Be Water Smart This Summer

Summer is coming, and the combination of holidays, sunshine, water and children is a seductive but potentially lethal mix. Drowning is the second leading cause of injury and death for children in Europe, with very young children the most vulnerable.

‘It seems the danger is greater on holiday because parents relax and have a false sense of security for children around water,’ explained Jess Thompson, who runs Water Babies, the UK’s largest baby swimming company.

It takes about one minute for a child to fall in and drown – and it can happen in less than 5cm of water. You won’t know your child is in trouble unless you’re watching them as children do not cry out as they are drowning. Survival depends on swift rescue and restarting breathing, even while the child is still in the water.”

The good news is that by using a few simple guidelines, parents and carers can minimize the chances of such a tragic incident befalling their child.

The Water Babies Be Water Smart Guidelines
 

• If leaving, even momentarily, take your child with you or designate a known adult to supervise.

• Actively supervise young children around water. The adult watching must be able to swim and not afraid to jump in the water. An adult should always be in the water if children are under eight.

• Children can drown at family gatherings. Often a number of adults are casually watching a group of children, but no-one sees a young child get into trouble.

• Don’t give older children the responsibility for watching younger ones. They are generally focusing on enjoying themselves and don’t understand the speed with which small children can get into trouble.

• Be safety conscious at the poolside.

• Check where the rescue equipment and lifeguards are. Save the local emergency numbers on your mobile phone. Make sure you have planned what to do if there’s a pool emergency.

• If there is an outdoor pool it should be fenced and have a self-latching gate. Children under five drown in domestic pools (including paddling pools) every year. Make sure that, if you have the latter, you empty the water each time after using it.

• Flotation devices are not life preservers.

• They do not replace supervision and must fit properly. Toys and inflatable's are often unstable and therefore a hazard.

• Do not swim at beaches with large waves, a powerful undertow or no lifeguards.

• Find out where the lifeguards are and learn water symbols and flags indicating current beach conditions. Follow their advice.

• If using inflatable devices in the water make sure you’ve attached a rope to it.

• Stay sober.

• Do not drink alcohol in or around water: it can impair your supervisory and swimming skills.

• Learn CPR. 

• Seconds count in preventing death or brain damage.

Teach your children these water safety rules:

• Never swim alone
• Do not push or jump onto others – it might result in injury.
• Do not dive into water unless someone has already tested the depth and checked for underwater hazards.
• Know what to do in an emergency and where to get help

Teach your children how to swim
“Sadly, a primary factor in cases of fatal drowning, is down to the initial shock of falling into the water’ explained Jess. ‘Our goal at Water Babies is to teach babies, however young, vital lifesaving skills such as turning onto their backs or swimming to the nearest solid object. We believe that a baby who is used to floating and knows these simple survival skills stands a far better chance of coping with an unexpected immersion.

We’ve recently had two two-year olds fall into water: one into a canal, the second into the family pool. Neither was discovered for at least three minutes, but when they were they were calmly sculling both above and below the water’s surface.”

www.waterbabies.co.uk