We talk about intentional parenting all the time. If there’s one area where this is not optional, it’s kids & water.
In the summer of 1973, I was 4 years old and my little brother, Mike, was 2. We had recently moved to Florida and had a pool in our backyard. It was fenced from the street, but had a direct line from our back patio into the water. Mike was a master Houdini and managed to unlock any door, gate, barrier you could fashion. He’d often wake up early in the morning, climb out of his crib, strip naked, and CROSS THE STREET to the neighbor’s house. Go into their kitchen, climb up on their counter to get cookies and stand at the foot of their bed munching until they woke up. !!! (Let me repeat: it was the 70s.) You see where this is going? My mother—who couldn’t swim (didn’t like to put her face under the water) was scared to death & tried to put the fear of God into him about going out by the pool alone. It was only a matter of time before Mike (or I) ended up in that pool.
So, my parents hired a guy named Harvey Barnett. About 7 years earlier, Harvey (which is what we called him) had founded Infant Swimming Resource (Self Rescue) and was making house calls to popularize his methods. He came to our backyard to give swim lessons to my brother & me, teaching us to blow bubbles, hold our breath, and most importantly—flip over on our backs if we fell in. We learned how to reach the side of the pool and make it to the steps. Mom wasn’t a total nervous wreck 24/7.
RENEE’s experiences as a kid? How did you learn to swim?
Grandparents built a pool for all of us grandkids. We had swim lessons there at a young age. (preschool, early elementary)
- Drowning is fast and silent. It can happen in as little as 20-60 seconds. Drowning doesn’t always look like we would expect.
- Drowning remains in the top 5 causes of unintentional injury-related death from birth to 5 years old.
- Twenty-three percent of child drownings happen during a family gathering near a pool.
- Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7 percent of all injury-related deaths.
- Globally, the highest drowning rates are among children 1–4 years, followed by children 5–9 years. CDC notes More children ages 1–4 die from drowning than any other cause of death except birth defects.
- Learning to swim can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent for 1 to four-year-olds who take formal swim lessons.
There are Infant Swim Resource Instructors all over. Some operate from public facilities, and others do home visits. Typically, little ones who are 6+ mos and sitting up independently will learn to roll to their back from any face down position in the water and maintain that face up floating posture until help arrives. If you’ve ever seen video of little 6-month old babies do this, it’s amazing! It’s often one of the first things little kids can do without mom or dad’s help and it gives them so much confidence.
Once those babies are fully mobile toddlers and big kids they learn the same rollback to float with the addition of a short swim to the wall, steps, or the outstretched hand of a grownup who is in the water with them! To find out what your child will learn with their Certified ISR Instructor, visit www.infantswim.com!
We lived in Florida. So many people have pools there, and we could walk to the beach. What if you live in a land-locked state or you’re not really a “lake person” and aren’t around the water much?
Every person over 6 months should learn how to swim as a life skill. Sign your kids up for lessons. Give them opportunities to practice.
This may mean going to the public pool (or getting a membership at the Y), schlepping all your stuff there & back.
How did our kids learn? We didn’t do lessons as babies, but by the time they were 3 they’d each had lessons and were “competent” in the water. We’d go to the pool at the YMCA when they were little…but that was overwhelming to me. There’s SO much going on at once and so many bodies in the water it was A JOB to watch them. We moved to a house with a pool when our kids were in 3rd and 1st grades…the opportunity to practice daily at home accelerated their water competency quickly.
RENEE? (I remember a time at the Y pool when Houston just hopped into the water & you yanked him out as he sank!) Yes! And he wanted to do the two-story waterslide at age 2!
We’ve had a pool now for over 15 years and hosted lots of moms groups, school parties, etc. at the pool. Especially when there’s littles involved, it’s a whole thing. Putting on sunscreen like you’re wrestling a rabid raccoon, swim diapers, goggles, towels, noodles, swimmies (arm floaties), ALL the stuff…. But it’s so good to do.
What should parents know about kids & water?
As we mentioned earlier, the CDC reports that DROWNING is responsible for more deaths among children ages 1-4 than any other cause of death except birth defects. 25% of drowning deaths nationwide happen in water that’s only 3 feet or less.
