Written by
Beth Farrah, SMT Writer
Summer is filled with long, hot days spent by the water. Families gather around pools, lakes, water parks, and rivers in an attempt to cool down during the warm months of summer. Families and parents that enjoy water-related activities but have younger children must be aware of the many dangerous factors.
Sadly, drowning is the second leading cause in death among children between the ages of one year old to eighteen years old. Over the past couple of decades, drowning has declined drastically, but it is still a major concern for parents with children of all ages.
"Children can drown in even the smallest body of water, including toilets, decorative fountains, portable pools, buckets and bath tubs," Dr. Wendy Pomerantz, an emergency-room physician at Cincinnati Children' Hospital Medical Center, said in a hospital news release. "Anytime you have a standing body of water that is accessible, make sure you supervise your child at all times."
Dr. Wendy Pomerantz, along with the American Academy of Pediatrics recently revised a list of helpful tips for parents while spending time in the water with their kids.
First and foremost, all guardians should know CPR. It is a simple and easy to learn precaution to ensure that all swimmers will be safe in the area if help is not available nearby.
Swimming lessons taught by professionals are highly recommended for children in their younger years. Even if a parent decides to teach their child how to swim in the comfort of their own pool or home, it is not guaranteed that the child was taught properly and may not be able to take care of themselves in the water.
Never leave children alone in the pool, even if they are secure with flotation devices. Even if the children are not in the water, they still must be supervised when they are around or near any type of water. A good way for a parent to protect their child is to remember “touch supervision”, which is where the parent is no more than an arm’s length away.
Never leave toys in or nearby the pool. A child may get distracted by the toy and may fall in while they are trying to reach it. Always keep a phone nearby the pool so that help can be called right away if an accident does somehow happen. Make sure the children understand that there is no running, jumping, or pushing near the pool. The more children know about water safety, the safer they will be.
