American Academy of Pediatrics updating recommendations on drowning prevention

[00:00:00]On the health watch, drowning remains the number one cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 here in the US.

[00:00:06]>> Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics is updating its recommendation on drowning prevention. CBS's Jared Hill shows us what parents need to know.

[00:00:16]3-year-old Dustin Horman doesn't know it yet.

[00:00:22]But while he's having fun splashing around at Goldfish Swim School in Garden City, New York, he's mastering life-saving skills.

[00:00:29]>> Everyone having pools, being, you know, near beaches all the time, I thought it was important that he knows how to swim.

[00:00:35]He's learned how to put his face under the water and float on his back. I like that they teach you jump in off the wall and then you go right back to the wall.

[00:00:44]>> The American Academy of Pediatrics is updating its recommendations on drowning prevention as recent statistics show drowning deaths are increasing.

[00:00:52]>> One of the first things that we start with is the child being able to, if they fall into the water, getting out.

[00:00:59]>> To reduce drowning rates, the AAP recommends beginning swim classes after a child's first birthday, supervising children in, on, and around water, and caregivers and adolescents should be learning CPR.

[00:01:11]>> We also need to be vigilant when our children are outside of the water. So, at home, we want to make sure the fences are closed. We want to make sure doors are closed. Even if we're at a facility that has a lifeguard, we want to have a water watcher.

[00:01:24]>> The report stresses that toddlers are at the highest [snorts] risk of drowning because they can often escape without notice, and that adolescents are vulnerable because they can overestimate swimming skills or engage in risky behaviors.

[00:01:37]Aquila Leach's family is from the Caribbean, so getting 11-month-old daughter Khari into the water at an early age was a priority.

[00:01:44]>> So, in any instance mom or dad's not there, and they come into any type of situation, they'll be able to save themselves.

[00:01:53]>> Peace of mind for now and the future.

[00:01:56]Jared Hill, CBS News, New York.

[00:01:59]>> This is >> I think as a parent, one of the things that makes me feel best is that our kids got a lot of swimming lessons very, very young. It's so important.