Pediatric ER doctor urges parents to stay close to kids during pool season

As temperatures rise and pool season begins, doctors are urging parents to stay alert around water, even when their child is a confident swimmer.

Dr. Max Brookman, M.D., a pediatric emergency physician at OU Health, shared insights on how quickly and silently drowning can occur, and emphasized the importance of constant supervision and safety precautions, even outside of designated swim time. We sat down with Dr. Brookman to break down what every parent should know before heading to the pool this summer.

Q: What are the dangers parents should be aware of when their child is in the water?

Dr. Brookman: "It is a silent killer. We oftentimes see in movies where people are thrashing, it's very loud. Oftentimes, it happens in the blink of an eye. Even if your child is a strong swimmer, in the same way that you wouldn't leave your toddler on top of a counter and walk away for an instant, even if you walk away just for an instant, even if they're wearing water wings, disaster can strike."

Q: Can you let your kids out of sight for a second?

Dr. Brookman: "I mean not only as a pediatric emergency doctor but as a parent myself, I go to the pool and I see dozens of parents and dozens of children and there's kind of this diffusion of responsibility. Everyone, for a time, thinks that someone else has eyes on your children. It's your child, it's your responsibility."

Q: What is your message to parents who don't want to get in the water with their children?

Dr. Brookman: "Suck it up. If they're not strong swimmers, you can't really be more than an arm's length away from them, because in the same way that they could fall off a counter, they can go under in just a second."

Q: Can you tell us about the new guidelines for pools built in Oklahoma County?

Dr. Brookman: "In this county, new houses that have pools built, it's now mandated to have a fence built around the pool. It's recommended that it's at least four feet high, that it self-closes and latches from the inside. But of course, that's not the law for any pools outside the city limits, as well as the rest of the state."

"So on top of that, we think about pool parties, these drownings occurring, but about two-thirds of drowning accidents occur when it's not pool time. Oftentimes, kids, toddlers will open up the back door and kind of go out when parents don't have eyes on them, and it's kind of when you least suspect it."

"You can enroll your child in a defensive driving course, but it's no substitute for wearing a seatbelt when you drive. These are steps that you could take to prevent the worst from happening."