10 Important Water Safety Tips

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4 years old. As much as we want our kids to have fun in the pool or at the beach, it’s important to take the proper precautions and prepare our children for time in the water. Drowning can happen in as little as 20-60 seconds, the same amount of time it takes to reply to a text message. 
 
In this week’s blog, we want to combine a list of both pool and beach safety tips that will keep your kids safe this summer. Some of these can be considered “no-brainers” but even a reminder of the simplest water safety tips can save a child’s life.  
 
 
1.   Sign your child up for swim lessons if feasible. Having a professional work with your children on how to get in and out of a pool properly, practice blowing bubbles in the water and floating could potentially save their lives. 

2.   Never leave your child unattended around a pool or any body of water. This includes putting your phone down even to answer a quick text or check your calendar and always staying within an arm’s length of your young child. Touch supervision is essential! 

3.   Install a safety fence around your pool. Most states require a safety fence, and a home inspector will direct you to install one within a certain time frame to prevent accidental drownings and injury.  

4.   Keep your pool gate secure with an alarm to sound if your child happens to enter the gate unattended.  

5.   Make sure all family and friends know the pool rules before going for a swim and don’t be afraid to enforce them to keep everyone safe.   

6.   Practice talking to your kids about the signs of someone struggling in the water and what to do in that type of emergency. Instilling a buddy system can be helpful for older kids as they can also be another pair of eyes on each other. There should always be an adult supervising the water but if kids know the signs of someone struggling and a plan of action, it can be incredibly important! 

7.    Create a routine for your kids to follow before going to the pool, such as putting on sunscreen and swimsuit. Teaching our kids to follow a process of getting ready for swimming could potentially deter your child from jumping into the pool at random.  

8.    Assign a “Water Watcher”.  The Water Watcher is a responsible adult put in charge to watch the pool area for 30 minutes and rotates with another adult if another person is available. No child should ever be in the pool alone.  

9.    Keep toys out of the pool when not in use.  Hide all pool toys in order to minimize the temptation of reaching for one if your little one happens to be near the pool area when not in use. 

10.  Become CPR Certified.  Being prepared to act in an emergency is crucial when it comes to providing care. The National CPR Foundation and Red Cross both provide in person and online training courses. Take the course yourself or make it a family event to ensure everyone is up to date on the proper use of CPR and has a plan of action when an emergency arises.  

You can get CPR Certified online or in person. 

There are plenty of water safety tips too important for parents to ignore. We hope a few of these sounded new and provided some inspiration on how to keep our kids safe this summer. Happy swimming! 
 
 
 
*Drowning 20-60 seconds: stopdrowningnow.gov