You are here
Search
How to Watch Kids Around Water
- Watch kids when they are in or around water. Keep young children and weak swimmers within arm’s reach of an adult.
As temperatures rise this summer, many families take to the water. But did you know that drowning remains one of the leading causes of preventable deaths for children in the U.S., with nearly 800 deaths each year? Help us change this and make the water a safe place for our kids to play.
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.
Water, summer and kids having fun are synonymous. That was true for me when I was young, whether it involved a swimming pool, the ocean or even a big scoop of water ice in my native Philadelphia.
We work at Safe Kids to be parents’ partners so that the job of parent can be the joy we all envision, and less of the stress that it can be at times. We hope the diligence parents need to exercise around water will lower your stress level. Too much of a good thing can be perilous and the difference between fun and tragedy can happen in the snap of fingers or just a few inches of water.
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.
New Research Reveals Persistent Misconceptions are Giving Families a False Sense of Security
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 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.
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.
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.