Drowning, quick and often silent, is a leading cause of unintentional injury death in children. That's why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) emphasizes the need to protect children from drowning with multiple layers of prevention—including close, constant, attentive and capable adult supervision and early swim lessons.
The AAP makes these recommendations in a revised policy statement, "Prevention of Drowning" published in the July 2026 Pediatrics. The statement and an accompanying technical report, pre-published online May 18.
Swimming can be a child's first sport
"Swimming can be
a child's first sport, and swim lessons can be introduced after a child turns 1 year old," said lead author
Rohit P. Shenoi, MD, FAAP.
"Toddlers are at the highest risk of drowning, as they can escape without notice even under the best of circumstances. Adolescents are also especially vulnerable since they may overestimate their swimming skills, misjudge the seriousness of water hazards or engage in risky and impulsive behaviors," Dr. Shenoi said.
Drowning is the leading cause of death in U.S. children in children ages 1-4, and teens are also at higher risk of drowning, as are children with medical conditions such as
autism and
epilepsy. While overall drowning rates declined from 1999 to 2019, deaths are rising again, and the burden falls disproportionately on Black, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and rural children.
A team effort to prevent drowning
The AAP's recommendations are tailored for families, pediatricians, community partners, advocates and policymakers. "Preventing drowning is not the responsibility of families alone," Dr. Shenoi said. "This is a team effort, and pediatricians are in an excellent position to help raise awareness with patients and community partners."
What the AAP recommends:
Be aware of drowning hazards. Supervise children in, on, and around water. Never leave, even momentarily, young children alone or with another child while in or near bathtubs, pools, spas or standing or flowing water.
Ensure a supervising adult with swimming skills is within arm's length and provides "touch supervision" for an infant, toddler or weak swimmer who is in or around water.
Begin swimming classes in children after their first birthday. There is also no evidence that infant swim lessons reduce the incidence of drowning.
Young children near water, non-swimmers and those riding on boats should wear Coast Guard-approved life jackets, with adults modeling use.
Laws, regulations and enforcement—such as fencing requirements, life jacket regulations, lifeguard standards and safe natural-water designations—are proven tools to reduce drowning deaths.
Caregivers and adolescents should learn CPR and know how to perform safe rescue.
"When drowning occurs, seconds matter," Dr. Shenoi said. "Quick rescue and resuscitation can mean the difference between life, death and lifelong disability. Ask your pediatrician if you are unsure of your child's safety around water and what you can do about it."
Written by the AAP Council on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention, the AAP drowning prevention reports offers updates to a 2019 policy and addresses widening disparities in fatal pediatric drowning rates based on race and ethnicity.
Policy statements created by AAP are written by medical experts, reflect the latest evidence in the field and go through several rounds of peer review before being approved by the AAP Board of Directors and published in Pediatrics.
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