leave the pool. Unfortunately, that’s when children are most at risk for going back into the water without anything to prevent them from drowning.”

Jane and Mike recently joined other families at Cook Children’s to talk about their children who fatally drowned for a round-table discussion that was recorded for a video.

“You have these moments where you are like, ‘Wow, you know, you let your son down.” Though I told him what to do and how to do it, it always falls back on me,” Mike said. “I should have done this or that. You know we made those mistakes by taking our eyes off him at those critical times. And that was one of those critical times for us. So basically it haunts you every day. I know it does me. There’s not a day I wake up and don’t think about my son. Because I can hear him in my head saying, ‘Dad where were you? Why weren’t you there?’ He relied on me so much. And I know he did.”

Two recent drowning deaths have gained national attention thanks to two mothers coming forward to share their story.

Morgan Beck, the wife of Olympic skier Bode Miller, hopes to bring awareness about child drownings, specifically on how fast a tragedy can occur and the importance of children drowning during non-swim time.

Beck’s daughter Emeline, 19 months old, drowned at a neighbor’s pool on June 10th.

“It’s been 37 days since I’ve held my baby girl,” she wrote on Instagram. “I pray to God no other parent feels this pain.”

Nicole Hughes, whose 3-year-old son Levi died the same day as Emeline, has also become a public face on this issue. Hughes’ 3-year-old son, Levi, drowned after a day at the beach. The family returned to their rental home, which also had a pool. After a shower and dinner, Hughes and her son split a brownie.

“"I had walked out back on the balcony," Hughes said. “When I looked over the second floor he had somehow gotten out a heavy door, down a flight of stairs and was face down in the deep end."

Despite Hughes and her husband’s, a doctor, efforts to save their child by giving CPR, Levi died at the hospital.

“I don’t know why no one is talking about the drowning that is taking place when kids aren’t even swimming,” Hughes said. “When it’s non-swim time.”

To learn more on drowning prevention, click here.

The highs this week will be above 100, with temperatures expected to reach 105 degrees. As we head into the scorching heat, it’s important to remember that infants and young children rely on adults to keep them cool, hydrated and safe while outside.

Stay Cool

Too much time out in high temperatures can cause heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

"As the outside temperature rises, your family's risk of heat stroke rises right along with it," said Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of Emergency Service at Cook Children’s. “On 100-degree days, it's best to stay inside. If temperatures exceed 90 degrees, stay in the shade and keep a close eye on the kids."

Take these steps during the summer to prevent heatstroke and heat exhaustion:

• Wear appropriate clothing: Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothes. Wear a hat to shield yourself from the sun, until you feel yourself getting warm. Then remove any items covering your head which can trap heat close to the body.
• Schedule outdoor activities carefully: Heatstroke can occur in less than an hour when you are participating in strenuous activity during a hot day. Try to limit outdoor activity to when it’s coolest, like morning and evening hours. Rest often in shady areas so your child’s body has a chance to recover.
• Hydrate: Drink plenty of water during the day, especially if you are engaged in any strenuous activity. Be sure to drink water or a sports drink before, during and after any strenuous activity.
• Ventilate: Stay where there’s plenty of air circulating to keep the body cool. If you are without air conditioning, visit a shopping mall or public library. Remember, electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperatures reach the 90s, they will probably not prevent heat-related illness. A bath or cool shower is a much better way to stay cool.
• Wear Sunscreen: If you got outside, use sunscreen, wear a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and put on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher 30 minutes before going outside. Continue to reapply according to the package directions.

Don’t Leave Your Child Alone In A Car

Over the weekend, a 6-month-old girl in Ohio and 17-month old boy in Florida died after being left inside vehicles. Twenty-four children have died in hot cars in the United States this year, according to noheastroke.org.

Since 1998, 767 children have died nationally as a result of being left in a car. Texas leads the nation in children dying from pediatric vehicular heatstroke with 16 deaths since 1998.

For the Trauma department at Cook Children’s, statistics are much more than numbers. They represent very real, too often tragic consequences.

“Every time we hear of a child dying in a hot car, it’s heartbreaking for all of us,” said Sharon Evans, Trauma Injury Prevention coordinator at Cook Children’s. “It’s especially devastating because these deaths are preventable."

For More Information On This Topic:

• Tips for Preventing Heat-Related Illness - CDC
• Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke
• Child Safety Center
• Vehicle/Car Safety
• Drowning Prevention

Walraven’s not surprised by the news, just saddened.

She’s the Child Safety manager at Cook Children’s and hopes that parents remember that drowning deaths can occur to anyone at any time.

When taking children to a neighbor or friend’s home with a pool, Walraven encourages parents to take a few extra steps to protect their kids.

“Before you go to someone’s house, make sure there is a plan in place that the children in the water will be watched at all times,” Walraven said. “You don’t have to be pushy about it, but let people know what you’ve seen in the news and you want to make sure all the kids are safe.”

Through her experience, Walraven has learned many safety tips from mistakes she has seen that led to drownings. She gives the following advice if you are taking your child to a friend or neighbor’s house:

1. Have a card with a phone number and address handy. In this day and age of typing in an address and being led to someone’s house, you may not know the address off the top of your head. Make sure the address is accessible on a table and near a phone in case you have to call 911.

2. Make sure adults are watching the kids. Kids can drown in only a matter of seconds. Make sure parents know they are watching the kids and that the adult in that situation is focusing on all the kids. They are expected to stay sober and focused during their shifts, usually it should be about 15 minutes to stay fresh.

