While symptoms of dry drowning typically occur right after a water incident, secondary drowning symptoms can appear hours after a near-drowning experience.
If your child has recently had a near-drowning experience, or inhaled a large amount of water, doctors suggest watching them for the following signs:
- Trouble breathing
- Coughing
- Sleepiness or a drop in energy level
- Irritability
- Chest pain
- Vomiting
Be attentive to changes in behavior, which in some cases may appear is if the child is tired from a long day of swimming.