School is out and summer is here! This means that we are busy trying to find ways to keep our kids busy over the summer. One of the items on many of our summer to-do lists is probably swimming. Whether it is at your local pool, lake, beach or kiddie pool in your backyard, water can bring lots of fun, but it can also bring dangers. Therefore, it requires us to have certain systems in place to ensure everyone has a fun but safe time in the water!
Here are some ideas for water safety for kids and parents to ensure everyone can be water STARS:
S: Secure Water
First up is a water safety tip for adults to do! Always secure access to the water. This could be anything from putting away ladders into the pool, locking the gates around the pools, emptying kiddie pools when not in use, or even using motion sensors and door alarms in the areas of the pools. Check the areas around your water and decide the best ways to restrict access to the water. Do whatever you might need to do to secure the water in your area and keep littles out of it when unsupervised.
T: Trusted Adult
I think a lot of us grew up with the rule of a swimming buddy and always swimming with a partner. I think this can be a good rule; however, with little kids, they can’t determine who a responsible swimming partner might be, so we operate under the trusted adult rule. You always need to have a trusted adult with you when you are in water. We have “safe people,” which is a list of safe people who my kids know are the only ones allowed to pick them up from places, etc. So those “safe people” mirror the ones on the list for trusted adults around water as well.
A: Ask Permission
Another big rule for my kids around water is to ask a parent before you enter any type of water. This serves as a good check for both the parent and child. It helps give them a stopping point between them and the water, and hopefully, after doing it enough they get in the habit and know to stop and ask a parent every time for permission before hopping in. It also serves as a check for me to be on guard and mentally aware that they are in water. We even do this with the bathtub, which is a great way to keep the habit up all year round.
R: Responsible Water Watcher
Parents, this one is for you! While the kids make sure they have a trusted adult, you need to make sure you can be that trusted adult. Have a designated “water watcher,” someone to watch the kids at all times when they are in the water. The key word here is responsible water watcher, too – make sure it is an adult you can trust to keep an eye on the pool. This is a great idea for a party with many kids swimming or even just between mom and dad at the pool. They even have water watcher tags like this one on Amazon or you can print some and make it so that there is a visual reminder of which person is the water watcher.
S: Stay Back
In addition to asking permission, I tell my kids to stay back from water, too. Don’t get too close to the water so we avoid accidental fall-ins. This goes for things like walking along a pond or lake while feeding ducks or hanging over pools. A good distance rule for this is if you can put your hand out in front of you and it is over the water, you are too close!
Doing all of these things can make you and your kids water STARS!
Remember, drowning is silent. Real-life drowning is not how we see it in the movies where someone is shouting and screaming for help. The reality is, if your child falls into water they can’t swim in, they go underneath, and you can’t hear a thing. You might not even be able to see them. Check out this link that explains how your child’s swimsuit color can impact their ability to be seen underwater. I will admit, this is something I never thought of before, but it’s something so simple and is one more simple step I can take toward water safety.
According to the Children’s Safety Network, drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4 and the third cause of death in children ages 5-19. While these are scary thoughts, they are necessary to think about and worth the effort when it comes to keeping your kids safe in and around the water.
Besides the statistics listed here, the ideas in this article are just my personal tips and opinions. You should consult a lifeguard or your local swim school for more help with water safety. Swim lessons are a great idea, too! So, take some of these ideas or all of them and use them this summer so that everyone can have fun while cooling of in the pools and be water STARS!