3. Remember we are talking adults and not teens. Walraven said the designated Water Watcher role is one for a grownup. “This isn’t a job for kids, even older children,” Walraven said. “Many teens can be easily distracted and they may not have the judgment skills to handle the job. If there’s a problem in the pool, a child may have trouble getting another child out of the pool. And this is not a responsibility for a young person. A drowning, even if it’s not fatal, could scar a child for life if something happened while he or she was in charge.”

4. Get a head count of all the kids entering the pool and getting out of the water so you won’t forget anyone.

5. Create formal scheduling times on which adult will be watching the pool. For a larger pool, you may need more than one adult. If you are watching the pool alone, get all the kids out of the pool if you need to take a break.

6. Plan breaks. Get the kids out of the water for snack time or a bathroom break. Don’t let one child stay behind. Often times that’s when the adults get distracted and forgets about the one child who wants to stay in the water a little longer.

7. Limit any blow-up toys, furniture or beverage coolers that may block your line of sight and the water.

8. Once out of the pool, create barriers for your child. “That’s when self-latching gates on pool fencing or high-reaching locks and sensors on doors, even child wrist alarms become important,” Walraven said. “These are helpful in case a child goes back to the pool without you knowing.”

9. Set a recurring alarm. Set a recurring alarm on your phone that will interrupt music. There are free interval timer apps available for various mobile devices. You can set up intervals of any lengths (i.e. 15 minutes). At the end of each interval the music is interrupted with an alarm, signifying the next adult taking over watching the kids (Water Watcher).

10. Lifeguard your child all the way to the house. When it’s time for everyone to get out of the pool, escort all the kids inside the home or apartment. Count all the kids and make sure everyone is safe and secure.

Already this year, seven children have fatally drowned after being rushed to Cook Children’s (six were in pools). If this trend continues, 2018 is likely to become the deadliest year in recent history for drowning patients at Cook Children’s.

For more information on how to implement this advice, please visit Cook Children’s Water Safety website.

Despite repeated calls from experts to lifeguard your child, 19 children have been rushed to Cook Children's for drownings and four children have died since May 1.

Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of Emergency Services at Cook Children’s, said parents and caregivers should take important steps to save their children from drowning, including taking CPR lessons.

"Seconds really do matter," Dr. Warmink said. "Quick, efficient CPR performed before EMS arrives has been shown to improve outcomes. Learning CPR should be an important part of any family's safety plan. You want to be prepared in critical situations."

Studies show CPR doubles the victim’s chance of survival. Learning CPR can save a child’s life by restoring breathing and circulation until advance life support can be given by health care providers. Please watch the following video from Steve Muyskens, M.D., medical director of the Cardiac MRI at Cook Children's.

Dr. Warmink describes drowning as the inability to breathe, normally due to submersion in a liquid, usually water. The outcome, including death, of the person who drowned depends on how long she or she is under water.

"Everything is based on getting oxygen to vital organs,” Dr. Warmink said. “The outcomes of drowning and the adverse effects are based on the lack of oxygen. The most effected parts of a drowning victim are the brain, lungs and the kidneys. The one that is most catastrophic and the one that will kill you is the brain.”

The amount of time children spend under the water while drowning usually determines their outcome. The lack of oxygen destroys brain cells and that causes damage to the brain, ranging from short term (forgetful, clumsy …) to severe (can’t walk to vegetative).

Dr. Warmink says there are several variables that shape how severe the brain damage will be, including how long the child was submerged in the water and how quickly he or she received CPR.

Once a child arrives at Cook Children’s Emergency Department, treatment begins that may include oxygen, X-rays, intubation or medication.

“But a lot of what we do is supportive care for the children that come in here,” Dr. Warmink said. “We may have to support their lungs because they have been damaged and they have difficulty breathing. Their kidneys could be damaged, so we will do lab work to see what’s going on there. But our biggest concern is the brain and honestly, there’s not a whole lot we can do. The vast majority of treatment for drowning is supportive. We see what we can do to keep that child alive. That said, the earlier you can intervene, the better. One of the things that helps outcomes is early, good CPR. By the time they get to us, it may be too late.”

Lifeguard Your Child 

It's time to make Texas #1 in drowning prevention. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 4, and the second leading cause for kids 1-14 in Texas. But with your help, we can change that. Please join us in our drowning prevention effort. Together, we can Lifeguard Your Child around water.

Want to know how you can get involved or create an awareness campaign in your community? Contact Dana Walraven, Safe Kids Tarrant County coordinator at 682-885-1619 or email safe.kids@cookchildrens.org.

More resources for you:

• Cook Children's Upcoming CPR Classes
• Project Adam
• Red Cross CPR Training
• Fort Worth Red Cross Safety Class, Including CPR
• American Heart Association
• Texas Heart CPR Training 
• DFW CPR Training Center
• Texas OnSite CPR
• CPR Training in Fort Worth, Texas
• CPR Training in Denton, Texas
• Drowning prevention page at Cook Children's
• Is your baby ready for swim lessons?

Summer is nearly here! Let's quickly hit some of the most common questions I get around this time of year - about sunscreen, DEET, and life jackets.

1. Sunscreen:

Use it! Even on a cloudy, not-very-hot day! 80% of the sun's rays penetrate clouds! And bounce off sand and snow!

Start using it at age 6 months. Prior to 6 months, do not have your baby in direct sunlight - put them under heavy shade and put a hat on them. If you can't find shade, use sunscreen on small amounts of their skin and try to cover skin with clothing.

