Water Safety Info Every Family Needs to Know

The swim and water safety experts at Goldfish Swim School Winter Park share practical tips and skills to keep kids safer around water.

Drowning can be silent and quick, and it kills nearly 1,000 children every year. Drowning is the single leading cause of injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4. Many of these deaths occur when children are not expected to be swimming or when they have unanticipated access to water. Unfortunately, the state of Florida continues to lead the country in child drownings. This statistic has to change!

As the country’s leading provider of swim lessons, the team at Goldfish Swim School knows that the sooner kids develop critical water safety skills, the better.

The Goldfish team is thrilled that the American Academy of Pediatrics recently published updated recommendations on water safety. In the policy statement, the AAP lays out strategies to protect children at each stage of their life. Notably, the new AAP guidelines recommend getting children into lessons by age one.

Every parent and caregiver needs to keep the following water safety tips in mind:

Any time kids are around water, designate a “water watcher” who will avoid cell phones, conversations, magazines and anything else that might distract the adult from watching children EVERY SINGLE SECOND. After all, most children who drown are supervised.
The American Red Cross says that the number one thing that parents can do to keep kids safer in and around water is to enroll them in swim lessons at an early age. Swimming is an essential life-saving skill with numerous physical, mental and intellectual benefits.
Get swim lessons for yourself or any other caregiver who cannot swim or is afraid of water.
Realize that floaties, noodles and plastic inner tubes do NOT protect against drowning. They are created as water toys, not life-saving devices. Life jackets should be designated as U.S. Coast Guard-approved.
Know that even the most seasoned swimmers can still encounter trouble. Make sure swimmers don’t overestimate their skills and that they understand the importance of never swimming alone.

In addition to these tips, there are several basic skills that the water safety experts at Goldfish Swim School work on with students every week.

Parents can practice these skills with their kids anytime they are in the water together:

Work on getting in and out of the pool safely. Fin, Fin, Belly, Flipper! Help your little ones learn how to get out of the pool by manipulating their bodies in this order: elbow, elbow, tummy, knee. Practice this often; you can even do this on your living room floor by having your baby climb onto a couch or chair! After you practice, always remember to celebrate. Eventually, your little one will be strong enough to manage the movement on his own! This is a skill that kids continue to use to safely exit the pool — even when they are older!
Jump, Turn, Swim to the Wall! Once they have the movement down, let your child jump off the side of the pool to you, help them physically turn back to the wall and then assist them in getting out of the pool by using the Fin, Fin, Belly, Flipper method. Do this over and over again. As they get more confident, let them go under the water and come to the surface on their own. This teaches kids to automatically turn back to the wall behind them to climb out. If a child were to fall into a pool, this skill could help them find the quickest way to safety.
Sea Otter Float. Work with your child on turning over and getting their faces out of the water to take a breath when he/she fatigues.

Great News: Momlando is partnering with Goldfish Swim School Winter Park to offer readers a FREE SWIM LESSON! Mention MOMLANDO to book your trial class by April 30, 2019.

Goldfish Swim School Winter Park provides swim instruction to children ages 4 months to 12 years in a unique setting with highly trained instructors, small class sizes (max 4:1 student-teacher ratio), shiver-free 90-degree pools, and a state-of-the-art water purification system. Classes are offered in a safe, child-friendly and fun environment using their research-based philosophy called The Science of SwimPlay®. Visit the website for more information.