Water Safety for Kids
Water safety for kids is extremely important for sitters and parents to consider, especially if you live near a large body of water such as a pool or lake. Are you unsure about whether your child is prepared for water safety?
Here is Tandem’s guide on implementing the best water safety precautions in your family and what sitters should do in case of water-related incidents.
Water Safety at Home
Depending on the age of the child, dangers including bodies of water can vary. Any kind of standing water, even buckets or kiddie pools can result in young children drowning. The more obvious dangers, of course, lie in large bodies of water near home.
Preventing a child from entering a pool when you don’t expect them to be there or when they’re unsupervised is one of the greatest challenges about being around a swimming pool. Leaving a child unsupervised does not necessarily mean that the babysitter is inside the home watching TV. Leaving a child unsupervised is as simple as going inside to grab some water for a minute or two, being distracted by something (such as a cell phone or pet).
The Red Cross notes home pools as one of the most common means of accidental drowning. Parents and childcare providers need to recognize a home pool or nearby body of water as a potential danger and be aware of the necessary precautions.
Water safety can involve having a pool cover, or fence surrounding the pool. The gate should have four sides with a self-closing gate. It should also self-latch so that the child can’t get in, just in case he or she is left unsupervised outside for a moment.
Sitters and parents should always be in communication with each other. Tandem asks families in their onboarding questionnaire if they live near a large body of water. However, when meeting in person or over the phone, it is still important that safety hazards are directly communicated between the sitter and parents.
Sitters
- Communicate with the family about water safety hazards.
- Ask questions about the child’s swimming experience if planning to swim.
- Make sure to consistently enforce any rules regarding water safety that parents have set.
Parents
Make sure to have water safety prevention tools in place. These could be the pool cover, pool alarm, and the lock on the backdoor. You want to make sure your child will not be able to slip out of the house when not being directly supervised. If your sitter has to use the bathroom or make your child food, the home should be secure enough that a child cannot get out without assistance. Teach your children boundaries, water safety, and eventually how to swim.
Boundaries:
Does your child know what your rules are? Your child should know where they are and are not allowed to go by themselves. This may apply to bigger kids, but it is possible to set water-related boundaries even with toddlers. Make sure your child understands the importance of your boundaries. They need to know they are not safe if they do not follow the rules set in place.
Water safety:
When they are in the water, do they know what to do? For instance, if they cannot swim, do they know how to properly put on their life jacket or floaties? Do they know what is and is not okay around the water? For instance, are they allowed to run around the pool? Probably not, because they may slip. Are they allowed to dive into the pool? Probably not, because they may hit their head. Whatever it is that you feel the need to express in terms of water safety, make sure to communicate it with your sitter.
Swimming lessons:
You can enroll your child in swimming lessons as early as infancy. However, it is recommended that the age of 4 years old is best for formal swimming lessons. There are many places in which you can take your child for swimming lessons. If you are having a hard time finding somewhere, consider these resources.
Red Cross — Search Your Location
SafeSplash Swim School — Grandview
Aquatic Adventures (Scuba or Swim Lessons!)
Water Safety for Kids — Conclusion
Living near a large body of water can be so fun! Whether it’s a pool or a lake, swimming on hot summer days is always the best. It is important for parents and sitters to always communicate about potential safety hazards before leaving a child alone with the sitter.
Sitters should have full knowledge of all safety hazards, but particularly water safety. For children under the age of three drownings are extremely common. Drowning can be prevented. If parents and sitters work together, your child can stay safe while you’re out.
