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Background In the USA, drowning is the leading cause of death in children 1–4 years old. During planned water time, it is unclear if there are time points or activities that might impact drowning risk. The aim of this study is to characterise drowning incidents that occur during transition points, which are time points during planned recreational water time when a child is not supposed to be in the water.Methods This retrospective study explored data from children who sought care at one children’s hospital for unintentional drowning during planned water recreation from 2014 to 2023. Patients were characterised as having a drowning incident that occurred during a transition point or not. Associations between characteristics of those children who drowned during transition points versus those who did not were assessed. Qualitative analysis identified themes in the patient narratives associated with transition point drowning incidents.Results Children whose drowning incident occurred during a transition point were more likely to be younger, less likely to be breathing or conscious when removed from the water and more likely to be admitted to the hospital. Qualitative analysis identified these transition point drowning incident themes: delayed application or early removal of flotation devices, supervision, expectations of children around water and situational factors.Conclusions Findings show that transition points may be high-risk times for children to drown. An understanding of common characteristics and themes of transition point drownings may help craft drowning prevention messaging to improve water safety during planned water recreation times.