Summertime is full of fun in the sun and water and with more time in the water, everyone needs to be aware of water safety to keep the summer fun going!
Children should never be left unattended around any standing water. Young children can drown in as little as one inch of water so, keep your children within arm’s reach when enjoying water play, empty buckets, wading pools, water tables, and tubs after use.
If you have a pool at your home install a fence around it to prevent children from falling in or having children use the pool without supervision. Make sure that children are always swimming with a partner. Younger children should be swimming with an adult while older children should have an adult or friend with them.
Ten water safety rules that you can easily teach children are:
- Walk near water
- Wear a life jacket
- Ask permission before getting in the water
- Only get in when an adult is nearby or swimming with you
- Go into the water feet first
- Swim with a buddy
- Don’t swim in moving water
- Stay in the designated area
- Get out when you are tired
- No horseplay
Swim lessons are a great way to give children confidence and teach basic survival skills around water. The basic survival skills for everyone to know to stay safe in the water are, know how to return to the surface when water is over their head, turn around in the water to orient to safety, float or tread water, combine breathing with forward movement, and how to exit the water safely.
Learning CPR and basic water rescue skills are important ways to respond to an emergency without putting yourself or others at risk.
For more information please visit: https://www.safekids.org/watersafety