PARENTING IN A NUTSHELL | Pediatric group takes dip into pool with recommendations
Constant sunshine and lazy days make for opportunities to take your little ones into the water.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has relaxed its stance against swimming lessons for children under the age of 4. In the past, this organization has said that swimming lessons for children this young will give parents a false sense of security their toddlers were safe around the water.
New studies have shown that children in this age group are less likely to drown if they have received lessons. Hence, the academy now recommends swim lessons for children as young as 1, but only when the parent feels comfortable doing so.
The academy recommends that you should enroll your toddler in a class that emphasizes water safety and requires one adult (parent or otherwise) to be in the water for each child.
An acceptable ratio of instructor to child is one instructor for up to 10 children in this age group.
Drownings can happen in under two minutes. This is why it is mandatory that children are never left alone near water, including the backyard pool. Always make sure an adult is watching children who are playing in or near the water. If the adult in charge needs to leave, ask another adult to sit in.
If you are having a pool or beach party, enlist each adult to sign up for a 20 minute round of playing “lifeguard” while the other adults visit as they await their turns.
Keep a cell phone with you when you are at the water, whether it is in your own yard, a neighbor’s home or at a beach. If an emergency happens, you will be able to dial 911 right away without having to go inside the house or otherwise search for a phone.
Learn CPR. Get in touch with your local Red Cross for a list of dates and times of classes.
Keep a checklist of safety rules and review them with the children each time the children go into the water: no pushing or holding anyone under water; no heads under water in the deep end of the pool or lake, etc. No running, pushing or jumping. Keep float mats and other toys away from faces. Do not allow toys larger than a baby’s head in the water with toddlers unless an adult is holding it. It is easy for a small child to get tangled up and suffocate in these plastic mats and toys.
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