Safe fun with water

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• Even when children can swim, 100% supervision is the key to preventing drowning, which is the number one cause of death for children under five.
• A young child can drown in as little as 5 cm of water – remove any containers with water in them from around the house and make sure your child can't get to any bodies of water, including the bath, on her own.
• It is always best for an adult, not an older child, to supervise.

Drowning: what you need to know

Babies and toddlers are top-heavy, which makes them susceptible to drowning. If a baby falls into even shallow water, she cannot always lift herself out. Drowning can occur in less than a minute, and without any warning noises.

In Australia, children drown in:

• swimming pools (16 children drowned in pools in 2006-07)
• baths (six children drowned in the bath in 2006-07)
• rivers, creeks and oceans (six children drowned in a river or in the ocean in 2006-07)
• dams and lakes (three children drowned in dams in 2006-07).

Children also drown in less obvious locations, such as nappy buckets, water tanks, water features and fish ponds – even pets' water bowls. Nine children drowned in these locations during 2005-06.

For every drowning, approximately three other children are hospitalised from a near-drowning incident, some of which result in severe brain damage. Prevention and 100% supervision are the keys to keeping your child safe around water.

Water safety: what to do

It's important to always stay with your child and watch her whenever she is near water – even when she can swim.

Keep her in sight and within arm's reach at all times, whether you're at the beach or the swimming pool, near dams, rivers and lakes, or at home when the bath or spa is full. Hold her hand when you are near waves or paddling in rivers.

You can also teach your child about water safety and how to swim. Many children can learn to swim by the time they are four or five.

Learning CPR  and what to do in an emergency could also save your child's life. You might like to keep a copy of our guide to CPR for babies under one and our CPR guide for children, or enrol in a CPR course and update your skills annually.

Other practical tips for water safety

Around the house

• Use a nappy bucket with a tight-fitting lid and keep the bucket closed and out of your child’s reach.
• Always empty the baby bath as soon as you’re finished with it so older siblings can’t climb in.
• Drain sinks, tubs, buckets, baths and paddling pools when you’re finished with them.
• Cover ponds and birdbaths and other water features with wire mesh or empty them until your child is at least five years of age.
• Keep aquariums and fishbowls out of reach of small children. If you have an inflatable pool that is more than 300 mm in height, pool fencing laws apply. Outdoor spas also have to be fenced.

Outside the house – dams, ponds and tanks 

• Create a fenced child-safety area around your house to prevent your child from wandering near dams, creeks or other bodies of water.
• Fence off the area between the house and any bodies of water.
• Teach your child not to go near the dam, creek or water tank without you.
• Secure a toddler-proof lid over any water tanks.
• Fence off, drain or seal ponds while your child or visiting children are less than five years of age.
• Make sure there are no trellises, ladders, windows or trees that your child could climb on to gain access to the water tank.

Beaches, lakes and rivers 

• Always stay with your child when she is playing in or near the sea, lakes or rivers. Hold your toddlers' hand near waves and when paddling in rivers.
• Only take your child to patrolled beaches where surf lifesavers are present, and only swim between the flags at beaches.
• Teach your school-age child what to do if she needs help: to stay calm, float, and raise an arm to signal to a lifeguard or lifesaver.

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