"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," Benjamin Franklin's words can apply to water safety and kids. When you teach a child to swim, you are potentially saving a life. It's never too early to start swimming lessons, because when it comes to water safety you can never be too prepared.
The Red Cross Offers These 10 Water Safety Tips
- Swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards.
- Always swim with a buddy; do not allow anyone to swim alone.
- Provide close and constant attention to children you are supervising, even when a lifeguard is present, no matter how well the child can swim or how shallow the water.
- Avoid distractions including cell phones.
- Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.
- Designate a “water watcher”
- Stay within an arm's reach of any weak or inexperienced swimmer who is in the water.
- Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone.
- Do not rely on the use of water wings, swim rings, inflatable toys or other items designed for water recreation to replace adult supervision.
- If you have a pool, secure it with appropriate barriers to prevent unsupervised access to the water.
Click Here For Free Online Water Safety Course For Parents and Caregivers
Be Vigilant
Many children who drown in home pools did so during non-swim times – when they weren’t expected to be in the water, including as the swimming activity was coming to an end and everyone was thought to be out of the water.
Children were often out of sight for less than 5 minutes and in the care of one or both parents at the time.
Plunge in Mission Beach has swimming camps and lessons that make learning fun, while teaching kids how to swim and water safety.
My own child attended camp and took swimming lessons at Plunge. Their instructors are knowledgeable, and they have a great rapport with kids! We were relieved when our son became a swimmer. My advice to parents is to take advantage of swim camps during school breaks, and have your child enrolled in classes throughout the year. Plunge offers group and private lessons, plus open swim in their fantastic pool with an obstacle course! After lessons there's so much to see and enjoy in historic Belmont Park. It could be the highlight of your week. For more information on swim camps, swimming lessons, and events visit: https://plungesandiego.com/swim-lessons/
3115 Ocean Front Walk San Diego
Recreational Swim w/Access to the Obstacle Course
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM, 7 Days a Week
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