What better way to cool off after being in the hot summer temperatures than a dip in the pool?
But, are you educated and trained to act appropriately in the case of an emergency involving your child?
In 2006, fatal drowning claimed the lives of roughly 1100 U.S. children younger than 20 years old.
The organization does make a number of strategies easily available to parents and guardians in an effort to prevent these tragedies.
A Parent’s Guide to Water Safety is a great place to start!
The brochure provides the latest information on water safety in bathtubs, pools, and open water.
It includes new recommendations on pool fencing, appropriate ages for beginning swimming lessons, use of personal watercraft, and explains what to do in case of an emergency.
According to Water Safety: Tips for Parents of Young Children, new evidence shows that children ages 1 to 4 may be less likely to drown if they have had formal swimming instruction.
“The studies are small, and they don’t define what type of lessons work best, so the AAP is not recommending mandatory swim lessons for all children ages 1 to 4 at this time. Instead, the new guidance recommends that parents should decide whether to enroll an individual child in swim lessons based on the child’s frequency of exposure to water, emotional development, physical abilities, and certain health conditions related to pool water infections and pool chemicals.”
The Swimming Pool Safety report notes several ways to keep children safe around swimming pools including:
- Keep toys away from the pool when the pool is not in use.
- Empty blow-up pools after each use.
- No tricycles or other riding toys at poolside.
- No electrical appliances near the pool.
For more information visit the American Association of Pediatrics online!
