Summer Tips to Stay Safe in the Water

Beaches, pools, lakes and rivers can all be great ways to get the kids out of the house and playing off some of that summertime energy. However, while they can be some of the most fun activities, swimming, boating and splashing carry with them a lot of risk. Read on to make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your family safe around the water.

It may seem like an obvious step, but it’s important to make sure that those in the water have some experience. Enroll your kids in age-appropriate swim classes so they can get a feel for the water in a supervised learning environment. It will boost their confidence and give them important tools for how to react to potentially dangerous situations.

Now that they can swim, they’re good to go, right? Well, not exactly. Parents need to be vigilant at all times around the water, and kids should never be left unattended while swimming. And, even though you’ll be watching, it can also be good to practice a buddy system, so that kids are never alone and are watching out for one another. The more eyes on them, the better.

Set rules for the water, and stick with them. Don’t let kids play around drains or pumps, and discourage breath-holding contests. It’s also a good idea to make sure that it is part of your swim routine to have kids ask before approaching the water’s edge.

Know the conditions and your surroundings. Swim in designated areas and look for lifeguards as an extra security measure. And be aware that natural bodies of water like lakes, rivers and the ocean have strong currents and colder temperatures than the standard home pool, so take these things into consideration, and make sure you talk to your kids about them so they understand what’s going on and can react accordingly.

Swimming is great exercise and is great for developing bodies. Don’t be scared of the water, but be cautious. A few simple precautions can assure a safe and splash-filled summer of fun.