Pool Safety Tips For Children
It’s summer time and your children are anxious to get in the pool. There is nothing more refreshing on a hot summer day than a quick dip in the pool. Whether you are heading to a community pool, a hotel pool, a neighbor’s pool, or one in your very own backyard… LISTEN closely to these pool safety tips for children.
Can you pass these true or false questions?
TRUE or FALSE…
“My child is safe because I gave them swimming lessons and they can swim.”
The answer is FALSE. Children die in backyard pools every year because of diving accidents and foolish play.
TRUE or FALSE…
“My child is safe if they have a flotation tube”
The answer is FALSE because children slip out of flotation devices every year.
TRUE or FALSE…
“If my child can swim alone in our pool, then they are ready to swim in the ocean.”
This is FALSE because waves can knock little children down. Furthermore, tide currents are dangerous for even experienced adult swimmers.
Pool Safety tips for your children
You might be thinking…
Aren’t you overreacting a little here? Can backyard pools really be dangerous?
Between the years of 2005-2014, there were an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings.
The NY Times quotes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying that about 10 people die by accidental drowning each day, two of them being children under 14.
Here are some additional pool safety facts.
- 76 percent of drowning deaths in the USA involved children younger than 5 years old.
- 67 percent of swimming pool drowning deaths involved children 3 years old or younger.
- 75 percent of drowning deaths of children younger than 15 happened in a home pool or neighbor’s pool.
- 17 percent of swimming pool-related drowning deaths among children younger than 15 happened in an above-ground pool.
- 9 percent of those pediatric drowning deaths occurred in portable pools.
Why do children drown each year in their own pools?
The NY Times quotes Dr. Hoffman as saying, “People underestimate their risk and overestimate their ability, A child will look at a swimming pool and not be able to comprehend the risk.”
So what can you do every time your children go in the pool? Try using these pool safety tips for children.
- Provide your children with swimming lessons.
- Make sure small children that can’t stand up in the pool wear life flotation vests.
- Do not allow anyone to dive in the pool since many people break their neck diving in shallow backyard pools each year.
- Make sure that there is proper adult supervision while children are in the pool.
- State the pool rules and have them posted. Make sure all of your children understand the pool rules.
Here at https://schoolholidayshop.com we are serious about providing safe environments for children. We hope you all have a safe summer and we look forward to helping you set up a holiday shop boutique next winter.
