If you’re planning to take your little ones swimming this summer, there are some safety tips parents should keep in mind.
“There should be an adult water watcher within arm’s length of your kids while they’re at any public pool or even any personal pool,” says Dr. Richard So, pediatrician for Cleveland Clinic Children’s.
Dr. So says it only takes a second for an accident to happen.
According to the CDC, more children ages one to four years old die from drowning than any other cause of death.
To help avoid that kind of tragedy, it’s recommended that children take swimming lessons by the age of four, or even earlier if they live near a pool or pond or have a boat.
When it comes to lifejackets, those should be Coast Guard approved.
Dr. So says for anyone who owns a pool, it’s important to make sure they’re fenced in and have a working alarm on the gate. That way if your child does somehow sneak out, you’ll be alerted.
“Besides swimming lessons to protect your child, I think everyone who owns a pool should have at least have an adult who knows CPR,” he says. “You can go to your local American Red Cross and you can take an easy basic life-saving classes. If you have a pool, it comes up with a lot of responsibility. You’ve got to have a fence and someone needs to know CPR.”
Don’t forget to wear plenty of sunscreen this summer. Sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours and even sooner if your child is swimming and it washes off.
