It’s summertime and you and your kids will most likely spend time cooling down in a pool, lake or ocean. What if I told you that your child could drown in less than two inches of water? I know, I just ruined all the nice thoughts you had about your next trip to the beach and I’m sorry. In reality, this isn’t the kind of thing we want to spend our summer thinking about, but we need to.
You might come across this post and think you don’t need to read it because your child knows how to swim, or that the one lifeguard at the pool can keep an eye on all those swimmers. Please don’t assume since your child knows how to swim that they can be left unsupervised in the water. Recently, in my hometown, a teenager (who knows how to swim) almost drowned because he started having an asthma attack while swimming. Luckily he was pulled from the water, treated by medical personnel, and survived.
Please enroll your child in swimming lessons as soon as they are ready and the proper lessons for their age are in your area. Some places start lessons at 6 months, others a few years. And you might be able to get your lessons for free. Where I live, swimming lessons for children are covered by a local nonprofit community organization, but you have to sign up fast as they do fill up quickly.
There is a lot more to water safety than swimming lessons. Being aware of your surroundings and medical training can go a long way. Make sure there are multiple steps to get to the pool. For example, we have a locked sliding glass door, a locked screen door and a locked pool door. Yes, the first two doors you don’t need keys to unlock (you can actually install those if you want, though), but the gate on the pool fence you do. And the lock is about 5 feet off the ground.
Some kids are determined little boogers who won’t give up until they have accomplished what they set their mind to do. Sometimes that can be climbing up an “unclimbable” pool ladder. If you haven’t seen that video making the rounds on Facebook, check it out here. Even though our pool isn’t above ground, this still hits home for me because my son is one of those fearless determined toddlers who always finds a way to accomplish what he started.
Take a CPR and first aid certification class. Honestly, I think this is helpful for parents in general as CPR and first aid can be needed at any time, not just for swimming. These classes can be offered through your local health department, fire departments, hospitals and even colleges. You can also try to find one in your area through the red cross here.
Here are a few last tips I want to leave you with:
- If you have an above ground pool, take the ladder out of the pool and move it away from the pool when it’s not in use.
- If you have a kiddie pool, empty it when not in use.
- Make sure lifejackets, arm floats or anything your child wears in the water fit them properly.
- Check your home. There may be a lot of potential hazards you haven’t thought about like the bathtub, toilet, dog bowl, rainwater collectors and large buckets. Remember, less than two inches is all it can take.
- Don’t forget the dog door. There are dog doors available for purchase that only let the dog activate the door with a special tag on their collar.
You may find some of these precautions extreme. Personally, I would rather be extreme than be filled with regret for the rest of my life. Stay safe out there!
