June 21, 2025, 6:45 am | Read time: 10 minutes

In 2024, at least 378 people drowned in Germany, including 14 children, according to the German Lifesaving Association (DLRG). Particularly alarming: Just a few centimeters of water can become a deadly trap for young children. Prevention starts with knowledge and vigilance. Many are unaware that even swimming at the beginner “Seepferdchen” level (“seahorse” level in Germany) does not provide sufficient protection.

Why Children Don’t Scream When They Drown

The image of a screaming, wildly thrashing child while drowning is a myth. In reality, the process is silent and unnoticed. Toddlers who fall into water often end up face down—due to their not yet fully developed motor skills, they are unable to free themselves from this position.

Additionally, a spasm of the vocal cords can occur upon submersion. This reflex blocks breathing and prevents any sound. The child simply goes under, without anyone noticing.

Everyday Danger: Children Can Drown in a Mere Few Inches of Water

Particularly dangerous are bodies of water that seem harmless in everyday life: wading pools, garden ponds, rain barrels, or even puddles. Just four inches of water can be deadly. Children under five are especially at risk—and most accidents occur at home at this age.

For school-age children, swimming accidents occur more often in public pools—often due to insufficient swimming skills. Teenagers, on the other hand, are usually at risk in lakes or rivers due to overconfidence or peer pressure.

Young Children Particularly at Risk

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children aged zero to five. A common cause: lack of swimming ability. But even that is not enough of an explanation, because children are particularly vulnerable to water on several levels.

For one, water is particularly attractive to children: light reflections, movements, or floating leaves trigger curiosity, without them being aware of the associated dangers. Toddlers lack sufficient risk awareness. Even older children often cannot assess how deep a body of water is or whether they could stand in it.

The Environment Also Plays a Role

While the backyard pool may be well secured, an open rain barrel at the neighbor’s, an uncovered pond, or an unguarded access to a stream can be easily overlooked. Especially in unfamiliar surroundings, such as on vacation or outings, the risk increases even more.

Moreover, children often have a larger range of movement than adults believe. Even small children can move quickly, curiously, and purposefully—often unnoticed.

Statistics show how the risk changes with age:

• Children under five most often drown in their own backyard—in wading pools, pools, or ponds, often unnoticed.
• Children aged five to nine are more likely to have accidents in public swimming pools—often due to lack of swimming skills, panic, or improper behavior in the water.
• Children aged ten to 14 are mainly in danger in lakes, rivers, or while ice skating—often due to overconfidence, peer pressure, or even alcohol consumption.²

This is precisely why preventive measures are so important: Parents and caregivers must know the risks, recognize potential hazards—and consciously avoid them.

Learning to Swim Saves Lives, But It’s Not Enough

Children who can swim are better protected—that is undisputed. But even safe swimming never replaces the duty of supervision. The key is the combination of swimming ability, parental supervision, and water awareness.

Swimming not only promotes safety but also has many positive effects:

• strengthens muscles and endurance
• is easy on the joints
• promotes body coordination
• boosts self-confidence
• is fun and healthy

A structured swimming education is recommended from about five years old. Before that, children can be prepared through playful water familiarization—such as blowing bubbles, diving, “starfish” floating, or opening their eyes underwater.³

How Children Can Learn to Swim Safely so They Don’t Drown

It’s important: Swimming is more than splashing around. A child can be considered a safe swimmer if they:

• swim for at least 15 minutes without assistance,
• can dive safely and retrieve an object from two meters deep,
• can jump into the water from one meter high and continue swimming.

This corresponds to the bronze badge. The “Seepferdchen” badge only shows water familiarization—children with this badge are not considered safe swimmers, emphasizes the DLRG. Even after the course, it’s important to keep practicing. Swimming is a skill that is maintained and improved through regular practice–school lessons are usually not enough.

Tip: Check with local swimming pools for children’s programs. The Berliner Bäder-Betriebe, for example, offer water familiarization and swimming courses for children where they can earn the “Seepferdchen” and other badges. There are also special courses for adults to learn to swim.⁴

Swimming Aids Helpful, But Never Safe

Water wings, rings, or vests give many parents a sense of security. But they can slip, tip over, or fail. Suitable for water familiarization—not for real swimming training.