Go with SPF 30-50 for your kids. I don't care about brand.

Zinc oxide (the stuff that won't disappear when you rub it in) is the best. It physically blocks the harmful rays. Great for nose, ears, cheeks, tops of shoulders.

Put it on 15-30 min BEFORE YOU GO OUT.

Reapply every 2 HOURS.

PUT ON MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU NEED. 1 teaspoon per limb is about right. 1 tsp for back, 1 tsp for chest. 1/2 tsp for face.

I don't like the sprays. They miss spots and can be inhaled. If you have to use them, spray a ton on your hands and rub it it in good.

More good info about sunscreen here: https://www.checkupnewsroom.com/5-tips-to-protect-your-chi…/

2. DEET:

DON'T BE SCARED OF IT. It is not "DDT"! It is safe down to age 2 months. It is the BEST way to prevent insect bites and this has been proven time and again in medical studies.

Read a ton about this in another article I wrote here:

https://www.checkupnewsroom.com/the-deets-on-deet/

If you absolutely don't want to use DEET, go with Picaridin.

Those wrist bands ain't gonna do anything.

3. Life jackets!

Use only life jackets that are approved by the US Coast Guard.

Here are the types (compliments of the AAP Healthy Children website):

TYPE 1: This jacket floats the best. It is designed to turn most people who are unconscious in the water from the face-down position to an upright and slightly backward position. This jacket helps the person to stay in that position for a long time. It is to be used in open water and oceans. It is available in only 2 sizes: 1 size for adults more than 90 pounds and 1 size for children less than 90 pounds. (Type 1 is the most bulky but has the greatest ability to turn a child "face-up".)

TYPE 2: This jacket can turn a person upright and slightly backward but not as much as the Type 1 jacket. It may not always help an unconscious person to float face up. It is comfortable and comes in many sizes for children. (More comfy but will only turn SOME children "face-up".)

TYPE 3: This jacket is designed for conscious users in calm, inland water. It is very comfortable and comes in many styles. This life jacket is often used for water sports and should be used only when it is expected that the rescue can be done quickly. (Least bulky, most comfortable. Good support for children who have some swimming skills.)

This summer, I will be using Type 1 lifejackets for my kids when we go to the ocean or are at the lake. I will be using Type 2 when we are in the wading pool. My kids are 2 and 4 and I will be within a few feet of them at all times when they are in/around water.

WATCH YOUR CHILDREN AT ALL TIMES WHEN THEY ARE IN OR AROUND WATER. DROWNING IS SILENT.

Let me say that again: DROWNING IS SILENT.

Cook Children's has a great drowning prevention resource page. Click here to learn more.

Hope this helps answer your burning hot summer questions!

Hugs,

Dr. Diane Arnaout

The ages of the children ranged from 1 year to 9 years old. The drownings all occurred in pools.

“Unfortunately, we had a busy weekend with drownings and we aren’t even at Memorial Day,” said Sharon Evans, Trauma Injury Prevention Outreach coordinator at Cook Children’s.

Last year, eight kids were seen at Cook Children’s for drowning during the entire month of May and none were fatal.

As we head into the summer, Cook Children’s is once again asking parents to “Lifeguard Your Child.”

The focus is on parents never taking their eyes off their children while they are swimming, and that includes until they are safely in the house or car.

“We’ve seen many cases where children removed their life vests and jumped back in the water,” said Magdalena Santillan, Trauma Injury Prevention specialist at Cook Children’s. “Often, parents are getting ready to leave the pool and don’t realize their kids have jumped back in.”

Evans warns parents against letting their guard down once the child leaves the pool or lake. That moment when a parent relaxes can place the child at risk. 

“It’s important for kids to wear a Coast Guard approved life vest and for parents to be in arm’s reach of their child,” Evans said. “The mistakes that people make is taking the life vest off once they are out of the water. I tell parents to keep the life vest on until they are actually putting their child in the car or they are in their home with the door shut and locked.”

Evans said if children go to the bathroom, a parent should go with them and hold the life vest. Once they have washed their hands, place the life vest back on before they leave the bathroom and head back to the water.

Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of Emergency Services at Cook Children’s, calls drowning a “preventable tragedy.” In nearly nine out of 10 child drowning–related deaths, the parent or caregiver said the child had been with them in the house or pool within five minutes of the accident.

“Children should never be in water without adults watching them,” said Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of Emergency Services at Cook Children’s. “If you have a toddler, that child shouldn't be in water without what we call touch supervision. You need to be in arm's length and it's not just pools. That includes bathtubs or any other container with water. I've seen kids drown in buckets. A child can drown in any water, even a few inches deep. Supervision isn't, 'Hey there’s six of us cooking hamburgers and text messaging.' It means there’s someone who has the designated job to watch the children in the water.”

The safety experts at Cook Children’s say kids can’t afford anything less than 100 percent adult supervision at the pool at all times. That means not taking your eyes off of a child while he or she is in the water.

For many of us, that starts with putting away perhaps the greatest competition for a grownup's attention - their phone.

“We understand the need for a phone at the pool, in case of emergencies, but those phones need to be put away until you leave the swimming area,” said Dana Walraven, Community Health Outreach manager at Cook Children’s and Safe Kids Tarrant County Coordinator. “Parents should only be spending time watching their kids and not on the phone.”

Drowning prevention around the pool begins with adult supervision, but there are other steps parents can take at home to help protect their children from drowning.

Learn More About Water Safety and Drowning Prevention, by clicking here.

Spring is already proving deadly for children in water.

