As the school months come to an end and summer trips to the beaches begin, families are preparing for their children to go to the pools and the seas. Many are concerned about the risks of drowning in children under 4 years old, so they secure them by wearing life jackets or swimming buoys.
Parents may secure home swimming pools, and monitor their children throughout their stay in the water, but this is less careful once children join swimming lessons, and hence the danger, because early swimming lessons – despite their extreme importance – may not protect children from being drowned . Read also How do you tame your child’s selective appetite for food?How do you explain to your child the meaning of war and the right of the homeland?Calm Corner .. Your way to control your child’s tantrums without violence Skills and benefits.. Here are these tips to raise your child to love reading
Drowning is the number one cause of unintentional death for children aged 1 to 4 years in the United States, and it is also the cause of many deformities and organic problems for children.
Therefore, the following recommendations should be kept in mind before children descend on the pools and beaches
- No matter how well your child receives swimming lessons, they should never be left alone without adult supervision in the swimming areas.
- The height of the child must be proportional to the swimming area, and should not be left in the adult pool without a direct presence with him.
- If there is a private swimming pool in the house, a safety fence should be placed to prevent the child from falling into the pool out of the eyes of parents.
- When near bodies of water, children must wear a life jacket appropriate to their weight or swim buoys.
- Being drowned only takes minutes or even seconds, so you should not, under any pretext, let your child swim alone.
- Home bathtubs may also put the child at risk of drowning, so supervision of the child while bathing is a must in his early years.
- You must learn the basics of first aid, to save the child in case he is in danger of drowning, and to restore his normal breathing until the arrival of the doctor.
Swimming Lessons Recommendations
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends swimming lessons for all children and their parents. Lessons are an essential way to protect children while swimming.
According to the academy, “recent studies indicate that training in survival skills and swimming lessons can help reduce the risk of drowning children between the ages of 1 and 4 years.”
To determine if your little one is ready for swimming lessons, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends looking at your child’s mental maturity, physical abilities, receptivity and enjoyment of swimming, usually around age four, if not earlier.
The academy noted that early swimming lessons teach basic survival skills, including the ability to:
- How to behave in the event of falling water.
- Continue swimming a short distance in the water, to reach land or the side of the pool.
- Learn to float, to be able to get out of the water.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) also recommends a set of strategies to prevent drowning, including swimming skills, life jackets, and close supervision of children.
Mistakes to be avoided
Teaching kids swimming skills may be a good idea for some younger kids, but it’s not the best way to keep your kids safe in the water. The best way to prevent drowning is to supervise your children, surround your pool with a safety fence, and make sure your children always wear an internationally approved life jacket depending on the child’s age, weight and height.
Older children should not be allowed to swim alone, even if they can swim well, and if the child is lost for any reason while near bodies of water, they should be searched first in the water.