| | | | Make a Splash – Keeping Kids Safe in the Water |
By Kat DeLong
As the weather gets warmer, kids and adults alike turn to the water for recreation and fun. Pools, lakes, oceans, and waterparks are all exciting destinations that will beat the heat, but these can also be dangerous places for kids. Accidental drowning is second only to car accidents as the cause of unintentional injury death for children and adolescents. With a little knowledge and preparation, your kids can have fun in the water and stay safer too.
The best way to protect kids in and around the water is to teach them to swim. Most children are ready for swimming lessons around the age of five, and most cities and towns offer lessons through the American Red Cross, YMCA or local pools. Even when your child is an experienced swimmer, be sure not to think of them as “waterproof”. Experienced swimmers are much less likely to have problems in the water, but adults still need to practice water safety while children are swimming.
Besides teaching them to swim, parents must make sure that kids never swim without adult supervision. Anything can happen in the water, and a nearby adult who knows CPR and has a telephone close at hand is a great way to keep kids safe. The American Red Cross lists the “terrible too’s” to watch for around the water: too tired, too cold, too much sun, too far from safety. Any of these things can compromise a child’s safety in the water. They also advocate “reach supervision” where young children are within arm’s reach whenever they are in the water.
There are some basic safety lessons that even young children should learn when they are swimming. They should learn not to chew gum when they are in the water, because choking is a real possibility. Establish water safety rules for the whole family based on their swimming ability; people who are not strong swimmers should stay in water no deeper than chest-level. Always swim where there is a lifeguard if possible, and never, ever swim alone. Water should be entered feet-first unless the section of water is marked for diving, or an adult has determined that it is deep enough and clear of debris. Children should be cautioned not to play drowning games. Lifeguards and other adults will, and should, take this very seriously. Rip currents can be a real hazard while swimming in the ocean. Teach your children to swim across the current rather than against it in order to get back to shore.
Besides a backyard pool – which should be fenced on all four sides with vertical bars and a self-closing gate – there are many other water hazards around the home. Five-gallon buckets and pails that are filled with water or chemicals should never be left where small children can reach them. Toddlers are very top-heavy and if they should fall headfirst into a full bucket, they will be unable to get themselves out. Filled but unattended bathtubs, as well as children left alone in the bath can be drowning hazards in the home. Ice chests with melted ice, open toilets, hot tubs, and fishponds can also be potentially dangerous. A quick but careful survey of the home can alert you to possible problem areas.
With a little knowledge about water safety, there is no need to stay out of the pool or off the beach in order to keep kids safe around the water. By learning these simple safety lessons and passing that knowledge to their children, parents can breathe a bit easier while letting the whole family have fun in the sun.
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