In less than two weeks, three children have died after being rushed to Cook Children’s for drowning, while another three were admitted to the medical center for their injuries.

Their ages range from 11 months to 3 years.

“Two of the fatal drownings were in pools. One was in a bathtub,” said Magdalena Santillan, Trauma Injury Prevention specialist at Cook Children’s. “Four of the six total drownings were in bathtubs. That’s very unusual. In fact, we hadn’t seen a bathtub drowning at all this year until this month.”

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in children ages 1 to 4 years old and the second leading cause of unintentional injury related death for ages 1 to 14.

“There is no amount of time that it’s safe to leave your child alone in water,” said Santillan.

SafeKids Tarrant County, led by Cook Children’s, gives these facts:

• Children can drown in as little as one inch of water.
• Drowning is quick and silent.
• Irreversible brain damage occurs in as little as 4 minutes.

“Safety begins in the home,” said Dana Walraven, manager of Community Health Outreach at Cook Children's and coordinator of the Safe Kids Tarrant County Coalition. “Bath time is a good time to bond with your baby, but it can also be a dangerous time if you’re not watching your child. Support safe habits with adult, not sibling, supervision.”

To protect your child from drowning:

1. Never leave your child unattended in the water.
2. Put the cell phone away. Give your child 100 percent of your attention.
3. Once the bath is over, immediately drain the tub.
4. Store empty tubs, buckets containers and wading pools away after use. Store them upside down and out of children’s reach.
5. Keep doors to bathrooms and laundry rooms closed.
6. Learn CPR.

Click here to learn more about Water Safety and Drowning Prevention from the experts at Cook Children's.

A little over a year since her death, one of Elise’s swim coaches, Tracey Anne Boyd, 49, has been indicted on a charge of abandonment and endangering of a child by criminal negligence, according to court records as reported on by the Star-Telegram.

The indictment says Boyd did not “watch or observe Elise Cerami while [Cerami] was swimming.”

“The charge against Tracey Boyd describes her conduct and we believe that the district attorney will devote the full resources of their office to the case against Boyd,” Lori Cerami, Elise’s mother, wrote in an email to Checkup Newsroom. “While the court system proceeds with the grand jury’s indictment, our efforts will continue in water safety and drowning prevention.”

Since Elise’s death, the Cerami family have become tireless advocates for drowning prevention. Both Lori and Bryce, Elise’s younger brother, participate in Cook Children’s Lifeguard Your Child campaign to stress the importance of adult supervision of children in the water at all times.

The family started the Swim4Elise Foundation as a way to educate young people on water safety through the Elise Cerami Memorial for camp and college swim scholarships. In collaborating with Swim4Elise volunteers, the foundation also developed to include Run4Elise, the 100 Lifeguard Challenge and Drowning Prevention Education for local daycare centers.

“Though the grief and loss are overwhelming, we are doing our best to make a positive change in water safety and our hearts go out to other families who have also lost a child to drowning,” Lori Cerami wrote.

Elise was a competitive swimmer for more than seven years and practiced as much as four hours on a given day. Although Elise’s death was ruled an accidental drowning by the Tarrant County medical examiner, Lori says one of the challenges her family has faced in heightening the message of water safety has been the rational by others that Elise must have been ill.

“Hence, parents and swimmers cannot relate to her story as their child is healthy, so this could never happen to them,” Lori wrote. “Unfortunately, this message creates a barrier, causing the community to disregard the important message of water safety and drowning prevention. Elise was a healthy kid, passing every annual physical with the same Cook Children’s physician over her lifetime. Though it is unimaginable, to believe this could happen to healthy kids, who can swim, we want the community to understand that drowning is completely silent. The best way to prevent drowning is to have active water watchers, regardless of the person’s swimming ability.”

The safety experts at Cook Children’s say kids can’t afford anything less than 100 percent adult supervision at the pool at all times. That means not taking your eyes off of a child while he or she is in the water.

Forgive the safety experts at Cook Children’s if they are coming across as bossy or even condemning, but they are at their wits’ end trying to find a message that will stop the tragic amounts of drownings over the past few summers. 

But they have come with a response: Lifeguard Your Child. And that starts with putting away perhaps the greatest competion for a grownup's attention - their smartphone.

“We understand the need for a phone at the pool, in case of emergencies, but those phones need to be put away until you leave the swimming area,” said Dana Walraven, Community Health Outreach manager at Cook Children’s and Safe Kids Tarrant County Coordinator. “Parents should only be spending time watching their kids and not on the phone.”

Smartphones have changed the way we look at the world, but it’s also made it much easier to be distracted and not pay attention to what is happening right in front of us.

Nonfatal injuries to children under age 5 rose 12 percent between 2007 and 2010, after injury rates were steadily falling the previous decade. During that same time period, smartphone users increased from 9 million in mid-2007 to 63 million at the end of 2010.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 1,100 people a day are injured in car crashes that involved a distracted driver.

Sharon Evans, Trauma Injury Prevention/Outreach coordinator for Cook Children’s Medical Center says she would like to see similar research into distracted adults and drownings.

But she doesn’t need stats to know that it’s the adult’s responsibility to stay focused on the children, and nothing else, while they are swimming.

“Parents are distracted enough with people around them talking, eating and everything going on in their lives. After a hard day they may even zone out for a little while. But parents can’t afford to be distracted and that includes using their smart phones while their child is in the water,” Evans said. “I don’t think parents understand how quickly and quietly drowning occurs. There is no thrashing, no yelling for help. The drowning child is just trying to push down on the water to get their head above the surface to gasp a breath of air.”

