Water safety is important at any age, but is especially crucial if you have babies or toddlers in your home. Drowning can happen very quickly and in less than 1 inch of water, so filled bathtubs, swimming pools, wading pools, hot tubs, and even buckets of water and sinks can be dangerous.

To reduce drowning:

Bathroom

• Never leave a baby unattended in the bath. If you must answer the telephone or door, don't rely on an older sibling to watch the baby; wrap your baby in a towel and bring him or her with you.
• Never leave a small child unattended near a bucket filled with any amount of water or other liquid.
• Never use a bathtub seat with suction cups. The seat can overturn and flip a baby headfirst into the water.
• Install a toilet-lid locking device or keep bathroom doors closed at all times.

Pool

• If you have a pool in your backyard, install fencing at least 5 feet high on all sides of the pool, as well as a self-closing and self-latching gate with a lock that's out of a child's reach.
• Consider installing a pool alarm or cover.
• Remove toys from the pool when children are finished swimming to prevent them from trying to recover them when unsupervised.
• Dump out all water from a wading pool when you're finished using it.
• Remove any ladders from an above-ground pool when not in use.
• If you leave your child with a babysitter, make sure he or she knows your rules for the pool. Look into having a babysitter CPR certified.
• Do not use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.
• The doors leading from the house to the pool should be protected with alarms to produce a sound when the door is unexpectedly opened.
• Keep rescue equipment near the pool. Be sure to have a phone near the poolside with a list of emergency contacts.

Large Bodies of water

• Closely watch your children and keep them within reach at all times.
• Life vest do not work if they aren’t worn! Insist that your little one wears a life vest when around a large body of water.