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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.
Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of the summer season, and many families will soon be heading to the beach. Sadly, it’s also the time when many children drown: An estimated 1,000 children fatally drowned in a single year in the U.S., most of them between May and August. In addition, more than 7,000 children are taken to the Emergency Room each year because of a drowning scare.
While drowning in swimming pools gets significant attention, the fact is that more children and teens fatally drown in lakes, rivers, oceans, reservoirs and other types of open water. It’s important to be aware of, and talk to your children about, the following open water dangers:
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.
Just Because Children Can Swim in a Pool Doesn’t Mean They’re Safe in Lakes, Rivers and Oceans
Washington, D.C. (May 22, 2018) – As summer swimming season kicks off this Memorial Day weekend, Safe Kids Worldwide and Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen program are releasing a new report highlighting the danger of childhood drowning, with a specific focus on incidents that occur in lakes, rivers, oceans and other types of open water.
Key findings of the research include:
How to Wear a Life Jacket
- Wear a U.S.
Water Safety Festival Tackles Drowning Disparities One Splash At a Time
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.
Before I begin this blog, I have a confession to make: When I was younger, I was never good about drinking water. I’m not proud of it, but it’s true.
I played basketball in high school and went on to play in college. I was often thirsty, especially after an intense workout, but still didn’t take the time to drink water. It wasn’t something my coaches talked about, so I never thought much about it.
It makes perfect sense that my job now includes teaching kids, coaches and parents about the importance of staying hydrated.
How to Watch Kids Around Water
- Watch kids when they are in or around water, without being distracted. Young children can drown in as little as one inch of water, so it’s important to keep them within an arm’s reach of an adult.