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Water safety guidelines for children are essential to prevent drowning, which is a leading cause of injury and death among young kids. Water safety for children is not just about swimming lessons. It’s about creating layers of protection and anticipating the presence of hazards. Formal swim lessons can significantly reduce drowning risk, but they do not replace vigilant oversight.
In our “Be Water Wise” program, we teach the first graders several safety points.
- Always have adult permission to go into the water.
- Always make sure an adult is close by and watching you, not staring at a cell phone!
- Always swim with a buddy, not alone. Even with a lifeguard present you are not completely safe alone.
- Look before you leap! Don’t jump or dive into water when you can’t see the bottom and don’t know how deep it is.
- Don’t swim in cold water too long as it may lead to hypothermia.
- Check if the water is moving due to currents or waves. Rip currents in the ocean may drag you out to sea. Tidal currents run very fast.
- Think before you sink! If in trouble, roll onto your back to breathe.
- Don’t jump in the water to save someone because you might drown when they grab you. Throw something that floats, such as a life ring, a cooler, an empty gallon plastic bottle on a rope. Reach or throw, don’t go!
- Wear a life vest if you can’t swim, especially in the ocean, and always when in any boat. Ocean swimming is harder than pool swimming!
- Don’t play breath-holding games. Don’t hyperventilate before breath-holding because it removes the trigger to breathe and you may pass out underwater and drown.
- Never swim near a drain. Never swim underwater in a hot tub as long hair may get sucked into the drain and trap you underwater!
Many elements contribute to water safety, and we will address them in subsequent posts this week. Stay tuned for more. Knowledge is our best life jacket.
-Submitted by Derek Fyfe, Waterproof, Inc.
(Image credit: Waterproof, Inc.)