Water Safety for Babies & Toddlers

WWL TV

June 23, 2009

Family time in the summer usually involves water activities. Constant awareness by the adults in charge can help to ensure a child’s safety around water. Preparation and water safety instruction in advance may help to prevent an accident or injury with long term consequence.

Did you know that many families with young children plan on enjoying water fun this summer, and half of those families plan to swim in an area with no lifeguard on duty?

Adults should constantly supervise children no matter how well they can swim. The designated adult should have “eyes on” and be in “arms’ reach” of the child at all times. Avoid reading, wearing earphones for music, being outside of the water or drinking alcohol while supervising.

Points to remember:

· Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water

· Children under age 5 and adolescents ages 15-24 have the highest rates of drowning

· Of the preschoolers who drown, 70% were in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning and 75% were missing less than 5 minutes

· Make sure everyone in your family learns to swim well.Enroll in age-appropriate swimming class as well as first aid and CPR courses to learn what to do

· The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend swimming lessons for under 4 years, however, water play class and supervised exposure to water activities is recommended to allow children to become used to water. Swimming classes are not intended to “waterproof” a child.

· Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone.

· Know how and when to call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number. Have a portable phone or cell phone nearby while enjoying water activities.

For more information on these and other parenting issues, please call The Parenting Center at Children's Hospital at 896-9591 or visit http://www.theparentingcenter.net/

References: http://www.redcross.org/en/ , http://www.aap.org/