Although many kids have been done with school for a couple of weeks now, it’s not truly summer until 1) the summer solstice and 2) the pool water is warm enough to swim in. As of today, at least one of those is upon us, which makes it a good time to review all things swimming and drowning related so we can keep our kids safe this summer.
Teaching them to swim
Let’s start off with the basics—actually teaching them to swim, which hopefully, eventually is the ultimate swimming safety hack. With a baby, you can start by simply getting them comfortable in the water and even going under the surface. To do that, use the old blow-in-their-face trick:
That’s obviously just a start and is not actual swimming but it does help them get used to being in a pool.
So when should you start actual swim lessons? Well, earlier than we used to think. The American Academy of Pediatrics used to say lessons were most helpful starting around age 4, but this year they’ve amended their opinion to say lessons can start to become beneficial around the child’s first birthday.
If you’re looking for a low-cost swim lesson option, you might consider the YMCA’s “Safety Around Water” program, which is offered for little or no cost. The program consists of eight 40-minute lessons that teach things like how to back float, how to tread water and what to do if you see someone in the water who needs help.
Drowning prevention
However, however, do not let these lessons lull you into a false sense of security. Learning to swim will help young kids begin to learn the basics of going underwater, floating and just generally moving around in the water. That doesn’t mean you can now take your eyes off them.
And oddly enough, spotting someone who is drowning is harder than you might think. There’s not all that thrashing and gasping and yelling depicted in TV and movies. No, in real life, it’s much quieter and harder to spot. We show you what it looks like here:
In case regular drowning isn’t awful or scary enough, you’ve probably also heard about “dry drowning” or “secondary drowning.” Dry drowning is when a person has aspirated water into the trachea and down into the lungs and dies hours or days later. While it’s important to understand the signs and symptoms of dry drowning, it doesn’t mean your child is in danger every time they swallow a little pool water.
Out on the open water
Great, so they’ve had their lessons, you know how to watch for signs of drowning, and your kids are like fish in the pool. Maybe now they’re 9 or 10 years old and have been swimming with proficiency for years. You can finally relax on that family vacation to the lake/river/ocean, right?
Nope, nope, nope. Swimming in open water is a totally different beast with drop-offs, strong currents and limited visibility.
Be extra vigilant around open water and teach your kids that it’s different than swimming in a pool.
You can relax on this rule, though
There is one thing we give you permission to be less vigilant about: Eating and swimming. There is no actual health reason to make kids wait 10 minutes, 30 minutes or a whole freaking hour after eating before they can go back in the pool.
Pull ‘em out, feed ‘em a sandwich, and send ‘em right back in.
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