It finally felt like summer was on the way yesterday afternoon and hopefully the warm weather is here to stay. And having said that, this letter from the publisher isn’t going to be a happy-go-lucky one, it’s a very important one.
Almost a year ago, Olympic skier Bode Miller and his wife Morgan, lost their 19 month old baby girl, Emeline, in a drowning accident in a neighbor’s pool. Last night I was looking at the news and saw that country singer, Granger Smith lost his three year old son, River, in a drowning accident. After birth defects, drowning is the number 1 cause of death in children ages 1-4. As Morgan Miller recently said, “Time is not on our side when it comes to water.”
I am a lifeguard currently and had been one as a teenager, as well as a swim instructor. It has always been important to me to have my children be comfortable and safe in the water. However, the biggest risk for drowning for those who have toddlers is unexpected, unsupervised access to water. That means swimming pools, hot tubs and spas, bathtubs, natural bodies of water (ponds, lakes, etc.), and standing water in your home. It’s really easy to become comfortable with our surroundings at home, especially as our children gain more independence, and not put as much emphasis on safety in the home as we might at the beach or pool. For example, 69% of all drownings among children age 4 and younger happen during non-swim times.
I thought it was important that as we approach summer we had a refresher on water safety. No one should ever have to lose a child and we should be doing everything we can to raise awareness to prevent accidental deaths from happening. Here are some tips on how to ensure you are safe around the water this summer- and everyday!
- Make sure children always ask before entering any body of water
- Assign a water watcher whose only job is to watch all children swimming or playing in or NEAR water ―even if they know how to swim. This person should: not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, always put down their cell phone, avoid other activities, supervise even if there are lifeguards and switch off with another adult for breaks to ensure the proper supervision is happening.
- Put kids who can’t swim in life jackets or other US Coast Guard approved flotation devices when they are around water- whether they are planning on swimming or not.
- Get your child into swim lessons so that they can learn techniques needed to prevent drowning and become comfortable in the water.
- If you own a pool, are a parent or caregiver having CPR training is so important. When you only have a matter of minutes having someone certified could be the difference between surviving or not.
- 46% of drownings happened to children who were last seen inside. If a child is missing check the water first.
- Know what drowning looks like. It is a silent killer and looks nothing like what you see in movies. When someone is drowning most likely they will not flail, splash, wave or yell. Our respiratory systems are designed to keep us breathing, so speech would become secondary. If someone is drowning their mouths will alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water and they cannot wave for help as instinct forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. And that’s not to say someone in aquatic distress doesn’t need help if they are yelling, but may be in aquatic distress.
- Protect your pool to protect your kids. Place a gate around the perimeter, put an alarm on the pool gate and on the pool to alert you if someone feel in, put locks on the doors of the house, pool covers should be tight and not have any water collecting on the top, keep pool toys out side of the pool gate so children aren’t tempted to go looking for them.
- Never swim alone.
- Ensure that children know not to dive into water except when permitted by an adult and has checked the depth.
- Never let your child swim in canals or any fast-moving water and make sure your child knows to swim parallel to shore in the event they get caught in a rip current.
- Share this information and have open dialog with friends to ensure drowning deaths are prevented.
There are so many other things I could add to this, however, I think these are important and a good start at protecting those we love around the water. Keep in mind that I am not a professional and that these tips are just some- each situation is different and we can't be held liable. Please visit http://healthychildren.org to find additional information (most of the info was found there)and please have safe fun out there this summer!
Whitney
