Water Safety Tips

SWIMkids USA Safety Tips

Learning how to swim does not mean that children are completely safe around water. They are safer, but no one is water-safe or drown-proof.

• LEARN TO SWIM - teach your child to swim
• Use layers of protection around your pool.
• Surround your pool on all four sides with a fence
• Make sure the gates self-close and self-latch at a height children can't reach. Lock the gate and place the key high, out of a child’s reach
• Put a safety net over the pool
• Use door alarms to alert you whenever anyone leaves the house
• SUPERVISION - There is no substitute for parental vigilance. A responsible adult should be in the pool area within arm’s length of children, providing "touch supervision".
• Make sure adults are trained in CPR and life saving techniques so they can rescue a child in case of emergency
• Keep rescue equipment (shepherd’s crook or life preserver) and a portable telephone near the pool.

ALSO:

Children drown in BATHTUBS, BUCKETS & TOILETS

• Put toilet lids down. Never leave open buckets of water standing around the house
• Never leave a child unattended (by an responsible adult) in a bathtub!
• At parties, have a designated WATER WATCHER supervising the pool at ALL TIMES. Their job is to keep their eyes on the swimmers. They should not be talking, eating, reading or talking on the phone.