Dry Drowning and Water Safety

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

05 Jun 2008 10:54 AM

Summer is a fun time for babies and their parents, but there are lots of dangers, too. You may have heard the tragic story of a young boy who drowned hours after he left his first experience at a pool. The story was featured today on NBC's Today show. Although this boy was 10, the danger of dry drowning most often occurs in younger children, very often in the bathtub. What is it and how can you protect your little ones?

I have to admit that when I heard about dry drowning, I had a fear response. Here is another danger to my little ones. It is very scary. But understand that this isn't a common way of drowning. Perhaps 15 percent of all drowning deaths occur through dry drowning. Still, it is important to understand what happens so you can do what you can to prevent dry drowning and recognize the symptoms if they occur.

Dry drowning occurs when water gets in to the lungs or behind the larynx and does not kill the child immediately but has a delayed affect on the child. In essence, the person drowns without being in water at the time. Dry drowning can occur up to 24 hours after actually having been in water.

It takes very little fluid to induce a dry drowning death. The child's larynx may spasm, and the lungs cannot extract oxygen from the air, slowly starving the brain and vital organs. Usually the water gets in to the child through immersion in the water or diving or falling into the water.

Three main signs of dry drowning are:

• Difficulty breathing
• Extreme tiredness or lethargy
• Changes in behavior die to lack of oxygen in the brain.

In the case of the child that was in the news today, he exhibited all three of these symptoms, although his mother was unaware that they were warning signs of dry drowning. The little boy was able to walk home from the pool with his family.

Always supervise your baby or toddler anytime she is in or near water, including the bathtub. Discourage babies from drinking water from the bathtub or pouring water on their faces from a cup. It can be tough to determine if a child is overly tired because of a long day spent at the pool or because of lack of oxygen, so it is best to monitor the child closely and look for other symptoms, such as difficulty breathing.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don't miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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