Water Safety Tips

The number two cause of accidental death in children ages 5 to 14 is drowning. To make sure your kids are safe from drowning, practice these water safety tips.

• Make sure any child who is going to be on or near the water has had swimming lessons. Knowing how to swim is the best insurance against accidental drowning.

• Make sure that kids swim in areas that are supervised by a lifeguard. However, the presence of a lifeguard does not replace knowing how to swim.

• No Diving. Make a feet first rule in all areas that are not specifically marked for diving. Teach children the dangers of diving into water

• Teach children to watch the weather and to leave the water at the first sign of a storm. They should know that the wind is just as dangerous as lightning.

• Set boundaries. Children should have clear limits about how long they can stay in the water and how far from shore they are allowed to swim. Inexperienced swimmers should have boundaries about how deep they are allowed to go. For example, waist deep until they demonstrate that they can swim the length of the pool.

• Use the buddy system. Kids should not swim alone. Make a rule that nobody enters the water without someone else.

• Never leave a young child unsupervised. Small children should never be out of arms reach. A life preserver is not a replacement for adult supervision.

• Use Coast-Guard approved floatation devices. If there isn’t a Coast-Guard label on the PFD, then don’t trust it as anything more than a toy. Inflatable water toys are fun but they can deflate in a hurry. Children should be supervised when playing with inflatable toys.

• Parents and guardians should know CPR. If you have a pool or plan to spend much time at a lake or a beach this summer, take a CPR course. Your local Red Cross has CPR classes all the time. They do not take much time, they don’t cost much money and what you learn might save a life.

• Obey all posted rules. When swimming in a public place there will be a list of rules posted. Teach children to obey all rules when swimming including rules for use of equipment such as diving boards and water slides.

• Learn about the environment that you are swimming in. If there are currents or depth charges get information about them. The more informed you are about the area that you are swimming in, the less likely you will be to be caught off guard.

• Drink plenty of water when swimming. Swimming dehydrates your body but because you are in the water, people often don’t realize they are dehydrated. Drinking plenty of water will help guard against cramps, and lack of judgment, two dangerous side effects of dehydration.

• Don’t ever mix alcohol and water. Alcohol is involved in over half of the water related deaths in the United States. Just like drinking and driving should not be mixed, neither should drinking and swimming.

• Get out of the water when you get tired. It’s hard to leave a party. It’s also hard to get out of the water when you are having a nice time, but water-related accidents are more likely to occur when the swimmer is tired. Learn to monitor your body for signs of fatigue and teach your children to do this as well.

• If you get tired, float. In swimming lessons by the Red Cross, swimmers are taught floating strategies to use if they get tired. These dead man floats enable a tired swimmer to reduce their heart rate and save their energy. Struggling to swim to shore will only make the situation worse. If you get so tired that you feel you are in danger, just float; get a good rest, and calm down.