The Greatest Risk for Our Children, and How to Minimize That Risk (Guest Post)

(Note from Tricia: As the owner of a swimming pool, we have taught HYPER vigilance in our house about water safety. I’ve had to jump in to pull a child out of the water before and it was one of the scariest moments of my life. Thank you to Andrew Joseph, Goldfish Swim School General Manager, for sharing these tips with my readers.)

As the weather warms up, it’s more important than ever to talk about water safety to help keep families as safe as possible this summer. Sunny days often lead to increased time outdoors, and thus a stronger temptation to wander into nearby ponds, creeks, pools and even deep puddles.

We all know drowning is a risk for children, but do you know how great of a risk? Here are a few startling statistics:

• Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children ages 1-4, and the second leading cause among kids 14 and under. 
• Drowning happens quickly — often in less than two minutes, which is why swim safety must be a top priority for children of all ages. 

As the general manager for Goldfish Swim School in both Carmel and Fishers, I live and breathe water safety every day. But, for those of you who don’t have water safety top-of-mind, I want to share ten tips to help keep your loved ones safer.

1. Ensure that active, undistracted adult supervision is present at all times. Drowning happens very quickly, in the time it takes to answer a phone call, text or email on your phone.
2. When leaving your children with others, brief family members and babysitters on water safety and emphasize the need for constant supervision.
3. Ensure that all children understand basic water skills. For example, at Goldfish, we teach students that if a child falls in the water, have them turn around to look where they fell in, keep their head above water and swim to the edge they came from, as it’s often the shortest distance.
4. Use the buddy system. If multiple children are in the water at once, pair them up in a buddy system to ensure they are also looking out for each other.
5. Teach children from a very young age that they can only enter water with an adult’s permission and presence.
6. Prepare yourself and family members for the worst-case scenario with CPR training. If an emergency does happen, you’ll be able to provide critical support until paramedics arrive.
7. If you have a body of water on your property, such as a pool, spa or pond, post CPR instructions to ensure that anyone close by can help in an emergency.
8. If a child is missing, check nearby bodies of water first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability.
9. Don’t rely on sound to detect drowning. Child drowning is often a silent death, without splashing to alert those nearby.
10. Enroll your children in quality swim classes to ensure they learn water safety and swimming skills as early as possible – beginning at four months of age at Goldfish. Ongoing, perpetual swim lessons, such as those at Goldfish, provide the greatest benefit, as they keep water safety top-of-mind for children. See below for a swim school special for Helping Moms Connect readers!

For additional water safety tips and interactive water safety demonstrations, join us May 14 for a free Water Safety Day event at either Indianapolis-area Goldfish location (Carmel or Fishers) as we celebrate May as National Water Safety Day.

At Goldfish Swim School, our top priority is water safety year-round. Our instructors are tasked with not only teaching children to swim and to be safer, but they’re also empowered to provide a fun, playful experience to ensure the children want to come to swim lessons to continue learning.

Whether your child knows how to swim or is just learning, Goldfish Swim School has the perfect curriculum for every skill level for children ages four months to 12 years. If you would like to enroll your child(ren) in our quality swim school, we will WAIVE the registration fee – a $25 value – for all Helping Moms Connect readers. Just give the code “HelpingMomsConnectBlog” when you call to schedule.

Please remember to visit us on May 14, and don’t hesitate to reach out for additional information or any questions about water safety by calling 317-810-0790 or visiting http://goldfishswimschool.com/.