Your Baby Isn't Playing – She's Drowning!

Signs of Drowning

When observing swimmers, especially youngsters, these are the signs that indicate trouble:

   

• The child's arms seem to be pushing on the surface of the water as if trying to lift the head.
• The child's head and mouth is going up and down, in and out of the water's surface.
•  The child is immobile and floating vertically in the water, only the top of the head is seen.
•  The child is immobile and floating face down in the water.

Drowning Youngsters

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released figures revealing that almost 3,500 deaths from drowning occur in the U.S. during a typical year. Averaged out, that's about ten water-related deaths a day. And a good quarter of those are children fours years old and younger.

Drowning, A Complicated Process

When a child starts to drown, the body starts to react in certain ways. Of course, the younger the child, the shorter the struggle and the shorter the drowning process. Youngsters may look like they are just playing because they don't have the ability to thrash and scream as drowning adults are able to do.

Silence Is The Sound of Drowning

This distress period for children can be as short as 20 seconds or last up to three minutes. Then silence and immobility sets in. In fact, one of the most important indicators of drowning is the sudden silence or immobility of a child. Then the body, taking directions from the brain as it senses the lack of oxygen, slips into a state intended to preserve the body by shutting down unnecessary bodily functions.

Essential Timing

At this point, saving the young swimmer is still possible. But this short time span means that caregivers should always be close enough to a swimming child so that they will be able to rescue the child during this time frame. And they must be attuned to watching the child for the danger signs indicated above. Caregivers or parents being too far away to see whether their child is playing or drowning and thus not being close enough to get the child out of the water in time, is usually the reason so many children are lost.

Playing or Drowning

Usually a drowning child loses the ability to kick, but might be able to spread out his or her arms to attempt to lift the head or mouth above the water. The mouth will usually be open and the head will be bobbing in and out of the water's surface. Some times, the child may look as if he or she is dog paddling with the head in the water. But playful dog paddling will move the child forward, drowning movements that look like dog paddling will not.

Closeness, Constance, Care, CPR

When accompanying a child to the beach or the pool, parents or caregivers should remember three watchwords: Closeness, Constance, Care. Remain CLOSE to a child in the water. Be CONSTANT in watching the child. Take CARE to recognize the signs of a child in distress.

Of course, whenever swimming with a child, the parent or caregiver should be able to administer CPR in a way that is effective for children. Or, they should be certain that a lifeguard or other person skilled in Infant and Child CPR is close at hand. (CPR: Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation. Infant and Child CPR is administered in such a way that is effective for young bodies and requires special health and safety training.)