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New Research Reveals Persistent Misconceptions are Giving Families a False Sense of Security
I am convinced my son, Winston, was born with gills. He delights in all things water: oceans, rivers, pools, baths, even our plastic baby pool – he loves them all.
At six years of age and with dozens of swim lessons under his belt, I cautiously say Winston can swim. Just last week, at our community pool, he jumped off a diving board into the deep end and swam to the side unaided. He proceeded to repeat this 10 times in an hour.
Q. How can I be sure I have the right life jacket for my child?
Great question! Making sure kids are wearing the right life jacket is one of the best ways to keep them safe while boating and participating in water activities. Here are a few tips to remember when choosing a life jacket:
When children are swimming and there are several adults present, make sure kids are actively supervised at all times by choosing a Water Watcher. A Water Watcher is a responsible adult who agrees to watch the kids in the water without distractions and wear a Water Watcher card.
These essential tips will help keep kids safe when swimming in lakes, rivers, oceans and other open water.
When I was just 12 years old, I attended a neighborhood pool party with a few families from our street. There were kids of all ages, with the youngest being around the age of 2. As the adults gathered in the shallow end of the pool, one mother was with her young toddler. She placed the young girl on a pool noodle as a floatation device. Her mom had a false perception that with so many people around, her child would be safe.
Sadly, she was wrong.
My family has always been large, but in the last few years we’ve grown significantly as my generation has made the transition from being the kids to being the parents. This just makes our time together even more enjoyable especially when we head to one of our favorite places: the beach.
There’s nothing quite like watching happy kids building sandcastles, hunting for sea shells, splashing in the waves, and making their own memories, just the way my cousins and I did when we were kids.
But now that I’m an aunt, I have to admit, safety is on my mind, too.
To many of us, Memorial Day is the official start of summer fun.
It’s a time to remember the people who gave so much for our country, a time to be with family and friends and a time to take a break and have some fun.
Whatever your plans are for this Memorial Day and beyond, here are a few tips to keep your adventures as safe as they are fun.
While perusing the local newspaper during family breakfast last weekend, a headline caught my attention. A teenager had drowned while swimming in a quarry not far from where I live. As soon as I read the headline, and saw the large photograph of the quarry emblazoned across the front page, my heart sank. I knew of the quarry, having been there myself several times before. The swimming hole is a popular destination for local youth, and it shook me to imagine something so tragic happening in a place where I’d once had so much fun.
This blog was written by Madi Hawkins, Safe Kids Public Policy summer intern.
In my first days at a Safe Kids intern, we released “Hidden Hazards: An Exploration of Open Water Drowning and Risks for Children," which discusses the dangers that confront kids in open water like lakes and rivers. It brought me back to an experience I had when I was about four years old.