PSA: Summer Water Safety

We went to a water park last weekend and a man let his toddler play in the wave pool unattended. He was close by, but did not keep his eyes on him at all times. The child almost drowned, was seemingly fine after the lifeguard checked him out, and to my knowledge they went on about their day without seeking medical help because I saw them a bit later. You read that and think "Well obviously don't be a moron and let your child play in a very strong wave pool with no supervision," but it's not always that extreme of an example that leads to kids drowning. It can't be, since it is the 2nd leading cause of accidental death in children age 15 and under.​I don't appreciate fear mongering in our lives. I am not an alarmist. Accidents happen, and it doesn't always mean you are a terrible parent. However, it is so so easy to get distracted. Just for those couple minutes when you think something can't possibly happen. You just went to grab a drink. Or maybe you glanced down at your phone and started answering text messages. What compounds the scenario even more is that drowning doesn't always look like thrashing around in the water screaming for help. In fact, it rarely looks like that. Sometimes it doesn't even look like anything is actually wrong until it is too late.​For those of you who are not familiar yet, A water rescue expert named Francesco Pia, PhD. coined the term "Instinctive Drowning Response" which is described as a very calm, silent behavior where the victim has their arms outstretched and is silently gasping for air. To someone even 25 feet away, this could look like normal behavior. That is why it is so important to learn the signs that someone is distressed. Below are some things that you can do to help prevent these insanely tragic accidents from happening during a time when children are supposed to be carefree and enjoying their summers.​This redcross article is a really good start if you want to make sure that you have all the info you can. It even links a page where you can find safety classes near you!Enroll in swimming lessons! It is never too early. My local swim school offered free classes up to 9mo and we started when my little one was 2 months! It was an eye opening and very educational experience that showed how even the smallest baby can react to water danger.​Assign a sober adult to keep their eyes glued to the pool/ water toys at all times. You can designate these adults by giving them a "water watcher" tag, like this one. Designate multiple adults for larger pools and more kids. Trade off every so often if the children are swimming for a long period of time. We even had a tag come with some water toys that we got from Target!​No kids in the pool does not mean that they are not at risk. If there is no closed and locked gate around the pool preventing it from being used unattended, that water watcher still needs to be present and have their eyes on the pool.​If an accident happens and someone has trouble in the water but seems perfectly fine afterwards, you still need to seek medical attention. "Dry drowning" is when there is water pooled in the lungs, which the child will eventually succumb after a few short hours or even days. There are often no signs of this and you will not know that it is happening unless they are evaluated by a medical professional. Always seek medical attention after an accident.​Drowning is not exclusive to toddlers. Children of all ages need to be attended in the pool. Older children can hit their head on the side of the pool trying to do a flip, or they can just have a freak accident and end up drowning. Your child being able to swim doesn't guarantee that they won't have an accident.​Take a CPR class! Know how to save a life while waiting for medical personnel. This can make all the difference in those short minutes that feel like hours before an ambulance arrives. Know how to take action and encourage your family members and friends to do the same! via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/323ntFW