Water safety is so important. Drowning is the leading cause of death in children- and I don’t say this to scare anyone, but to stress how important it is to establish some guidelines for keeping kids safe around the water as the summer quickly approaches.
There are a ton of great resources about water safety I’ll link at the bottom of the post, but here are a few guidelines for keeping your kids safe this summer.
- Always supervise your children around water, even if a lifeguard is present. Put away your phone, books, and limit distractions when you are responsible for watching the water.
- If a child is missing, check water first. In a lot of water related incidents, the child was not expected to be near water.
- Learn CPR. In most emergency situations, parents are the first responders. Learn CPR to make sure you are prepared if ever faced with an emergency situation. The Red Cross website is a great resource for more information.
- Don’t rely on inflatable toys. Coast Guard-approved life jackets are the only water safety devices certified to protect children, but even these don’t replace adult supervision.
- If you have a water source at home, make sure to fence around it.
- Teach your child to swim. Studies show that the best time for a child to start learning swim basics is between the ages of 1 and 4.
- Establish pool rules with your child such as no running around the pool, no pushing people in, no pulling other kids under water and of course, no swimming without adult supervision.
Being around water with children can be a real source of anxiety, but with some preparation and guidelines in place parents can enjoy the water with their children all summer long. The resources below are fabulous, and are great sites to learn more about water safety.
Resources for Parents & Kids:
AAP Drowning Prevention & Water Safety
Free Water Safety Course for Caregivers
