Summer time signals outdoor fun! Most of us love to play in pools or on Kentucky lakes to stay cool in those dog days of summer. It is important to keep our children safe any time they are around water.
Safe Kids provides the following recommendations for water safety.
General Water Safety:
— Always watch kids in and around water. It only takes a very small amount of water for a young child to drown.
— Use life jackets when in or near open bodies of water or when participating in water sports.
— Teach kids water safety rules.
— Actively watch children when they are swimming. Don’t leave them even for a moment.
— Teach kids to never swim alone.
— Don’t let kids dive into water less than nine feet deep.
— Know that any kid can get into danger while in the water – even if he/she had swimming lessons or is wearing a life jacket.
For pool areas:
— Never leave a gate to a pool open.
— Teach kids to stay away from pools and hot tubs.
— Use fences and other barriers to keep kids away from pools when you are not around.
— Make sure kids take swimming lessons when they are ready, usually after the age of four.
— Empty and turn over wading pools as soon as kids are out of them.
— Use anti-entrapment devices in pools and hot tubs.
— Have a fence at least 5 feet high that separates the pool from the house and the yard. Have gates that close and latch automatically.
— Have alarms on every door and window that lead to the pool area.
For open water:
— Make sure kids wear US Coast Guard approved life jackets that are sized for the weight.
— Don’t let kids dive into natural bodies of water.
— Don’t let kids operate personal water craft, like jet skis. These are intended for only adult operation.
— Make sure kids swim only in designated areas for swimming.
Around the home:
— Never leave the room when kids are in the tub.
— Know that a baby bath seat or baby bath ring does not keep a baby/child from drowning.
— Empty and turn over water buckets as soon as you are done using them.
—Close toilet seats and keep door latches on bathroom doors in the home.
Information gathered from Safe Kids USA. For additional information on health department services, please contact us at 744-4482 or see the agency website at http://www.clarkhealthdept.org or join us on Facebook.