Walraven reminds parents it takes only two seconds for a drowning to occur.

She encourages any adult watching children at the pool, including parents grandparents, family friends or babysitters, to use Water Watcher system if possible where the grownups at the pool take shifts with the sole responsibility of keeping an eye on the children swimming at all times.

They are expected to stay sober and focused during their 15 minute shift or if they are the only one out there, to stay alert the whole time. This isn't a job for kids, even older children. Walraven said this is a job solely for the adults. It shouldn’t be the responsibility of a teen. The younger person may be easily distracted, have trouble pulling the child out of the water and in case of a fatal drowning, the child could be scarred for life.

“This is definitely a job for a grownup, but that means acting like an adult,” Walraven said. “Many drownings occur when a caregiver is present. But being ‘present’ or being ‘there’ is not enough, you have to watch and be involved. Drowning is silent so keep your eyes on the water, not the phone. A text is not worth the risk and it’s certainly not worth your child losing his or her life.”

Other resources:

• Drowning prevention page at Cook Children's
• 9 ways to protect your child from drowning
• Is your baby ready for swim lessons?
• This life-saving tip could prevent your child from drowning
• Life after drowning
• Be a water watcher. Adult supervisions saves lives.
• Drowning tragedy - 'I can't believe this happened to me.'
• The life-saving reason for Water Watchers

February isn’t over and already four children have been treated for near-drowning accidents at Cook Children’s Emergency Department. All of these incidents occured in swimming pools.

“So often we think of the summer months as the time when we see drownings,” said Sharon Evans, Trauma Injury Prevention coordinator at Cook Children’s. “But as long as a child is around water, the threat is real for a child to drown. In Texas, we have 70 or 80 degree days during the winter and kids are outside playing around pools. If you have a pool, parents should be outside with their child. If not, the results can be tragic.”

The threat of drowning is a continuing concern well before summer begins. By the end of April 2016, 12 children were admitted for drowning injuries (9 in a pool) at Cook Children's, including two that were fatal (one pool death, one pond).

Even non-fatal, or near, drownings can be devastating for a child. Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of the Cook Children’s Emergency Department, says there’s a large amount of children who survive a drowning, but end up with catastrophic outcomes. The most effected parts of a near-drowning victim are the brain, lungs and kidneys. “The one that is most catastrophic and the one that will kill you is the brain,” Dr. Warmink said.

As a parent, Dr. Warmink stresses supervision of his own children in the pool. He calls it a hallmark of making sure children are safe. Half of all drownings occur within 25 feet of an adult.

“Children should never be in water without adults watching them,” he said. “If you have a toddler, that child shouldn't be in water without what we call touch supervision. You need to be in hand's length and it's not just pools. That includes bathtubs or any other container with water. I've seen kids drown in buckets. A child can drown in any water, even a few inches deep.”

The most important step a parent can make in making sure their child is safe around water is simply being present without distractions. Drowning is silent and quick, so a grownup should be watching children near water at all times and never leave, even for a brief moment.

“Active adult supervision and layers of protection such as door alarms and a fence can lower the risk for your child,” Dana Walraven, Community Outreach manager said. “The majority of these water-related incidents happen in the child’s own backyard pools and to children 4 years old and younger. Preventing pool drownings begins with adult supervision.”

Children are protected by layers of protection by using these safety techniques whenever children are around the pool:

• Always have adult supervision present when children are swimming or around pools.
• A fence with a locking gate should surround the pool.
• Install door alarms to alert adults when a child is entering the pool area.
• Require life jacket use for non-swimmers.
• Enroll children in swimming lessons.
• Parents and caregivers should undergo CPR training.

Other Resources:

• NRH Water Safety 365 Drowning Prevention Coalition
• Grownups be smart: Put down the phone at the pool
• 9 Ways to Protect Children From Drowning
• What Your Children Should Do If They See Someone Drowning
• Is Your Baby Ready For Swim Lessons?

Things were so bad that Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price called a press conference pleading for city-wide support of drowning prevention measures and asking parents to supervise their kids at all times. 

And yet, it's happening again. Cook Children's has seen 15 near drownings and two fatal drownings already in the month of June. 

At the press conference a year ago, Denise Doherty, an RN and director of Emergency Services at Cook Children's, said her staff was "drained and heart broken" from the number of children and patients affected by this "very preventable tragedy."

"It has to stop," Doherty said. "Can you imagine being a parent, sitting in the ED waiting room, praying that the life of someone you love so dearly is spared, especially since it was something that didn't have to happen? No parent wants to be saddled with that guilt. I think it's also appropriate for me to say that no one is immune, and yes, it can happen to you. Cook Children's has witnessed this in a very intimate way, even our own medical community has experienced this heartbreak."

But the good news is that we can prevent our kids from drowning. Here are 9 tips that if we all truly followed, could make for a safe summer for our kids:

1. Get in the water. Be in arms reach of your child. Don't let your child out of your sight and be there to grab your children out of the water at any sign of trouble.

2. 100 percent adult supervision at all times. Be active in the pool with the children or watch like a lifeguard. Don't take your eyes off of your child. If you aren't in the water, be sure to watch your kids at all times. Don't spend time on your smartphone, talking to friends or walking away for even a moment. Do have a phone nearby in case of an emergency. But that's the only time anyone should be using one.

3. Watch them until they are safe and inside. Monitoring your kids includes accounting for everyone who had been in the water all the way to the house or apartment. Once you are inside, count again and make sure all the kids are safe and inside.

