Water Safety Tips 2015!

According to the American Red Cross, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages one to 14. It’s a scary reality, but following these safety tips can help parents and caregivers provide the water safety that is so important for children.

1. Teach your children to swim or enroll in swim lessons as soon as possible.

2. Stay close, alert, and near the pool, watching children both in and around the water at all times.

3. Learn CPR and update your certification regularly.

4. Never use floatation toys or devices as a suitable supervision or safety.

5. Talk to your children about the importance of water safety, in and out of the water. My kids love to run around the pool, so this is one area I have to remind them about. The danger of slipping, falling, hurting yourself, or others and putting everyone in risk of injury.

6. Inform babysitters, or family members that are in charge of your children – the importance of water safety. It doesn’t hurt to have a friendly reminder about the supervision required near pools or other water sources.

7. Never assume someone else is watching your children in or around the pool.

8. Don’t assume you’ll hear a child who’s in trouble in the water, drowning is silent and unlikely you would actually hear the child in trouble.

9. If a child does go missing during a pool or water outing, always look in the water source first and fast.

10. Install a child safety fence and locks &/or alarms on any entryway to pool &/or cover your pool or spa when not in use.

About Jump Start Swimming

Jump Start Swimming teaches children as young as 6 months how to be safe in and around the water. Instructors teach the steps to the Swimming Safety Sequence which consistences of; (1) jumping or falling into the water, (2) rolling onto their backs, (3) calling for help or rolling back over and kicking to the edge of the pool. This sequence allows swimmers to be safe around the water and teaches them the skills they need to save their lives. 

Dangers of Inflatable Arm Bands!

Since the 1960s, inflatable arm bands have been used by parents as swimming aids for children. Though these arm bands have been very popular since they came out, experts say they may not be the best choice of swimming aid.

Inflatable arm band, more commonly known as water wings, are not a life-saving device; they will not prevent a child from accidentally going under water and potentially drowning.  Remember, water wings can slip off or easily deflate.  Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of water wings is the feeling of safety they provide for both the child and the adult responsible for watching the child. These water wings give children a false sense of security and lead them to believe that they can swim on their won. “Inflatable arm bands teach kids to jump in and let the floats do the work of popping them back up to the surface," said Bob Hubbard, owner of Hubbard Family Swim School. "They learn to run and jump with complete abandonment and use the floats to raise them high in the water rather than relaxing and trusting the water to float them." Along with this, adults feel that their children are safe in the water when in reality they are not safe unless under constant supervision. Children of all ages should be supervised by an adult while in the pool or near any body of water. Even the most advanced swimmers can fall and bump their head or slip and need help.

Finally, inflatable armbands teach children an improper vertical position in the water, instead of the correct horizontal swimming posture. As the instructor begins working on back floating, the first step in water-safety training, your child may feel uncomfortable and resist working in the horizontal position.  They may also be unused to water splashing across her face or getting into their ears. Feeling comfortable with rolling to their back and floating is the single most important aspect of a child’s being safe in an unexpected water situation and arm floaties make learning these lifesaving skills difficult.

Try using a swim noodle in place of wings.  The benefit is that the child can better understand that they and the noodle are separate, while children may not always understand that the floaties are the reason for their floating.   The noodle also helps to engage the deltoids and scapula in the upper back, muscles and bones that are important in swimming.

Jump Start Swimming

At Jump Start Swimming we know that your child is the most important thing in your life and because of this we want to provide our parents with all the information necessary to keep your child safe in the water. If you have any questions about water safety please feel free to email us or check out the water safety articles on our website.