Avoid drinking alcohol whenever swimming or boating
Drowning can occur in any container of water. Do not leave any standing water (in empty basins, buckets, ice chests, kiddy pools, or bathtubs). Secure the toilet seat cover with a child safety device
Fence all pools and spas. Secure all the doors to the outside, and install pool and door alarms
If your child is missing, check the pool immediately
Never allow children to swim alone or unsupervised regardless of their ability to swim
Never leave children alone for any period of time, or let them leave your line of sight around any pool or body of water. Drownings have occurred when parents left "for just a minute" to answer the phone or door
Jacob L. Heller, MD, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, Clinic. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
References
Knaut AL. Feldhaus KM. Submersion. In: Marx J. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2006.