 |
|
|
|
| | Each year, approximately 200 children drown and several thousand others are treated in hospitals for submersion accidents and accidents which leave children with permanent brain damage and respiratory health problems.
Remember, it only takes a few seconds for a small child to wander away. Children have a natural curiosity and attraction to water.
Keeping Children Safe In, On, and Around the Water
Maintain constant supervision. Watch children around any water environment (pool, stream, lake, tub, toilet, bucket of water), no matter what skills your child has acquired and no matter how shallow the water.
Do not rely on substitutes. The use of flotation devices and inflatable toys cannot replace parental supervision. Such devices could suddenly shift position, lose air, or slip out from underneath, leaving the child in a dangerous situation.
Enroll children in a water safety course or a swimming lesson program. Your decision to provide your child with an early aquatic experience is a gift that will have infinite rewards.
Parents should take a CPR course. Knowing these skills can be important around the water and you will expand your capabilities in providing care for your child.
General Water Safety Tips: - Learn to swim.
- Always swim with a buddy.
- Swim in a designated area and make sure an adult watches you.
- Wear a life jacket if you can't swim or if you are just learning to swim.
- An air mattress or swim ring does not take the place of a life jacket.
- Obey all "No Swimming" and other warning signs.
- Never dive or jump into unknown waters.
- Pay attention to local weather conditions and forecasts. Stop swimming at the first indication of bad weather.
- Never swim in a canal!
Watch that Bucket!
It is estimated that 30 to 50 toddlers and infants drown each year in household buckets. The Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that 5-gallon buckets are the most dangerous to small children. A 5-gallon bucket is about half the height of a toddler and is very stable. For these reasons, when a top - heavy toddler falls headfirst into a bucket, it is nearly impossible for the child to escape. Do not leave buckets containing liquid - even a small amount of liquid - unattended and remember to completely empty buckets immediately following each use.
| |
|
|
|
|
