With the recent drowning of a 3 year old boy on Long Island, where I grew up, only makes every parent, child sitter or grandparent more aware of the dangers that are around us in the safety of our home environment. First my sympathy goes out to this family and all the families who have lost someone to drowning. A swimming pool is a great compliment to any home or community to be used by friends and family but unfortunately, a real danger surrounds this great body of water that all of us know on a hot summer day is the best way to cool off. To often we hear there was a gate around a pool but the child still got in. Children are quick and smarter than we think. In the blink of an eye, they are by your side and gone the next second.
As a swimming instructor for tots, children and adults, I believe in addition to all the safety equipment/safety tips for back yard pools, there is one additional item missing for the added safety of a small child- WRIST POOL ALARMS. I will be honest, have I ever used one-No- but think about it; it makes sense. The other alarms on the market are devices that detect a break in the water surface but birds and the wind can trigger it. This device is a wrist band that comfortably locks around your child’s wrist. A loud alarm sounds when your child’s wrist band is immersed in water.
For @ $157-$250, how can any responsible parent or pool owner that has small children around ignore this simple yet life saving device. Let’s be honest with each other, ALL of us have spent more on something that didn’t even last. A life is worth so much more than this small investment in the safety of a small person. Do your research and find a system that works for you, your family and guest. Green Turtle/Turtle Pool Alarm is one devise I am aware that offers the safety features needed.
Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death among children so why wouldn’t anyone invest not to have to deal with a tragedy that is no one’s fault!
In closing, I say to all who have had a tragedy of drowning shatter their life, it was not your fault. Guilt and blaming will not change the action but speaking out about water safety, life jackets and swimming instructions will help another family avoid the sadness your family has been dealing with. If out of this tragedy you can save one life than the death of your loved one will not be in vain.
http://www.swimswimswimisay.com/
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
WHY TAKE SWIMMING LESSONS IN THE FALL OR WINTER?
After speaking with a parent following the summer about swimming lessons, I felt this was an opportunity to visit the topic - “Why take swimming lessons in the fall or winter.” Returning a call to the parent and explaining we were starting a new session of lessons this fall and had room for her 6-year-old the parent replied, “Well, I don’t want her to take lessons when it’s cold out!”
Think about it parents, children have no swimming lessons all fall, winter and spring. Summer comes, the pool opens, the hot weather is upon us and the children want to get right in the pool because it’s hot out. PROBLEM - THEY CAN’T SWIM! This is the sole reason why the drowning rates between the months of June and August increases over 90%. Not 5%, not 10%, not 50%, upwards to 90%!
HUMMMMM……. If lessons were done in the off-season, children would be already prepared to enjoy the summer, swim with supervision and the drowning rates would not increase to an outrageous level.
If it is cold out, what do you do, bundle up! If you’re worried about catching a cold because of a wet head, wear a hat! I do not blow dry my hair before leaving the pool. I have a wet head all winter long. My solution for the wet head - A Big Furry Insulated Hat! Can’t feel the cold at all. Plus gloves, scarves, and buttoning up coats do help.
Just to prove my point, a mother who has taken swimming lessons with her 2 boys throughout the winter months asked me how she could keep her and her boys from getting sick/catching a cold in the dead of winter. I told her very simply - BUNDLING UP!!!!! Mom did not have a problem from swimming lessons; now school germs, that’s a whole other subject.
I guess my long-winded answer is, just like anything else, think. Dress warmly, cover your head, use a scarf, and wear gloves. Do you think Michael Phelps as a child in Maryland stop swimming in the winter to become a Gold Medal Athlete?
Think about it parents, children have no swimming lessons all fall, winter and spring. Summer comes, the pool opens, the hot weather is upon us and the children want to get right in the pool because it’s hot out. PROBLEM - THEY CAN’T SWIM! This is the sole reason why the drowning rates between the months of June and August increases over 90%. Not 5%, not 10%, not 50%, upwards to 90%!
HUMMMMM……. If lessons were done in the off-season, children would be already prepared to enjoy the summer, swim with supervision and the drowning rates would not increase to an outrageous level.
If it is cold out, what do you do, bundle up! If you’re worried about catching a cold because of a wet head, wear a hat! I do not blow dry my hair before leaving the pool. I have a wet head all winter long. My solution for the wet head - A Big Furry Insulated Hat! Can’t feel the cold at all. Plus gloves, scarves, and buttoning up coats do help.
Just to prove my point, a mother who has taken swimming lessons with her 2 boys throughout the winter months asked me how she could keep her and her boys from getting sick/catching a cold in the dead of winter. I told her very simply - BUNDLING UP!!!!! Mom did not have a problem from swimming lessons; now school germs, that’s a whole other subject.
I guess my long-winded answer is, just like anything else, think. Dress warmly, cover your head, use a scarf, and wear gloves. Do you think Michael Phelps as a child in Maryland stop swimming in the winter to become a Gold Medal Athlete?
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