BETHESDA, Md. (AP) - The Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning that portable pools can be deadly.

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With tight family budgets this year, many people are buying portable pools rather than installing in-ground pools or joining swim clubs. CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum says it's a less-expensive way to enjoy time in the water, but watch the kids. She says an estimated 300 children younger than five drown in pools and spas each year, and one in 10 of those drownings involves a portable pool.

Tenenbaum says drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children, so take precautions. "Cover the pools, drain them and fence them in," she says.

Either that, or -- if it's small enough -- empty and store the pool when it's not being used.