Summer Water Safety

June 3, 2016July 3, 2020 Monika beach, family, pool, summer

As a child growing up in Southern California water safety was a lesson that we learned at an early age. With the warm weather all year round it was important that kids know how to enjoy their time in the ocean, at the lake, or at a swimming pool safely. My childhood home had a swimming pool that was used frequently. Even though we were reminded of pool safety before every swim, we still had a scare when my youngest sister fell into the pool during a family party. My Dad saw her struggling to stay afloat in the pool and ran out to save her. Luckily she was unharmed, but it was shortly after this that my parents took precautions to make the pool area safer with locks on the gates surrounding the pool.

While water safety is important at home, it is most important when your kids are away from home. If you are not there to remind them of the water rules, you have to rely on what you have taught them to keep them safe. One of the easiest ways to remember the rules of the water is by learning the ABCD’s of Water Safety.

The ABC&D’s of Water Safety:

ADULT: Never let children be alone near or in a pool, ocean, lake, or river. Children should be taught to never swim without an adult present.
BARRIER: Have a four-sided fence that goes around your pool with a self-locking gate.
CLASSES: Kids and adults should take safety classes like swim lessons and CPR.
DRAINS: ALL swimmers should stay away from all pool and spa drains to avoid becoming trapped by the suction.

If you are not sure where to start with teaching water safety, be sure to check out The ZAC Foundation. This organization wants to ensure that children and their parents know how to be safer around water through education and advocacy programs. The ZAC Foundation provides a wealth of water safety tips, resources, and programming (The ZAC Foundation) for parents and children of all ages (birth to teenagers). The Foundation targets children ages 5-9 with most of their safety programming. They also have a great video about the dangers of drain entrapment. If you are not familiar with this safety risk, the video is very informative! Another great resource is the book The Polar Bear Who Couldn’t, Wouldn’t Swim. This story was written by The ZAC Foundation co-founders Karen and Brian Cohn, this story follows the journey of a young polar bear named Zeke who is afraid of the water and refuses to swim. He leaves his home in search of other animals who do not swim and ends up finding that he can enjoy the water if he follows the ABC and D’s of water safety while learning a valuable lesson about facing his fears with a positive attitude.