Infant Swim Safety
Play it Safe in the Water
Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of five, but it can be prevented. Here are some tips for new moms to help keep their babies safer in the water.
- Never leave your child unattended, even for a second, when around the water, including bath time. Turning your back on your baby while in the tub could have heartbreaking consequences.
- Know CPR. This skill could mean life or death for your child. Every parent and caregiver should take a CPR course.
- Be sure you pick the right swim instruction for you and your child. Avoid a class that makes your baby too comfortable in the water. Remember, infant and toddlers are very black and white; they do not yet have the power of reason and if the water is too much fun, they will jump in with or without an adult around.
- Avoid floatation devices or instructors that teach with floatation devices, for this gives the child and caregiver a false sense of security. The child does not realize that the device is holding them up and they automatically assume they can swim. This really can set you and your child up for disaster.
- Children as young as six months can learn the life saving skill of rolling on their back to float. Once they are walking, they can learn a swim-float-swim sequence.
- Interview the instructor; make sure they are CPR trained and that this is their profession, not just a hobby. Ask them what philosophy they use in teaching swimming to infants and toddlers. Ask about their training, what you should expect your child to learn, and at what age they should learn it. Most infants and toddlers learn to swim the best and fastest in private repetitive lessons. Until about age four, they do not have the ability to retain skills that are not being reinforced more often than once per week. Infants and toddlers learn best in short, repetitive, supportive sessions.
- When at the pool, beach or lake, make sure that your baby, toddler or young child has many “land breaks” when playing in the water. Try to space your time so that your little ones are not in the water for extensive lengths of time. They get tired quickly, and even on the warmest day, they can chill. Not to mention, the longer they are in the water, the more water they can consume. Swallowing large quantities of water can cause a range of problems from hyponatremia, or water intoxication, to delayed drowning.
We all love spring and summer — those long lazy days spent at the neighborhood pool, country club, lake or ocean. When planning your water outing, remember to plan for your children. Whether your child can swim or not, you should make a plan and assign specific time for each adult to take shifts watching the children play in and around the water. A plan of precaution can save a lifetime of grief. And above all, remember to swim for life, not just summer!