It’s summertime, and the kids are about to be loosed on the parks and beaches. Getting to the water, whether ocean, lake or river, means summer fun and cool relief from hot weather. But water can also be dangerous for kids if parents don’t take some precautions. Are you ready to help your kids to be safe around the water?
Drowning is a significant risk for children, even where it seems unlikely, impossible even. Drowning is the second leading cause of preventable death for children with children under five at particular risk. They are attracted to the water but cannot understand the potential danger. According to Preventable.ca, half of children who drowned were alone and unsupervised at the time. That’s not all: for each toddler who dies from drowning, there are some six to 10 near-drowning cases that require hospitalization. Of these, 20 per cent sustain permanent brain damage.
It is difficult to comprehend that your child might drown, but there are things we can all do to reduce that risk. Let’s start with you: there is no substitute for active supervision when kids are around the water. That means you being attentive at all times: put away the cell phone and forget about all the other things you need to do. For younger kids, “touch supervision” is the rule. That means being within immediate reach of them when they’re in or near the water.
Your child already knows how to swim? Great, but don’t assume they should not be supervised. If your child does not know how to swim, enroll them in a program that will teach them. They will not only learn to swim, but also how to be safe around water. And if you don’t know how to swim yourself, this could be a good time for you to learn, as well. In fact, everyone should be able to swim — you just never know.
Knowing CPR is also a good idea. There is a good chance you will never need the skills, but that’s a better outcome than needing to know CPR and not having it. Good information about water safety can be found at www.Redcross.ca and www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile39.stm
Mandatory when boating, personal flotation devices (life jackets or PFDs) are good for kids to wear whenever they are near water. They will not reduce the need for supervision, but they will certainly make things easier and safer for your child. Consider requiring all non-swimmers to wear a PFD to give them the best chance if they get into trouble in the water.
Fun toys like water wings, noodles and inflatables are not swimming aids. They’re great to play with and keep kids active, but they cannot substitute for safety, so don’t rely on them as such.
We live in a region with amazing water resources – the ocean, rivers and lakes too many to count. Many of us have boats, kayaks and other watercraft, and most of us have a favourite beach or lake; water is in our lives. And who doesn’t have a memory of some wonderful summer from childhood? Keeping summer memories wonderful involves being careful around water.
