Sign Our “End The Misinformation” Letter
Parent Letter to Retailers
Dear Retailer,
Drowning is the single leading cause of death in children ages 1-4 in the United States.
It is preventable — and while your company may unwittingly be contributing to this epidemic, you can be part of the solution.
We are the mothers, fathers, family, and friends of children who have drowned, and we are reaching out to you to bring your attention to a contributing factor which is within your power to change.
Flotation devices are being marketed and sold in a way that we believe increases the risk of children drowning.
Product packaging language makes such claims as “learn to swim easily,” “parents can finally enjoy peace of mind,” and “increase their confidence in water,” many parents find themselves using the products under false assumptions and developing a false sense of confidence and security when it comes to their child’s aquatic ability and safety.
Simply put, these devices do not teach children to swim, and their usage may actually increase the risk of drowning. Children should only use flotation devices that have been approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, and many of the products on the market lack this important certification. Flotation devices are ideal for protecting children who are around water for whom being in the water would be risky. This includes boating on open water, and being around water. Routine use of flotation devices in swimming pools and other swimming sites may actually increase risk of drowning, providing the child and parents a false sense of security in the water. We believe this contributes to the fact that almost 70% of young children who drown do so when it is not swim time. We ask that you bring your powerful voice to ensure that messages like these stop appearing on your website, in your marketing, and along your store’s aisles.
We also ask you to join forces with us at the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. Together with our consortium of parents, organizations, companies, leaders and change agents, we can End the Misinformation and make a significant impact on this most critical issue.
Please reach out to us so that we can share more about what is being done to prevent childhood drowning and how you can help.
Thank you,
Adam Katchmarchi, Ph.D.
Executive Director
National Drowning Prevention Alliance
Benjamin Hoffman, M.D.
Chief Medical Advisor
National Drowning Prevention Alliance