Eight Tips to Keep your Kids Safe in Water

Lifeguard assisting male child during a swim lesson using a flotation device

Warmer weather usually means one thing, swimming! Swimming is the favorite activity of many children. However, whether your kids are just learning to swim or have been swimming forever, you have to make sure that they are being safe in the water. Safety is extremely crucial when it comes to having your kids in the water. If you’re going to keep your kids safe then you need to know how to supervise them, how to teach them to learn to be responsible on their own, and CPR. Read on for safety tips for swimming!

You should always supervise your kids, whether they’re in or around water. This means that you should make sure you’re supervising them even if they have flotation devices on. Wearing flotation devices doesn’t make your kids invincible. The false confidence given by flotation devices affects kids and parents. Flotation devices are meant for emergencies, not as a substitute for supervision. Don’t assume that your kids will be safe around water without supervision. No one, including adults, should swim alone, and kids shouldn’t ever swim without adult supervision. This means that even if they have been taught how to be safe around water, they can still encounter accidents.  The following are 8 tips for keeping your kids safe around water:

  • Make sure you designate an adult supervisor. Ideally that person should have lifeguard, first aid, and CPR training. The adult should be focused on watching the kids.
  • Whether you’re swimming in a backyard pool or in a lake, you should teach your children to swim with a partner, every time. From the start, teach your children to never go near or in water without an adult present.
  • Educate your children about the dangers of drain entanglement and entrapment and teach them to never play or swim near drains or suction outlets, and why it’s important that they avoid these areas.
  • Eliminate distractions. Don’t talk on the phone or text message. Don’t read or watch TV. Don’t do yard work or fold laundry. The less distractions, the more likely you are to be able to help your kids if they get into trouble.
  • Don’t divide your attention by supervising kids who aren’t in or around the pool while you’re also supervising kids who are in or around the pool. Although you may feel that
  • Keep talks brief and keep your eyes on your responsibility, your kids.
  • Don’t eat (it’s a distraction).
  • Don’t drink alcohol. Getting drunk when your kids might need you is always a bad idea.

If you need to leave the pool area for any reason, even for a few seconds, make sure all of the kids are safely out of the pool and pool area while you’re away. Kids can drown in twenty seconds, and they don’t make noise when they fall into the water or start having trouble. Also, try to make sure that babysitters know the risks and procedures. Keep your kids safe when they’re learning to swim and even after they’ve become talented swimmers, and always use common sense to reinforce and strengthen safety guidelines.

Authored by: YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas