SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Summertime is swimming time. As families enjoy gatherings and newly-opened swimming pools, Sacramento County Public Health reminds parents and caregivers to practice water safety tips in and around pools. Even inflatable pools can be dangerous for children.

In Sacramento County, 70 percent of drowning deaths occurred in children under the age of five, according to the Safe Kids Program of Greater Sacramento. Drowning is the leading injury-related cause of death for children ages 1-4, and many of those deaths occurred in backyard pools or spas.

Here are a few tips to keep children safe while swimming in pools:

Watch your children at all times or designate an official Water Watcher who can swim to monitor children in or around the pool. This should be an adult who is 18 years old or older. Their ONLY job is to supervise children in the water – they should not be reading, texting or playing games on their phone;

Teach children to stay away from drains in pools and spas; Ensure all pools and spas - both in a backyard and any public pool you may visit - have drain covers;

Keep a phone nearby for use in an emergency; Enroll your children in swimming and water safety lessons;

Learn infant and adult CPR; If a child is missing, check the pool/spa first; Own a pool?

Install proper child-proof barriers, covers and alarms on and around your pool and spa; Cover pools and spas when not in use;

Remove ladders for above ground pools when not in use.

To download multi-lingual water safety posters and other useful materials, visit the Safe Kids Greater Sacramento website.  

For more safety tips or to download a pool safety app, visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Pool Safely program website.