Swimming

We know water is everywhere. So to make water safety easy, we divided it into three categories: Water safety at home, swimming safety and boating safety. 

Here you’ll find everything you need to know about swimming safety. Whether it’s a trip to the beach or a dip in the community or backyard pool, you can ensure that swimming is as safe as it is fun by following a few basic safety tips.  

The Hard Facts

Drowning can happen at any time of year, but be especially cautious during the summer months, when drowning incidents can increase up to 89 percent as compared with the rest of the year.

Top Tips

• Actively supervise children in and around open bodies of water, giving them your undivided attention.
• When there are several adults present and children are swimming, use the Water Watcher card strategy, which designates an adult as the Water Watcher for a certain amount of time (such as 15-minute periods) to prevent lapses in supervision. Download a Water Watcher card here.
• Whether you’re swimming in a backyard pool or in a lake, teach children to swim with a partner, every time. From the start, teach children to never go near or in water without an adult present. 
• We know you have a million things to do, but learning CPR should be on the top of the list. It will give you tremendous peace of mind – and the more peace of mind you have as a parent, the better. Local hospitals, fire departments and recreation departments offer CPR training.
• Educate your children about the dangers of drain entanglement and entrapment and teach them to never play or swim near drains or suction outlets.

Learn More

Don’t worry – you’re not in over your head in terms of swimming safety. But if you’re interested, here’s some more information on how to keep your family safe in and around water.