« safety corner LISETE MOR A LES
Even swimmers drown Teaching a child how to swim is important, but parents and caregivers can do more to prevent drowning.
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on’t worry! My kid knows how to swim.” We hear this expression from parents all the time. This is because we have made sure our kids know how to swim. Indeed, swimming reduces the chances of drowning, but there is a lot more to do and watch for in order to keep our most precious and vulnerable ones safe when in or around water. In the state of Florida, 64 children died in 2019 due to drowning. Drowning is a terrible, yet 100% preventable cause of death that affects our youngest population. Learning how to swim has an 88% reduction in the risk of drowning for children 1 to 4 years old. However, “swim lessons alone will not prevent drowning and that even the most proficient swimmers can drown,” say the authors of a study from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development led by Dr. Ruth A. Brenner. » Kids should never swim alone or without adult supervision regardless of their swimming proficiency. » Life jackets should be the best friends for kids who don’t swim proficiently or for those swimmers who are in the learning process. » When boating, life jackets should be worn by everyone, including adults. Let’s not forget that we are being observed by those little eyes, and our behavior will someday become theirs.
» Check that your life jackets are U.S. Coast Guard-approved life vests and make sure that they fit appropriately. Note that water wings are not U.S Coast Guardapproved. There are also other factors to take into consideration while enjoying time in the water, especially in pools. Pools are fun areas where families can share, celebrate and cool off. With so much activity in and around pools, it is very easy to get distracted. For best practice and safety, someone needs to be the designated water watcher. Look around the pool and make sure that there are enough layers of protection in place. » Pools should be surrounded with a pool fence that’s at least 5 feet tall; check that there are no holes or gaps. » A gate should be self-closing, selflatching, and should open outward away from the pool. » House doors and windows should have alarms and childproof locks. » A pool alarm will make a warning sound if motion is detected in water. » Pool safety covers may be used. They need to be very tight or custom built for the pool to assure safety. » In addition, never leave toys in the water and make sure that the pool drains are up to code. These recommendations can also be made to your local community pools to
Lisete Morales is a child advocate for the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.
46 » MAY 2020 » SWFLPARENTCHILD.COM
protect our children. All parents and caregivers should consider learning how to perform CPR. Children who receive immediate CPR poolside due to a near drowning incident have a greater chance for survival and a better outcome. It’s worth it! Keep in mind, that drowning not only happens in deep water; it can happen with just 1 inch of water. One inch of water is deep enough to cause an accident. That’s why it is very important to remember that once bath time is over, immediately drain the tub. To further prevent a drowning accident in your home, empty all tubs, buckets, containers and wading pools immediately after use. Store them upside down and out of children’s reach. Keep toilet lids closed and use toilet seat locks to prevent drowning. Keep doors to bathrooms and laundry rooms closed. There are many entities devoted to spreading the word and bringing awareness to our community. At the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, we are very proud to be the lead agency for the Safe Kids Southwest Florida coalition. We are committed to educating the community and assisting with resources to prevent water-related accidents in our area. Our goal is for a ZERO drowning community and our promise is to do our best to promote water safety so we can to get there.
Safe Kids is a nonprofit coalition of agencies and organizations dedicated to eliminating preventable childhood injuries. Visit safekidsswfl.org.