We’ve been talking about pools, lakes, the beach, but there are lots of other sources you may not have even considered. Bath tubs, front-load washing machines, toilets!! Toddlers are top-heavy and if they’re reaching in the toilet to get a toy they’ve dropped in there, they could topple in head first.
Get a toilet lid lock if you know you’re not supervising your child every minute. You know yourself. If you’ve got more than one child and you’re nursing one and can’t keep constant eyes on the older toddler, lock the toilet. Potty training complicates this—at the age where they may be learning to use the toilet and need to have some freedom to do that, you need to supervise even more!
“DRY DROWNING” or sometimes called “Secondary Drowning”: For each child who dies from drowning, five more receive emergency care for non fatal submersion injuries. Website notoutofthewater.com is a great resource for water safety!
Has your child ever swallowed too much water? Sputtered up water after a close call?
Anything more than a dinner-table cough after a water incident should be watched. At one point or another we all inhale a drink wrong while we’re eating…we cough for a bit but our body corrects and relaxes. Same idea for water related activities.
(this helps you not freak out over every cough caused by water or splashing). Stay alert if you’re concerned 2-4 hrs after water play. If cough continues or worsens, seek a doctor.
Watch For: (warning signs that could mean water has been aspirated and has compromised airway/lungs or brain not getting enough O2). People who “have drowned” and show minimal symptoms after leaving the water will either get better or worse within 2-4 hours.
Persistent coughing
Extreme sleepiness
Irritability
Trouble breathing
Low energy
Acting unusual
Chest pain
What Can Parents Do to Increase Water Safety
- Number one rule is to ALWAYS have an assigned adult whose ONLY job is to watch the water. 88% of child drowning deaths occur with an adult nearby. No phone, no book, no distracting conversations. It doesn’t take long to drown. No post or text is that important. (I think this is why we were always so tired after a day at the pool…vigilance is tiring!! Trade off with your spouse or friend every so often, but don’t rely only on a lifeguard who may be watching 30 kids at once.) Doesn’t matter how old your kids are. If you have more than one, (esp if you’re taking them on your own), take turns with them in the water.
- Swimwear: Think bright & contrasting. Make your kids visible. There’s a great graphic by @aquaticsafetyconnection that shows how different color swimsuits show up against a light colored pool bottom, both with still water and agitated water. Light blue and white suits disappear! Top picks for swimwear: neon pink and neon orange. Their color test results for lake water (darker) are even more dramatic. I don’t care how cute they are in purple or gray. If they go under, you won’t be able to see them.
- Pack Mindset. Stick together. One of us has to go to the bathroom, we all go. One of us has to make a call, we all get out to make the call. Know the rule in advance so the expectation is always there.
- Going on vacation? Drowning is one of the most common causes of death for international travelers. (could be b/c engaging in unfamiliar water sports in unfamiliar water. Also: Watch for propped open doors/gates to pool area in hotels/resorts. Don’t trust their barriers. Watch for decorative water: fountains, fish ponds… BYOL (bring your own life jacket).
- Does your kid fuss about life jackets? Teach them it’s not always about their water skills. Sometimes we wear one in case supervisor is distracted, someone else grabs onto you, leg cramp or get tired, waves/currents, cold water. Life jackets (or floaties, etc.) are NOT a substitute for supervision or learning to swim!! Note here: diff between USCG lifejacket and a cheaper swim training vest—should be marked with a USCG approval number.
- Swim Skills Regress. When the pool opens each year, don’t assume they’re starting back where they left off at the end of last summer. (nephew on 4th of July) Also—a kid who’s had swim lessons is not a kid who can’t drown. Don’t let swim lessons decrease your vigilance.
- Teach your kids what depth of water means in relation to their height. Will water be over their nose/mouth? For a 6 yr old, 4 ft of water may be over his head, but 3 ½ feet is up to his eyes. 8 yr old needs to know that 4 feet will mean they have to tread water. Taller friends may have difft rules.
- Swimmers and supervisors both need breaks.
- Always ask permission before they get in water. Consequences. Rules give boundaries which gives freedom in safety. Include kids in safety briefings before water fun starts…ask them what do they see as dangerous?
- Teach them how to get away if someone grabs onto them. Suck—duck—tuck. Then call for help for the other person struggling.