Water Safety Tips for Children

June 30, 2020

According to the American Red Cross, “It only takes a moment. A child or a weak swimmer can drown in the time it takes to reply to a text, check a fishing line or apply sunscreen. Death and injury from drownings happen every day in home pools and hot tubs, at the beach or in oceans, lakes, rivers and streams, bathtubs, and even buckets.”

The CDC reports that formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children ages 1-4. Below are some important tips for water safety. Talk to your children about water safety and make sure they have a clear understanding of these rules.

• Buddy up! Make sure you never swim alone and are always supervised by an adult.
• Swim in safe areas and always know where the lifeguard is.
• Know your limits. Don’t swim farther than or hold your breath longer than you are able to.
• Don’t enter cold water.
• Wear a life jacket if you can’t swim or while on a boat.
• Jump in feet first.
• Don’t swim during storms.
• To assist someone in trouble, seek out an adult to reach them with a pole or throw a floatation device.

Ensure every member of your family learns to swim so they at least achieve skills of water competency: able to enter the water, get a breath, stay afloat, change position, swim a distance, then get out of the water safely.

For more information about water safety, please visit the CDC’s website.

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