Wednesday, May 25, 2011

A Few Basic Water Safety Tips For Kids

By Byron Jonas


Going down to the pool or to the beach can certainly be a very fun activity for the whole family to get involved with. However, it can also be very dangerous with a significant number of accidents each year occurring when kids drown in swimming pools. The younger the child is, the higher the risk of an accident occurring will be, and therefore it is very important for you to teach your kids about water safety as early as possible.

One of the best ways to protect a child from the dangers of drowning is simply to help them learn to swim. However, when teaching your children how to swim it is absolutely fundamental that you supervise them at all times. Any adult who is supervising their child should always be alert and should avoid any distractions such as the phone ringing. Without making too much sound, any child could drown within a couple of minutes.

It is also important to teach your children about their manners around the swimming pool. You should simply lay down some basic ground rules that would prevent them from getting into an accident. Teach them that they shouldn't run around swimming pools, particularly near to the water's edge.

Swimming in water out of their depth is an extremely dangerous thing for children to do unless they are comfortable in water and can swim well. It is, therefore, very important for you to let your kids know exactly what the markers on the side of swimming pools mean. You should try to teach young children to stay in the shallow areas, and older children who have some experience need to try to avoid jumping in the deeper end if they are not totally comfortable in the water.

When out on open water your kids needs to wear a life jacket, period. 90% of all accidents that will occur with children in open water will be because children are simply not wearing lifejackets when they are out on a boat. If you are taking a boating trip with your kids, always make sure they have lifejackets on, regardless of whether they can swim or not.

Flotation devices, while fun and helpful, should not be relied on to heavily as well. If your kid is playing with any sort of flotation device such as a raft then make sure they understand that they cannot be seen as an alternative to being able to swim if going out of their depth.

One final risk is running water. Fast moving water can be dangerous in rivers or other such areas and children have commonly been swept away by flash floods or by going too close to the water's edge. Make sure your children are fully aware of these dangers as well.




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