The swim and water safety experts at Goldfish Swim School Mundelein share practical tips and skills. Goldfish Swim School Mundelein is a Little Lake County sponsor. Content was provided by Goldfish Swim School Mundelein.
May is National Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Month. This important topic impacts all families. Every adult who supervises children needs to know basic information on how to keep kids safer in around water.
When it comes to drowning, the statistics are pretty staggering. Drowning is the leading cause of injury death to children ages one to four—and the second leading cause of injury death for children ages one to 14, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What’s more, statistics show that thousands of children are hospitalized each year for nonfatal drowning incidents. Accidents can happen quickly. A child can drown in as little as one inch of water and in as little time as 20 seconds.
Every parent and caregiver needs to keep the following water safety tips in mind:
- Any time kids are around water, designate a “water watcher” who will avoid cell phones, conversations, magazines and anything else that might distract the adult from watching swimming children EVERY SINGLE SECOND. After all, most children who drown are supervised.
- The American Red Cross says that the number one thing that parents can do to keep kids safer around water is to enroll them in swim lessons. Swimming is an essential life-saving skill with numerous physical, mental and intellectual benefits.
- Get swim lessons for yourself or any other caregiver who cannot swim or is afraid of water.
- Realize that floaties, noodles and plastic inner tubes do NOT protect against drowning. They are created as water toys, not life-saving devices. Life jackets should be designated as U.S. Coast Guard-approved.
- Know that even the most seasoned swimmers can still encounter trouble. Make sure swimmers don’t overestimate their skills and that they understand the importance of never swimming alone.
In addition to these tips, there are several basic skills that the water safety experts at Goldfish Swim School Mundelein work on with students every week. Parents can practice these skills with their kids anytime they are in the water together:
- Work on getting in and out of the pool safely. Elbow, Elbow, Tummy, Knee! Help your little ones learn how to get out of the pool by manipulating their bodies in this order: elbow, elbow, tummy, knee. Practice this often; you can even do this on your living room floor by having your baby climb onto a couch or chair! After you practice, always remember to celebrate. Eventually, your little one will be strong enough to manage the movement on their own! This is a skill that kids continue to use to safely exit the pool — even when they are older!
- Jump, Turn, Swim to the Wall! Once they have the movement down, let your child jump off the side of the pool to you, help them physically turn back to the wall and then assist them in getting out of the pool by using the elbow, elbow, tummy, knee method. Do this over and over again as they get more confident let them go under the water and come to the surface on their own. This teaches kids to automatically turn back to the wall behind them to climb out. If a child were to fall into a pool, this skill could help them find the quickest way to safety.
- Sea Otter Float. Work with your child on turning over and getting their faces out of the water to take a breath when he/she fatigues.
Now is the time to prepare for a safer summer. On May 20, 2017, Goldfish Swim School Mundelein is hosting their annual Safety Day event from 2:00-4:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. In addition to safety demonstrations, highlights include a bounce house, open swim and more! For more information, please visit: mundelein.goldfishswimschool.com.
Want to know even more safety tips? Join Little Lake County and Goldfish Swim School for a summer safety chat. The chat will be held on May 11th at 8:00 p.m. on our Facebook page. We will be broadcasting live with experts from Goldfish, Dr. Shelly Mann, and Lake County IL Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit. Just tune in live and ask questions and possibly win prizes too!
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Goldfish Swim School – Mundelein
1531 South Lake St., Mundelein | (847) 371-9000
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Goldfish Swim School Mundelein provides swim instruction to children ages 4 months to 12 years in a unique setting with highly trained instructors, small class sizes, shiver-free 90-degree pools, and a state-of-the-art water purification system. For more information or to register for lessons, please visit mundelein.goldfishswimschool.com.
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