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Just published May 18th, 2026, the American Academy of Pediatrics’s newest policy statement on Prevention of Drowning.
This statement guides clinicians, families, community partners, injury-prevention professionals, and policy makers regarding evidence-based best practices for reducing pediatric drowning.
In today’s rapid update, we’ll just be going over a summary of recommendations so for the full statement check it out on guidelinecentral.com
Let’s get started.
Starting with the section on Parents and Caregivers
- Be aware of drowning hazards.
- Isolate the swimming pool from the house and rest of the yard by installing a 4-ft, 4-sided fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate.
- 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.
- Children can begin to learn water competency after their first birthday. Individualize when to begin children’s swim lessons on the basis of the child’s emotional maturity, physical and cognitive abilities, and health concerns in discussion with your child’s pediatrician.
- Ensure all children wear US Coast Guard–approved life jackets whenever they are in/on any type of motorized/nonmotorized watercraft. Life jacket sizes are based on a child’s weight. Confirm the child’s life jacket is fitted and secured properly.
- Be prepared to provide rescue. Caregivers and adolescents should learn CPR.
- Select designated and lifeguarded areas when swimming in natural water.
- Recognize winter drowning hazards. Avoid walking, skating, or riding on weak or thawing ice in natural water.
Next for the section on Pediatricians
- Provide drowning-prevention anticipatory guidance to all parents based on the child’s age, drowning risk, and exposure to water.
- Emphasize multiple layers of drowning prevention. Inquire about barriers that limit their use.
- Identify children at higher drowning risk because of age, comorbidities, exposure or family’s lack of aquatic experience and swimming ability. Recommend evidence-based countermeasures to mitigate risk.
- Recommend aquatic experiences for infants with a parent and swimming lessons for children after their first birthday. Set a goal of water competency for the entire family.
- Describe drowning based on the outcome: fatal/nonfatal. Avoid using incorrect terms.
- Encourage and support families of children with disabilities to seek the benefits of swimming or water recreation programs and access to facilities.
Moving on to the section on Community Engagement and Advocacy
- Advocate for laws that reduce drowning such as 4-sided fencing, life jacket use at aquatic recreational areas, safe constructed and natural aquatic facilities, preventing boating under the influence, and optimizing emergency medical services care.
- Encourage community-based programs that provide low-cost/free swim lessons for high-risk groups, including children with disabilities.
- Promote access to swim lessons beginning after the first birthday.
- Educate everyone on proper life jacket use. Make water safety resources, US Coast Guard-approved life jackets, and adaptive aquatics flotation devices available for people with special needs or disabilities or high-risk groups.
- Include assessment of life jacket competency as a critical component of water competency curricula.
- Partner with community stakeholders to increase access to life jackets, lifesaving equipment, and usage instructions at life jacket loaner stations and public access points for aquatic recreation.
- Advocate for policies that ensure certified lifeguards with current CPR certification are present at public pools and natural water swimming locations.
- Develop drowning prevention curricula.
- Increase public awareness of environmental aquatic hazards.
For the section on Pool Operators
- Adopt the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code.
- Implement Virginia Graeme Baker Act to prevent suction entrapment in private and public pools.
Next the section on Culturally Affirming Policies
- Institute policies that encourage participation of all persons in aquatic activities, especially minoritized groups, and those with disabilities or low family income.
- Increase availability of affordable and culturally appropriate water safety resources to people of all ages, cultures, and abilities in multiple languages per local needs.
And last the section on Policy and Legislation
- Require inspection of residential pools/spas to meet applicable laws, building codes, and standards and enforcement for violations.
- Recommend new and existing residential pools and spas have 4-sided fencing with a self closing, self-latching gate.
- Require individuals of all ages participating in any activity involving a vessel <26 feet long, including water sports or while on any human-propelled vessel, wear a properly fitted US Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
- Standardize life jacket use among states for consistency in usage.
- Establish safety requirements for natural swimming areas and public and private recreational facilities.
- Institute a state/national surveillance system that links data systems across the drowning spectrum.
- Prioritize equity when developing and implementing policies and legislation that address racial/ethnic disparities in pediatric drowning.
And there you have it. Make sure to check out the full statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other related clinical decision support tools at guidelinecentral.com.
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