07/04/2024
🚨 Wishing everyone a happy 4th and SAFE month of July! Remember to use all layers of water safety with your little ones: fences and locks, water watcher, touch supervision for unskilled swimmers, survival swim lessons, and life vests around open water such as lakes, rivers, oceans.
Do NOT get your child used to playing in the pool in a personal floatation device (e.g. puddle jumper)- this teaches the drowning position and gives a false sense of security, which is dangerous when they enter water mistakenly without their device during a non-swim time.
Until independent water skills are acquired and practiced, the safest place in the pool is on the steps or in an adult’s arms!
70% of all young child drownings happen during non-swim times. Times like snack time, meal time, nap time, rest time are the most risky for them.
While you should be constantly vigilant with your kids while they are in the water, you also need to keep your alertness and attentiveness high during times when they aren’t meant to be there as well, especially during pool breaks and in the few hours after pool time is over.
This time is when most kids find their way back to water alone and without a flotation device and it’s when most of them drown.
Eyes on the kids while in AND around the water.