4. Be a water watcher. If you are at a party with a group of children, take 15-minute shifts watching the kids. Count heads above water and look for any that are motionless on the bottom of the pool. Give your undivided while you are the water watcher. Stay sober and be alert. You can't have a more important responsibility.

5. Life jackets. Not just any flotation device will do. Make sure your life jacket is U.S. Coast Guard approved. Check the tag to say so. Remember that life jackets aren't just for the lake, but for the swimming pool too.

6. Swim lessons. Mom and dad, you need to know how to swim. If you don't know, take lessons with your child. Make sure your child knows how to swim too. If they are in the pool, they need to know how to get to safety. But this is only a layer of protection and doesn't take away from the fact that you need to be in arm's reach.

7. Know CPR. Local CPR lessons are given in your area. A quick Google search should help you find a class.

8. Use pool and child alarms to alert you if your child gets in the water without you.

9. Isolate your pool from the rest of your backyard with a permanent, four-sided fence with self-latching gates to prevent kids from accessing the pool area without an adult.

Previous articles on this topic:

• Is your baby ready for swim lessons?
• This life-saving tip could prevent your child from drowning
• Life After Drowning
• Drowning prevention - watch your kids
• Drownings double from a year ago 
• Be a water watcher. Adult supervisions saves lives.
• Is your baby ready for swim lessons?
• Drowning tragedy - 'I can't believe this happened to me.'
• Swimming with Type 1 diabetes
• Cook Children's drowning prevention page

For more information

Learn more about drowning prevention and water safety here. This page gives helpful information on keeping your kids safe during swim season, including proper fit for life jackets, pool safety videos and fences/alarms information.

More importantly, who is not watching them drown?

The month of May has been designated as National Water Safety Month because the warmer weather marks the beginning of summer and drowning season across the United States.

Already this year, one child died at Cook Children's from a fatal drowning and eight more kids have been treated for non-fatal drownings. Last year, Cook Children’s staff saw eight drowning deaths and another 61 children treated for near-drownings.

Most of the drownings occurred during the summer months of June and July with 39 total drowning and 5 deaths.

The numbers have to go down and this month Cook Children’s begins its new campaign: “Lifeguard Your Child.”

“We hope this campaign sends a clear message to parents and adults when they are at the pool or lake,” Sharon Evans, Trauma Injury Prevention coordinator at Cook Children’s. “Adult supervision is critical to the safety of a child in the water and is the difference between life and death for many kids.

We’re asking parents and adults watching children in the water to go in with the mindset of a lifeguard.”

Ideally, Evans suggests adults get in the water and be in arms reach of their child. “Don’t let your child out of your sight and be there to grab children out of the water at any sign of trouble,” Evans said.

Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of Emergency Services at Cook Children’s, calls drowning a “preventable tragedy.” In nearly nine out of 10 child drowning–related deaths, the parent or caregiver said the child had been with them in the house or pool within five minutes of the accident.

“Children should never be in water without adults watching them,” said Corwin Warmink, M.D., medical director of Emergency Services at Cook Children’s. “If you have a toddler, that child shouldn't be in water without what we call touch supervision. You need to be in hand's length and it's not just pools. That includes bathtubs or any other container with water. I've seen kids drown in buckets. A child can drown in any water, even a few inches deep. Supervision isn't, Hey there’s six of us cooking hamburgers and text messaging. It means there’s someone who has the designated job to watch the children in the water.”

Drowning prevention around the pool begins with adult supervision, but there are other steps parents can take at home to help protect their children from drowning.

Use these safety techniques and layers of protection whenever children are around the pool:

· Always have adult supervision present when children are swimming or around pools.

· A fence with a locking gate should surround the pool.

· Install door alarms to alert adults when a child is entering the pool area.

· Require U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket use for non-swimmers.

· Enroll children in swimming lessons.

· Parents and caregivers should undergo CPR training.

In large pools, it’s ideal to split up in groups and take sections of the pool.

“If you are somewhere where children are in the pool, insist that an adult be on watch,” said Dana Walraven, community health outreach manager for Cook Children’s, said. “It should be done by a sober adult and that should be his or her only focus during their time watching the kids.”

For more information about this topic, visit cookchildrens.org.

That was the overall message from Fort Worth, Texas Mayor Betsy Price and representatives from the city of Fort Worth, including Cook Children's, at a press conference to address city-wide support of drowning prevention measures.

Mayor Price said that the message of the day was that tragedy in the water only takes seconds and that drowning is a silent killer. "Children drown without a sound," she said.

The press conference called for awareness and a city-wide call-to-action to protect our children through education, prevention and response. Along with the Mayor and Cook Children's, representatives from the Fort Worth Drowning Prevention Coalition, the Fort Worth YMCA, the Fort Worth Firefighter Charities, the Fort Worth Fire Department and MedStar were all in attendance.

The event included a poignant speech from Denise Doherty, an RN and director of Emergency Services at Cook Children's. Doherty said her staff is "drained and heart broken" from the number of children and patients affected by this "very preventable tragedy."

In the past two months, Cook Children's has seen nearly a child a day for drownings. The month of July began with two drowning deaths and Cook Children's Trauma Department seeing 19 total drownings from July 1 to July 22, compared to 11 drownings and two fatalities last year for the entire month of July. June saw more than double the amount of non-fatal drownings from a year ago with 26. 

Parents have been urged to watch their kids. Now the message has a new sense of urgency - you must protect your children. 

