Editor’s Note: Are your little ones swimming this summer? Click HERE for a guide to New York City’s best swimming programs
There’s no time like summer to splash around, whether your child is ready to swim endless laps or just dip their toes into the pool. But water safety is important in the midst of all the fun, especially considering that drowning is the leading cause of accidental death among children under 5. We caught up with the Safer3 Water Safety Foundation for tips on how parents can ensure the safest fun on the water this summer.
1. Safer Water: Learn to identify the risks associated with activities in, on, and around the water and how to reduce those risks. Four-sided isolation fencing around every pool could prevent 50–90 percent of childhood drownings and near-drownings.
2. Safer People: Reduce risks by providing constant adult supervision, learning water safety and swimming skills, and wearing a Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Assign a water watcher. Constant supervision is a must. No cell phones, put the book down, and forget about all of the other things you have to do. Give children 100 percent of your attention when they are near or around water. Parents should practice touch supervision when toddlers are swimming.
3. Safer Response: Become trained with emergency response techniques and have an emergency action plan and a phone nearby at all times. All parents should learn CPR. Seventy percent of Americans may feel helpless during a cardiac emergency because they don’t know how to administer CPR or their training has lapsed.
To learn more water safety tips and drowning prevention education, visit safer3.org.
