Water safety is a top concern as we move into summer. Drowning is silent. We learned that the hard way after my daughter’s near-drowning a few years ago. Since then, I’ve had moms come to me with stories of all kinds of near misses since our experience. It’s scary just how quickly an accident can happen.
Water accidents are preventable though, if you follow some important safety guidelines. The ZAC Foundation, an organization that works to promote water safety, has come up with some important tips to help parents keep their kids safe near the water this summer. We’ve worked with The ZAC Foundation in previous years and love the work that they are doing.
To keep things simple, The ZAC Foundation has created, what they call, the A, B, C, D’s of water safety.
A, B, C, D’s of water safety
- A is for Adult – Never let children be alone near a pool, ocean, lake, or river
- B is for Barrier – Have a fence that goes around your pool
- C is for Classes – Kids and adults should take safety classes
- D is for Drains – Team all swimmers to stay away from all pool & spa drains
A is for Adult
We all know this one. What you may not realize is just how quickly an accident can happen. When my daughter nearly drowned in the hot tub, we had 6 adults watching her. It only took a moment for her to sneak away and find herself in serious danger.
Assign a dedicated “Water Watcher” to be in charge. That means this person does not check their phone, chat with a friend, or read a book. All they do is watch the kids in the water. Change this person out frequently so no one gets tired.
B is for Barrier
We all know we need a barrier around the pool but is your barrier secure. My daughter ran into trouble because we were watching the pool . . . but inside our barrier was also a hot tub and there were no adults over there.
Be sure your barrier is secure and if you are inside the barrier, be aware of any risks in areas you aren’t paying attention to.
C is for Classes
Kids need to be in swimming lessons from a young age. The unfortunate face is, we can not watch them every second of the day, and all it takes is a moment for them to get into trouble around water.
Even very young kids can learn to swim. Any swimming skills can buy you precious seconds when it comes to keeping kids safe in and around water.
We’ve been really pushing swimming classes with the non-swimmers in my family. I’ll be sharing more about that with you soon.
D is for Drains
The risk of drain entrapment was not something I was aware of until after my daughter’s accident. Maybe it’s something you haven’t realized was a risk either. After my daughter was released from the hospital, parents started sharing their stories. Some were near misses and some ended in tragedy. I heard several stories of drain entrapment and those stories scared me to death.
Even strong swimmers can be at risk of this. Teach all swimmers to stay away from pool and spa drains. The ZAC Foundation has a great video showing how this happens here.
Visit The ZAC Foundation for more information about how to keep children safe around water. Sign up for their newsletter to stay updated.
Enter to Win
Do you want to win a great prize from The ZAC Foundation? Each prize pack will include a bag, towel, book, water watcher card, t-shirt and wristband.
This giveaway runs until May 26th and is open to age 18+, US residents only. Only one winner per household. Winners will be randomly selected and notified by The ZAC Foundation by June 1.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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