Drowning Prevention and Water Safety for Children

Where can drowning happen?

Risk is not limited to swimming pools. Baths, buckets, water drums, tanks, wells, ponds, canals, construction pits, beaches, rivers, floodwater, and open drains can all be hazardous. Young children can enter water without being noticed.

Supervision around water

• Assign one attentive adult to supervise children whenever they are in or near water.
• Stay close enough to intervene immediately with babies, toddlers, and children who cannot swim reliably.
• Avoid distractions such as phones, conversations, household work, or alcohol while supervising.
• Do not transfer supervision without clearly telling the next adult.

Reduce access to water hazards

• Empty baths, buckets, paddling pools, and other containers immediately after use and store them so they cannot refill.
• Keep bathroom doors closed and secure access to tanks, wells, ponds, and other household water sources.
• Use effective barriers around swimming pools and keep gates closed and maintained.
• Check unfamiliar homes, holiday properties, farms, and outdoor areas for water hazards before children explore.

Swimming, boating, and open water

• Swimming and water-safety lessons can add protection for appropriately aged children, but they do not replace supervision.
• Use a correctly fitted, approved lifejacket for boating and relevant open-water activities.
• Inflatable toys and swimming aids are not substitutes for lifejackets or adult supervision.
• Follow local warnings and avoid rough seas, strong currents, unsafe weather, and floodwater.

If a child is in difficulty

• Call emergency services immediately and alert a trained rescuer or lifeguard.
• Avoid entering hazardous water if doing so could place you in danger; use a safe reach or throw rescue method if trained and able.
• Once the child is out of the water, follow emergency call-handler instructions and provide resuscitation only according to your training.
• Arrange urgent medical assessment after a significant submersion event, especially if there was breathing difficulty, persistent cough, unusual sleepiness, confusion, or any loss of responsiveness.

What not to do

• Do not leave a child alone in a bath or near water, even briefly.
• Do not rely on another young child to supervise.
• Do not assume swimming ability makes a child drown-proof.
• Do not delay emergency help while waiting to see whether symptoms settle.

When emergency help is needed

Medical disclaimer

References

1. World Health Organization. Drowning fact sheet, updated 1 May 2026.
2. World Health Organization. Guideline on drowning prevention through provision of day-care and basic swimming and water safety skills, 2021.
3. World Health Organization. Technical package for drowning prevention, 2026.