And even if the child lives, he or she may suffer serious neurological damage from lack of oxygen to the brain. Parents should know that a child can drown in any body or volume of water. And most drown in their own family's or friends' swimming pools. Most drowning incidents don't involve neglectful parents who leave their children alone. Drowning usually occurs when caring parents lose sight of their kids for just a few minutes.
Any parent knows that it is impossible to keep a toddler in sight all the time.
But a drowning can happen so fast. In seconds, a child can fall into the pool or hit his or her head and be knocked unconscious. The most important prevention measure is close supervision of small children. Make sure, too, that children understand clearly that they're never to go near a body of water without an adult. Install alarms on back doors to sound an alert when a toddler steps outside.