In summer, children’s inflatable pools become the No. 1 source of danger. American pediatricians estimate it is the leading cause of death for children aged 0 to 5 years old.
Swimming pool accidents make up 29 % of all unfortunate incidents. Even in car accidents fewer children die.
As writes Infox referring to a study conducted by specialists of the Center for Research in Child Trauma in Ohio, the results of which were published in the journal Pediatrics, it is enough for a child in a 5 cm water level in the pool to drown. Between 2001 and 2009, 209 children died in inflatable pools in the USA. 43% of the dead toddlers were under adult supervision when they slipped into the water, 39% were left alone and 18% died when adults ‘stepped aside for a second’.
Study leader Gary Smith notes: “What parents don’t realize is that it only takes a fraction of a minute for a young child to slide underwater. The breath catches, the heart stops – and the baby is dead. It all happens very quickly.”
Podiatrists say that inflatable pools without a railing are the number 1 source of danger. If you do have one, you should be at arm’s length from your child and be in complete control of everything that happens in the water. You also need to know first aid techniques and be able to apply them in practice.
