Adult Supervision: ABCD's of Water Safety

As summer approaches, water safety becomes a growing concern for parents of young children. We all want our children to be safe and have fun in the water! While it can be intimidating to read all the facts about children and drowning, Swim Kids Waco is committed to equipping families with the tools needed for creating a safe environment around the water, whether you’re at home or on vacation. Our new blog series will teach you the ABCD’s of Water Safety.

A is for Adult Supervision

The first step in water safety is perhaps the easiest to do and the easiest to overlook.

ALWAYS SUPERVISE!

Supervise whenever your kids are AROUND water, not just IN the water. This is especially important for young ones that might be tempted to reach and just touch the water and accidentally fall in. So for example, if you're in the backyard and your pool is not closed in by a fence, you still need to supervise — even if you think the kids won't get in — in case they fall in unexpectedly. If you have a pool at home, when you’re getting out, make it a practice to remove all toys, noodles, etc. from the pool that might tempt a child to reach in.

Having a designated adult to supervise any kids who are in the water is a crucial component to creating a safe environment. You can’t always prevent a child from falling in the water, but with NO active adult supervision, those incidents are 24 times more likely to have a fatal outcome. ₁

Water Watcher Tags

Using something like a water watcher tag can help make it clear who is responsible for watching the water at any given time. If an adult needs to leave or tend to another matter that will cause them to be distracted, they can pass off the tag to another adult who will take over water watcher duties. We have free water watcher tags (shown here) that you can take home. Just ask your swim instructor for one!

Start teaching your children from the time they are toddlers that they must ask permission or be invited into the water by an adult before entering. (We teach this starting in our Parent & Me classes!) While YOU are responsible for supervising, THEY can be responsible for making sure they aren’t getting in a pool or body of water without an adult present.

Supervision starts as early as having babies in the bathtub at home. Two-thirds of all drownings for infants under 1 year old occur in the bathtub. ₂ Never leave your baby unattended in the bathtub, even if you think the water is shallow!

The good news is that your presence can help prevent a fatal drowning incident in the water! All you have to do is be present and paying attention while your kids are around the water.

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1 - From a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Anderson, et al)

2 - From CDC.org