A MUM issued a stark warning to parents to never take their eyes of their kids when swimming.
Most parents spending time with their kids next to a pool or at the seaside tend to be extra vigilant – but they may make the mistake of thinking they'll be tipped off to something going wrong by splashing sounds or crying.
Mum Sierra Winter took to TikTok to share a seemingly sweet video of her daughter playing at a poolside.
But the seven second clip – which has since garnered almost four million views – throws into sharp relief how children in danger of drowning might not make sound.
In the video, Sierra shows her daughter lying next to a pool, adorably splashing her hand into the water.
But suddenly, the little girl loses her balance and tips forwards into it.
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Crucially, she doesn't make a sound – and would have fallen straight in, where it not for her mum quickly grasping her arm and pulling her up.
"Drownings are silent and can happen in a split second," Sierra wrote across the short clip.
She captioned it: "I was holding her the whole time before you @ me. She's also been swim training since birth."
The video was flooded with comments, with one TikTok user writing: "More people need to see this! This is the best example of how quiet drowning can be!"
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"One of my worst fears," another said. "Kudos to you for acting so quick."
Sierra replied: "They don't even make a sound and [it can happen] so so quick. Cannot take your eyes of them for a second."
A third person commented: "That's why when babies go silent in the house I always run to check on what they are doing."
Water safety experts have previously shared how it doesn't take much water for your little one to drown.
While parents tend to be extra vigilant next to deep bodies of water like pools and the sea, a few inches of liquid in a paddling pool can be fatal to children.
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