June 23, 2014. Safer 3 Water Safety, an organization that promotes drowning prevention through education, specifically through the 3 facets of Safer Kids, Safer Water & Safer Response, shared a great link : “9 Kid Swim Safety Mistakes Even Careful Parents Make.” Please click the link to read the full article. In summary, here are some tips from Janet Evans, 4 time Olympic gold medalist & ambassador for USA Swimming & Make a Splash Campaign (our local partner):
1. (Safely) Introducing your child to the water as young as possible is advisable.
2. If you are at a summer time public pool, do not rely solely on the Lifeguard to catch everything!
3. Learn about WATER SAFETY, which goes beyond just swimming. It’s also about how to act on the pool deck, around water, etc. We teach this at Splash.
4. Do not rely only on Water Wings to protect your children.
5. Make sure your pool and pool deck is safe – that goes for any pool you visit. We hold this in high regard at Splash.
6. Remember drowning is silent, and only takes a few minutes. If you have a young one in the pool, don’t “go inside to grab the phone”, etc. It can happen so fast.
7. Home pools should have a self locking gate.
8. If you cant find your child at home, always check the pool FIRST.
9. Take a CPR course, so you know what to do if someone / your child is found unconscious in the pool.
Combining these tips with formal swimming lessons and training is a highly effective plan in preventing drowning.
