The American Red Cross is providing safety tips
for parents and their children before the summer swimming session begins. The
tips that the Red Cross recommends are:

1. Unexperienced Swimmers Should Wear Life Jackets

Unexperienced
swimmers or young children should wear lifejackets that have been approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. These
lifejackets should be worn when the child is around bodies of water whether or
not they plan on swimming.

Note: Lifejackets should not be the only
thing relied upon.

Floatation
devices and other measures, for smaller children, should be taken. Parents
should be in the pool or water with their children until they properly know how
to swim. Children must be supervised. Parents that are relying on the other
parent to watch the child should make sure that they have an open line of
communication.

Oftentimes,
drowning in a private pool occurs when both parents are present.

Dad may
think mom is watching the child, or mom may think dad is watching the child,
and in just five minutes, the child has drowned in the pool. Call 9-1-1
immediately if your child is unconscious even if you know CPR.

2. Lifeguards Help, But Private Swimming Pools are the Concern

Lifeguards
prevent deaths every single day, but there are still 100+ drownings each year
even when a lifeguard is present. The presence of a lifeguard helps protect
swimmers, but private pools are much more dangerous than even swimming in the
ocean.

“Nationwide, it is estimated that each year
more than 100 drownings occur when a lifeguard is present. Of all childhood
drowning fatalities, over 60% occur within swimming pools and not in open water.
This makes swimming in a pool more dangerous than boating or a summertime swim
at the beach,” explains Mainor Wirth Injury Lawyers.

Parents that have swimming pools should keep the
pool fenced off and locked so that children cannot enter the pool unsupervised.

3. Enroll Everyone in Swimming Classes

If a child
knows how to swim, the risk of drowning goes down drastically. Everyone in the
family should be enrolled in learn-to-swim courses. Children and adults that know how
to swim are less likely to drown.

Ocean
current can still pull the most experienced swimmer under the water, making it
difficult or impossible to swim.

Swimming
courses greatly lower the risk of drowning, but for kids, they should also be
accompanied with basic safety guidelines that children should follow.

4. Keep an Eye on Your Kids

It takes a
split second for a kid to get pulled under the water and drown. It’s those
vital seconds that matter the most. If your kids are missing or you cannot find
them, you should check the water first.

Waiting or
wasting time looking for the child on land is often the worst idea.

Alert a
lifeguard, if they’re present, and then check the water. Better yet, keep an
eye on your kids at all time. Don’t stare into the cell phone and lose track of
your child. Even when at home, the average parent loses sight of their child
for five minutes – enough time for them to drown.