For practice, kickboards or pool noodles are better. These can be borrowed for a deposit in most swimming pools. But even here, no child should be left unsupervised—even if they have mastered the first swimming strokes.⁵

Swimming Becomes More of a Risk Because Fewer Children Learn It

The swimming situation in Germany has dramatically worsened over the years. As early as 2020, according to the DLRG, almost 25 percent of elementary schools could no longer offer swimming lessons—due to dilapidated swimming pools, staff shortages, and the coronavirus pandemic. The result: More and more children left elementary school without basic swimming skills. In the same year, according to statistics, 18 preschool children and five elementary school children died in the water—experts see a clear connection to declining swimming ability.⁶

This trend has continued. According to a DLRG-Forsa survey from 2022, only 24 percent of elementary school students had the bronze badge, indicating safe swimming ability. More than half could not swim safely. Particularly affected: children from low-income households. While almost every second child from families with an income under 2,500 euros could not swim safely, it was only one in eight for families with an income over 4,000 euros. At the same time, there is a lack of swimming courses and pools—the waiting lists are long.⁷

When Many Watch But No One Acts

An underestimated factor is the so-called diffusion of responsibility. It occurs when several adults are present, but no one feels directly responsible. Everyone thinks someone else is watching the child.

Especially during outings, barbecues, or in swimming pools, this is a real risk. Solution: Always clearly define who is watching the child. And who takes over if that person can’t for a moment.

Study Shows: Parents Overestimate Their Children’s Awareness of Danger

How realistically do parents, grandparents, and other caregivers assess the risk of drowning? This is exactly what the Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV) examined as part of the “Vision Zero–Prevention of Child Accidents” project.

The aim of the study was to analyze the knowledge and behavior of caregivers regarding drowning risks and other everyday dangers (such as falling from windows)—especially from their own perspective. A total of 45 caregivers of children under 15 were surveyed, including parents, aunts, grandparents, foster parents, and neighbors. All participants care for children at least once a month, and more than half of the children cared for were younger than ten years old.

Inattention and Lack of Supervision

Most participants were aware of the importance of supervision, but stated that even short distractions are often underestimated. Especially with small children in shallow water, the risk is hardly present. However, many were well aware that even a brief moment of inattention can end tragically—precisely because “silent drowning” is hardly noticeable.

Danger Due to Diffusion of Responsibility

A key finding was that many caregivers do not clearly define who is watching the child during joint activities (such as in the pool or garden). This leads to no one feeling directly responsible—everyone silently assumes someone else is watching. A clear division of roles was therefore cited as an indispensable measure to close this dangerous gap.

False Sense of Security Through Rules

A common misconception in the focus groups was the assumption that it is enough to explain behavioral rules to children. Many caregivers thought it was sufficient to admonish children to behave cautiously, such as “not to run into the water.” The problem: Children under about four years old do not yet have a stable awareness of danger from a developmental psychology perspective. They cannot correctly assess risks and quickly forget rules in new, exciting situations.

The study clearly shows: Prevention begins with adults. Not through appeals to children, but through realistic thinking, attention, responsibility—and good preparation for emergencies.⁸

What to Do After a Swimming Accident? Recognize Warning Signs Act Correctly

If a swimming accident does occur, the shock is often great after the rescue from the water—but the danger is not yet over. Some symptoms appear only with a delay. Parents should take these warning signs seriously:

• Persistent cough
• Difficulty or rapid breathing
• Vomiting
• Lethargy or confusion

If these symptoms occur, the child must be examined by a doctor immediately. Reassurance: Without symptoms, there is no medically relevant danger—the often-mentioned “secondary” or “dry drowning” in the media does not occur suddenly without symptoms. The key lies in quick observation and clear decision-making.

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Swimming Rules for Children—Making Safety Fun

Anyone in the water—whether big or small—should follow some basic swimming rules from the DLRG. They are simple but crucial to avoid swimming accidents where children can drown:

• One should only go into the water if feeling fit and healthy.
• Before swimming, it is important to take a quick shower and cool down the body.
• One should avoid swimming on an empty or very full stomach.
• Non-swimmers should only go up to their chest in water—even in seemingly harmless waters.
• Inflatable swimming aids do not provide reliable protection and do not replace swimming ability or supervision.
• One should only jump into the water if it is deep enough and free of obstacles.
• In case of a thunderstorm: leave the water immediately and seek shelter in a solid building.
• One should only call for help if there is real danger—but should not hesitate to help others in need.
• To protect nature and other swimmers, one should keep the water and its surroundings clean and dispose of trash properly.

A moment of inattention, four inches of water—and it can be too late. Children drown silently. But with clear supervision, good preparation, swimming competence, and realistic assessment, parents can save lives—day by day.