Pediatric Drownings
Hello everyone,
I write today's post with a heavy heart. We had a wonderful family vacationing down here with our wonderful weather this past week. Their teenage son was out swimming with a group of family and friends in knee deep water when all the sudden a rip current swept him off and carried him away. No one could find him, it took 30 minutes to locate him, and the odds were not in his favor.
Saving you the details, we were unable to save him.
Water safety is a critical topic to discuss around everyone's dinner table tonight as Spring Break and summer weather draws ever nearer. It is said that anyone can drown, no matter their age or swimming abilities. And it is also said that even a tablespoon of water is enough to drown a child. Stay vigilant, not just of your own children, but of other's as well.
Here are some common areas for an accident to happen:
- Bathtub
- Private pool
- Public pool
- Small lakes/ponds
-Water parks
- The ocean
High tide, no tide, no waves, high waves, rip current or not: there is always a risk.
Here are some basic steps you can take to prevent an accident in your household:
- CONSTANT SUPERVISION, don't look away for a moment.
- Enroll your babies in swimming lessons by the time they are 6 months of age, YES THAT EARLY
- Set strict ground rules about your pool and for them when they are over at other people's homes
-Don't let them swim at other people's pools unless you are comfortable with the amount of supervision they will be able to provide
- Child locks on patio doors and a gate around the pool
- Never let them wander into the lake/pond/ocean without you
- Rip current still can happen in knee deep water
- Stress out a little. The water is not a safe place and it requires a watchful eye to ensure nothing happens.
Drowning is very real. And the two highest risk populations are those that a) live by the water and b) those that don't live by the water and are just visiting. So that pretty much makes up everyone.
Stay aware. Stay safe.
I write today's post with a heavy heart. We had a wonderful family vacationing down here with our wonderful weather this past week. Their teenage son was out swimming with a group of family and friends in knee deep water when all the sudden a rip current swept him off and carried him away. No one could find him, it took 30 minutes to locate him, and the odds were not in his favor.
Saving you the details, we were unable to save him.
Water safety is a critical topic to discuss around everyone's dinner table tonight as Spring Break and summer weather draws ever nearer. It is said that anyone can drown, no matter their age or swimming abilities. And it is also said that even a tablespoon of water is enough to drown a child. Stay vigilant, not just of your own children, but of other's as well.
Here are some common areas for an accident to happen:
- Bathtub
- Private pool
- Public pool
- Small lakes/ponds
-Water parks
- The ocean
High tide, no tide, no waves, high waves, rip current or not: there is always a risk.
Here are some basic steps you can take to prevent an accident in your household:
- CONSTANT SUPERVISION, don't look away for a moment.
- Enroll your babies in swimming lessons by the time they are 6 months of age, YES THAT EARLY
- Set strict ground rules about your pool and for them when they are over at other people's homes
-Don't let them swim at other people's pools unless you are comfortable with the amount of supervision they will be able to provide
- Child locks on patio doors and a gate around the pool
- Never let them wander into the lake/pond/ocean without you
- Rip current still can happen in knee deep water
- Stress out a little. The water is not a safe place and it requires a watchful eye to ensure nothing happens.
Drowning is very real. And the two highest risk populations are those that a) live by the water and b) those that don't live by the water and are just visiting. So that pretty much makes up everyone.
Stay aware. Stay safe.
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