"We've seen more than enough children die this year," Doherty said. "It has to stop. Can you imagine being a parent, sitting in the ED waiting room, praying that the life of someone you love so dearly is spared, especially since it was something that didn't have to happen? No parent wants to be saddled with that guilt. I think it's also appropriate for me to say that no one is immune, and yes, it can happen to you. Cook Children's has witnessed this in a very intimate way, even our own medical community has experienced this heartbreak."

Doherty added," Today, we're making a plea. It's not only time to watch your kids near the water, but it's time to protect them."

So what does it mean to truly protect your kids? Help us spread the word with these tips:

1. Get in the water. Be in arms reach of your child. Don't let your child out of your sight and be there to grab your children out of the water at any sign of trouble.

2. 100 percent adult supervision at all times. Be active in the pool with the children or watch like a lifeguard. Don't take your eyes off of your child. If you aren't in the water, be sure to watch your kids at all times. Don't spend time on your smartphone, talking to friends or walking away for even a moment. Do have a phone nearby in case of an emergency. But that's the only time anyone should be using one.

3. Watch them until they are safe and inside. Monitoring your kids includes accounting for everyone who had been in the water all the way to the house or apartment. Once you are inside, count again and make sure all the kids are safe and inside.

4. Be a water watcher. If you are at a party with a group of children, take 15-minute shifts watching the kids. Count heads above water and look for any that are motionless on the bottom of the pool. Give your undivided while you are the water watcher. Stay sober and be alert. You can't have a more important responsibility.

5. Life jackets. Not just any flotation device will do. Make sure your life jacket is U.S. Coast Guard approved. Check the tag to say so.

6. Swim lessons. Mom and dad, you need to know how to swim. If you don't know, take lessons with your child. Make sure your child knows how to swim too. If they are in the pool, they need to know how to get to safety. But this is only a layer of protection and doesn't take away from the fact that you need to be in arm's reach.

7. Know CPR. Local CPR lessons are given in your area. A quick Google search should help you find a class.

8. Use pool and child alarms to alert you if your child gets in the water without you.

9. Isolate your pool from the rest of your backyard with a permanent, four-sided fence with self-latching gates to prevent kids from accessing the pool area without an adult.

Previous articles on this topic:

• Drowning prevention - watch your kids
• Drownings double from a year ago 
• Be a water watcher. Adult supervisions saves lives.
• Is your baby ready for swim lessons?
• Drowning tragedy - 'I can't believe this happened to me.'
• Swimming with Type 1 diabetes
• Cook Children's drowning prevention page

For more information

Learn more about drowning prevention and water safety here. This page gives helpful information on keeping your kids safe during swim season, including proper fit for life jackets, pool safety videos and fences/alarms information.

Well, I was that parent too. And then one day everything changed in the blink of an eye. 

It takes a while to come to terms with the fact when “that would be so terrible” turns into “I can’t believe this happened to me.” Shock and disbelief take a long time to get over. 

On August 6th, 2012, we lost our 4-year old son Xander to drowning. The day our lives changed tragically forever, we were now that family. On a summer day playing with my three children and our friends in the pool, two short minutes changed everything.

The kids and I had met my friend and her three children for an afternoon at the community pool in her neighborhood. We all swam numerous times a week and were in the water all the time.

Immediately I was confused by the layout of this pool and the sight obstructions from many angles. I said to my friend, we would just have to watch them closely in this odd pool configuration. We began our day of swimming after a quick lunch. My two older girls could swim proficiently and we were still working on Xander jumping in and getting his face wet. He didn’t love water on his face but we were making strides. 

All day my son was attached at the hip to my girlfriend’s daughter, who was 3, they were inseparable; he was very smitten that day. Always a very loving boy, compassionate and wanted to take care of everyone.

After following Xander with his friend on his hip around the bend of the shallow lazy river, my middle daughter asked me to help her get watermelon out of the cooler, so I asked my girlfriend to watch the little ones. Her son called her a couple feet away and when she turned back around, the little ones had stepped too far where the slope starts to get deeper. 

I’m sure Xander panicked when the water touched his face and couldn’t turn around. When my friend turned around his face was under and he was holding his little friend up above the water, which pushed him down. It all happened in less than 2 minutes. 

They were pulled out immediately but he had slipped unconscious. We were amazed that there was a nurse at the pool that day with her children who began CPR right away. Unfortunately, it took too long to get a heartbeat, his tummy was full of lunch. Paramedics finally got a heartbeat after what proved to be too long. We were immediately flown by CareFlight to Cook Children’s in Ftort Worth, Texas where we could not have asked for better care. They did everything they possibly could and took amazing care of our son in his last days. 

In the grief and suffering and disbelief of losing our third-born child, baby and only boy, our hearts and minds have been so expanded by the knowledge and love of the amazing nurses and doctors at Cooks Children’s. The support system they have is amazing.  When they told us he would never wake we immediately agreed for our son to be an organ and tissue donor, we are proud that he went on to save so many lives. And we are grateful for the love and support we received from Cook Children’s and LifeGift donation care at an unimaginable time of our lives. 

Do not buy the misconception from the movies of drowning. There is no splashing or screaming. It is silent and it happens FAST. My mission as his mother now is to carry on what I’ve learned in his name and work for safety and knowledge for parents and children.

It can be a pool, bathtub, toilet, sink or even a pail of water. I am now a fierce advocate with Cook Children’s and the Fort Worth Drowning Prevention Coalition to spread the word of the importance of water safety. I will honor my son until the day I die and I hope I’m teaching my girls to do the same. Even two seconds is too long to turn your back on a child in the water.

