TEXAS, USA — Editor's Note: Video above is from an earlier story.
To date, there have been 37 fatal cases of kids drowning this year in Texas. By this time last year, there were 42, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
More than 70% of those reports have been kids 5 years or younger, and most of them were found in pools, WFAA learned from the DFPS. Eight of those cases have been in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
With 4th of July celebrations just around the corner, officials want to make sure parents and caregivers are taking all necessary precautions to keep everyone (especially the kiddos) safe from drowning.
But drowning dangers are not limited to pools or lakes; the DFPS said it also receives cases of children drowning in buckets, toilets, and bathtubs. So parents, extra precautions are always a good idea.
Here are some water safety tips they gave to protect the kids:
Always supervise!
- Keep an eye on them when they are in or around water bodies.
- Have them close by.
Be ready for emergencies
- It's a good idea to learn CPR.
- Always have a phone available to dial 911.
Have floats in hand
- Have floatation devices to use in rescue.
- Everyone, even adults (no matter swimming experience), should wear life jackets near the lake.
Share the rules with other adults supervising
Anyone who is watching a kid should be advised to follow the same rules.
Teach water survival skills
Sign up kids for swim lessons. They should be taught how to:
- Return to the surface if they fall in over their head.
- Float or tread water.
- Turn in a circle in the water and look for an exit.
- Swim 25 yards (75 feet).
- Get out of the pool without using the ladder.
Inside the house precautions
- Never leave small children alone near any container of water, including tubs, buckets, toilets or aquariums. Drain buckets and baths when done. A kid can drown in as little as 2 inches of water in a matter of seconds.
- Keep bathrooms doors closed.
- Make sure you have everything you need before filling the tub. If you need to leave the room, take your kid with you.
- Make sure kids can't leave the house to get to pools or hot tubs.
Outside the house
- Don't leave kids unsupervised around any pool, lake, beach, or any other water body.
- Keep an eye on them while they go swimming. They need an adult nearby.
- Remove pool covers and cleaning devices before letting kids in.
- Don't allow children to swim anywhere after heavy rains or flooding.
- Reach out to friends or neighbors to see if they have pools nearby.
For any additional concern or if you want to find out about more information about statistics of drownings or safety tips, you can visit watchkidsaroundwater.org