It’s summertime!
Kiddos are out of school and often, summertime activities include water recreation.
While water activities are fun and a great form of exercise, it’s important to remember that drowning is the #1 cause of unintentional injury related death in children under 5 years of age and 70% of drownings in children aged 1-4 years occur during non sim times.
Drowning is preventable. There are 5 steps, or layers of protection, that we can employ to keep our children safe!
#1: There should ALWAYS be a water watcher for children swimming & touch supervision.
This person can be a lifeguard or a designated adult that can swim and knows CPR. This individual’s sole job is to watch children in the water. We have Water Watcher On Duty bracelets here in the clinic. Please let us know if we can give you one!
Touch: children should be within arm’s reach while you are on Water Watcher duty. If the swimming area is large, you may need more than one Water Watcher.
#2: Physical Barriers
Pools should have a physical barrier, such as a fence, that prevents unsupervised access. This includes gates that self-latch (so little ones cannot slip through) and safety covers on spas/jacuzzies.
*Fencing pools and covering spas & jacuzzies and eliminating access is the #1 way to prevent accidental drowning in 1–4-year-olds. *
#3: US Lifeguard approved life jackets
Flotation Devices. Children who cannot swim or cannot swim well should wear a US Coast Guard approved life jacket both in and around water, and all children around lakes or bodies of water (oceans, rivers, etc.) should wear a life jacket.
#4: Swimming lessons
Swimming lessons. Swimming lessons for children OVER 1 year of age are crucial in developing strong swimmers. Infant Self Rescue (ISR) is NOT recommended.
#5: Managing emergencies with layers
Have a cell phone at the pool to call 911 in an emergency.
Adults supervising children can be infant/child CPR certified
Emergency 911 and CPR signs can be posted
We wish you all a very safe and happy summer! Let us know if we can help you in any way with further information regarding drowning prevention!
Don’t forget that sunscreen!