Facts about drowning: WATE R S A F E TY

G U ID E F O R
Drowning is the 3rd leading Remember, as parents it is your PAR E NT S
cause of unintentional death job to directly supervise your

worldwide child! Nothing can take the

place of direct supervision. So
Children under the age of five the next time youre at the pool,
are at a higher risk of drowning leave your phone in your bag
than anyone else and hop in the water with your
child!
Parents are known to
overestimate their childs
swimming abilities in a given
situation

Drowning IS preventable!
How to stay safe at the pool with
your child while still having a good
time!

Mikaela Benton
Gold Award Project
August 2017

Swim lessons can help prevent
drowning. Studies show that for
children under the age of 4 swim
lessons reduces drowning by 88%. If
you as a parent dont know how to
swim, enroll in lessons with you child!
Learning to swim is a life skill and it is
one of the keys to prevent drowning!
Just because your child is in swim
lessons doesn't mean that they are
ready to swim by themselves yet so
make sure there is an adult in the
water with them or a buddy to ensure
optimum safety.
STEPS TO ENSURE YOUR CHILDS SAFETY
Three things to always do at the pool to make sure you have a good time and you leave even
better than you came.
CON STAN T SUP E RVIS ION:
It is so important that there is an adult watching the
children. If youre not going to get in the water make sure
that while on the side that you or another adult is a
designated water watcher. Teach the swimmers who are
not so strong that they arent allowed in the water unless
an adult is with them. Learn what a child struggling in the
water looks like.
L IFE JACK E T ON :
Unless your child has passed the swim test, it is imperative
that they have a life jacket. Make sure that you look inside
the life jacket to make sure it fits the weight requirement
of your child. Life jackets that are too big do more harm
than help. If the life jacket rides up to your childs ears it is
too big. Life jackets should be Coast Guard approved.
Arm floats do not keep your children as safe as life
jackets.
F OL LO W TH E P O OL RUL E S:
It is crucial while at the pool parents enforce the rules to
back up the lifeguards. Children are more likely to listen
to an adult figure that they know so its great for parents
to help the lifeguards in making sure their children are
adhering to the safety rules put in place. If you ever have
a question about a rule feel free to ask a lifeguard.