Unfortunately, I learned the hard way but I hope our story helps even one family be more aware. I would give anything in this world to kiss and hug my baby boy again. I pray no one ever has to feel what we have.  Please be aware and cherish every single moment you have with your children.

Dr. Aaron spent her morning on Thursday, July 24, doing interviews with newspaper, radio and three local TV stations.

“I’ve never been one to reach out to the media or certainly get in front of the camera,” Dr. Aaron said. “I’ve had those times where I’ve been asked to be on camera and needed to do that. This is the first time where I’ve ever picked up the phone and called our team and said, ‘Guys, we need to do something. We need to reach out because three in one week … that’s just too many.’”

The mother of a 2-year-old son, the swimming deaths hit way too close for Dr. Aaron. All three children who died were between the ages of 2 to 4 years old. The teams at Cook Children’s involved in the three drowning events met with Cameron Brown, a member of Cook Children’s Pastoral Care and a firefighter, who is specially trained to lead caregivers through a critical incident stress debriefing. To put it simply, they were heart broken.

“This is what we do. This is our profession, but it impacts us,” Dr. Aaron said. “We’ve had great sorrow. That is minimal to what we sense must be happening with these families and close friends. It’s unusual for us to have three cases in one week ... and we still have many weeks of summer left.”

What makes the deaths even more tragic is the fact that most drownings are preventable. Dana Walraven, Cook Children’s Community Health Outreach manager and Safe Kids Tarrant County coordinator, also spent the day with media to discuss drowning prevention steps. Texas has the highest incidence of swimming pool- and spa-related childhood drownings in the United States. All three children who died were pool related incidents.

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional deaths for children 1 to 4 years of age. The common myth of children splashing, waving their arms around and yelling is simply not true.

“In many drowning situations, an adult was just a few feet away from the pool and didn’t realize anything was wrong because he or she didn’t hear any sounds of distress, such as splashing or yelling,” Walraven said. “Drowning is a silent event that can occur in the time it takes to send a text message. Should supervision fail for any reason, having multiple layers in place helps protect your child.”

Walraven offers these drowning prevention basics:

• Have your children take swim lessons.
• Have the entire family taking swim and safety lessons.
• Learn CPR.
• Provide 100 percent supervision without distractions.
• Use pool and child alarms to alert you if your child gets in the water without you.
• Isolate your pool from the rest of your backyards with a permanent, four-sided fence with self-latching gates to prevent kids from accessing the pool area without adult supervision.

“We realize that it could happen to anyone,” Dr. Aaron said. “It happens very, very quickly. We’re not being judgmental. We feel so strongly about this and knowing how it impacts us we wanted to reach out and raise awareness to the community.”

For more information:

• Drowning prevention
• Water safety
• Vento family story
• Cookchildrens.org/safety
• Backyard and Pool: Household Safety Checklist
• Household Safety: Preventing Drowning

Dr. Aaron spent her morning on Thursday, July 24, doing interviews with newspaper, radio and three local TV stations.

“I’ve never been one to reach out to the media or certainly get in front of the camera,” Dr. Aaron said. “I’ve had those times where I’ve been asked to be on camera and needed to do that. This is the first time where I’ve ever picked up the phone and called our team and said, ‘Guys, we need to do something. We need to reach out because three in one week … that’s just too many.’”

The mother of a 2-year-old son, the swimming deaths hit way too close for Dr. Aaron. All three children who died were between the ages of 2 to 4 years old. The teams at Cook Children’s involved in the three drowning events met with Cameron Brown, a member of Cook Children’s Pastoral Care and a firefighter, who is specially trained to lead caregivers through a critical incident stress debriefing. To put it simply, they were heart broken.

“This is what we do. This is our profession, but it impacts us,” Dr. Aaron said. “We’ve had great sorrow. That is minimal to what we sense must be happening with these families and close friends. It’s unusual for us to have three cases in one week ... and we still have many weeks of summer left.”

What makes the deaths even more tragic is the fact that most drownings are preventable. Dana Walraven, Cook Children’s Community Health Outreach manager and Safe Kids Tarrant County coordinator, also spent the day with media to discuss drowning prevention steps. Texas has the highest incidence of swimming pool- and spa-related childhood drownings in the United States. All three children who died were pool related incidents.

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional deaths for children 1 to 4 years of age. The common myth of children splashing, waving their arms around and yelling is simply not true.

“In many drowning situations, an adult was just a few feet away from the pool and didn’t realize anything was wrong because he or she didn’t hear any sounds of distress, such as splashing or yelling,” Walraven said. “Drowning is a silent event that can occur in the time it takes to send a text message. Should supervision fail for any reason, having multiple layers in place helps protect your child.”

Walraven offers these drowning prevention basics:

• Have your children take swim lessons.
• Have the entire family taking swim and safety lessons.
• Learn CPR.
• Provide 100 percent supervision without distractions.
• Use pool and child alarms to alert you if your child gets in the water without you.
• Isolate your pool from the rest of your backyards with a permanent, four-sided fence with self-latching gates to prevent kids from accessing the pool area without adult supervision.

“We realize that it could happen to anyone,” Dr. Aaron said. “It happens very, very quickly. We’re not being judgmental. We feel so strongly about this and knowing how it impacts us we wanted to reach out and raise awareness to the community.”

For more information:

• Drowning prevention
• Water safety
• Vento family story
• Cookchildrens.org/safety
• Backyard and Pool: Household Safety Checklist
• Household Safety: Preventing Drowning