To get ready for summer, big box stores, drugstores and some groceries have stocked their shelves with swimming products, including relatively cheap, inflatable pools.

It's the wider availability of these inflatables, some of which are quite large and include ladders, that some safety experts say may be contributing to the increase in drowning deaths in backyard pools and spas.

A new U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report shows that the average annual number of drowning deaths among children under 5 increased from 267 for 2002-2004 to 283 for 2003-2005, according to the most recent figures available. Most of the drownings involved children who were 1 and 2.

Four times this many children experience near drownings each year.

The commission is warning parents and caregivers to be more vigilant when young children are around water.

Inflatable pools don't have the same safety requirements (such as secured fencing and other measures) as built-in pools, although they carry similar risks.

And some question whether these inflatable pools, whose sides are pliable, make it easier for little ones to topple in.

For public pools and spas, a new federal safety law goes into effect Dec. 19 that requires safety drain covers and, in certain circumstances, anti-entrapment systems.

The law was enacted after a 7-year-old girl died in 2002 when she was entrapped underwater by the suction of a spa's drain.

"CPSC is calling upon all public pool and spa owners to comply with the new federal law and we urge parents to never let their children out of sight when they are in or around a pool or spa," CPSC acting chairman Nancy Nord said in a statement.

Parents should use these tips to help prevent drowning deaths:

• Because every second counts, always look for a missing child in the pool first. Precious time is often wasted looking for missing children anywhere but in the pool.

• Don't leave toys and floats in the pool that can attract young children and cause them to fall in the water when they reach for the items.

• Inspect pools and spas for missing or broken drain covers.

• Do not allow children in a pool or spa with missing/broken covers. Inserting an arm or leg into the opening can result in powerful suction and total body submersion/drowning.

• For above-ground and inflatable pools with ladders, remove or secure the ladder when the pool is not in use.

• It is important to always be prepared for an emergency by having rescue equipment and a phone near the pool. Parents should learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).