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and the death of that little boy, little Keiren Austin, is a tough reminder that this summer has been especially
dangerous for children with almost twenty drownings in north Texas alone. CBS11's Marianne Martinez
is live in Dallas with more on how to keep kids safe in the water. Marianne? Most of the drownings this
summer have been toddlers who drowned in private pools in their back yard or apartment complexes.
But there is a debate about how young is too young to learn to swim.
At two and a half years old, Evan Means is already learning to swim.
He's able to swim now, from taking lessons, swim to the edge and climb out on his own
His mother, Susan, lost her brother to a swimming accident years ago and says water safety
has always been a priority. If I see kids at our pool that aren't being supervised, I keep an eye out.
So far this year, sixty seven children have drowned in Texas. Nineteen of them in
north Texas. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services says most victims had
been toddlers who drowned in swimming pools.
Swim instructors say lessons at an early age can help save lives.
Children who are engaged in formal swimming lessons had a greater chance of surviving an accident in the water
than people who had not. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children under the age of four
should not take swimming lessons. Experts at Children's Medical Center say it's up to parents
to decide when lessons are appropriate. Children under age four are not developmentally ready
to learn how to swim and retain information and also there's some literature that suggests that
children under age four who learn to swim can suck in a lot of extra water have more respiratory
issues. While there is disagreement about when children should take lessons, many can
agree there is no substitute for adult supervision. I have a little bit of comfort knowing he can get
to the edge of the pool, but I'll always have to be right there next to him.
Now experts at Children's Medical Center also recommend designating at least one adult whose sole responsibility
is to watch the pool at all times.
Live in Dallas, Marianne Martinez, CBS 11 news. The numbers here already so far this year
nineteen children have drowned in north Texas. The state says most victims who drowned were toddlers who drowned in pools.
Some say teaching children to swim early can save lives the American Academy of Pediatrics has another
point of view they say children under the age of four should not take swimming lessons
they say children that age aren't developmentally ready to retain that knowledge. Some parents disagree.
I have a little bit of comfort knowing he can get to the edge of the pool. But I'll always
have to be right there next to him when he's near the water.
Studies show that elementary school age children are more likely to drown in public pools while
teenagers are more likely to drown in open water, like lakes.