← Back to full guide | Tip: print it, work through it as a family, then post it by the pool gate or fridge

Layers of Protection Water Safety Checklist

No single thing prevents drowning. Safety comes from stacking layers, so that when one fails, another is still in place. Work through all five with your family.

WaterWiseKids.com — Free water safety education for families

🚧 Layer 1 — Barriers & Alarms

  • Four-sided isolation fence at least 4 ft tall fully separates the pool from the house and yard.
  • Self-closing, self-latching gate with the latch out of children's reach — never propped open.
  • Door, gate, and pool alarms alert you the moment a child reaches the water; doors to the pool area stay locked.
  • Safety cover on when the pool is closed, and toys removed from the water after every swim.

👁️ Layer 2 — Constant Supervision

  • A designated water watcher — one adult, no phone, no book, eyes on the water — for a set block of time, then hand off the role on purpose.
  • Touch supervision for babies, toddlers, and weak swimmers: an adult within arm's reach, close enough to grab.
  • A lifeguard is a backup, not a babysitter — keep your own eyes on your child even where a guard is on duty.
  • Don't rely on an older sibling to supervise — a child is no substitute for an attentive adult.

🏊 Layer 3 — Swim Skills

  • Enroll in quality swim lessons — recommended for most children age 1 and up. Skills travel with your child to every pool and lake.
  • Aim for real water competency: enter the water, return to the surface, float or tread, turn around, and get to an exit.
  • Survival skills first — floating and breath control before strokes. Lessons lower risk but never "drown-proof" a child.

🦺 Layer 4 — Life Jackets

  • Coast Guard-approved life jacket for weak swimmers in open water, and for everyone on a boat.
  • Fit by weight and pass the lift test: lift at the shoulders and it shouldn't slide up past the chin or ears.
  • Water wings and inflatable toys are NOT life jackets — they give a false sense of safety and can flip a child face-down.

🚑 Layer 5 — Emergency Readiness

  • Learn infant & child CPR — immediate bystander CPR saves lives in the minutes before help arrives.
  • Keep a phone at the poolside to call 911 (to call for help, not to scroll).
  • "Reach or throw, don't go." Keep a reaching pole and a throwable float nearby so a rescuer doesn't become a second victim.

Our Family Water Safety Plan — Fill It In Together

Emergency number: 911
Address to give 911: ______________
Today's water watcher: ____________
Next watcher (hand-off): __________
Who in our home knows CPR: _______
This season's swim-skill goal: ___
Parent / guardian signature: ______________   Date: __________

Created by WaterWiseKids.com — Free water safety education for families

Sources: CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, U.S. Coast Guard, National Drowning Prevention Alliance. This checklist is educational and does not replace active supervision or certified CPR/first-aid training.

Back to the full guide · Water Watcher card · Water Competency Skills checklist

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Swim Skills Are the Layer That Travels Everywhere

Barriers, supervision, life jackets, and CPR all buy time — but the ability to float, breathe, and get back to safety is the one layer your child carries to every pool, lake, and party. A safety-first program teaches survival skills first. Find one near you.

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