By Roberta Clayton
Here in Holly Springs, the summer weather gets hot enough to draw us to any chance of enjoying the fun and comfort of a cool swim, but it is vital to know the basic principles of water safety to prevent tragedy. Sadly, each year in the US about 4,000 children die from drowning. It is the number one cause of death in children 5 and younger, with automobile accidents being number two.
It nearly happened in our family. There were nine kids and four adults enjoying a backyard pool. Our early elementary-age grandson was in the pool, making a circuit of the edge, when he came to a steep drop-off and sank to the bottom. No one saw it as it occurred. His cousin noticed him lying still on the bottom, and stood frozen, pointing, his eyes round with terror. Once alerted, the child’s dad hauled him out to clear his airway while somebody called 911. An ambulance ride to the hospital allowed doctors to confirm that he was stable and safe. Police later honored the cousin for his part in the rescue. I was not there, but the scene haunts me still. You may have similar memories to share.
A drowning tragedy can occur in seconds and the signs of trouble are often silent and go unnoticed. People just assume someone is watching over the children.
Holly Springs resident, business owner and mother of three Ana Karina Baez is a certified teacher of survival swimming to children 6 months to 6 years. Fourteen years ago, Ana read success stories of little ones who had been saved by their training. One involved a toddler who fell off a yacht. Another was a one-year-old who fell into the bathtub fully clothed, but he knew how to do the right moves to right himself and turn on his back to float. The stories and YouTube videos were so impressive that she became a certified instructor, left her job in the corporate world and started her own business teaching children’s survival swimming.
In Ana’s experience, teaching survival swimming to babies and very young children requires short, one-on-one daily sessions for several weeks. The repetition and positive reinforcement serve the children well as they take advantage of muscle memory and multiple inborn reflexes. Crying is okay, because learning may not be fun, but swimming is. Ana has found that fear usually subsides by the second week of classes and the little ones become infatuated with the water. “It’s a class for every student,” Ana says, “but not for every parent. A few will give up or just decide not to attend.” In Ana’s classes, Moms can stay and observe provided the child is not crying.
Over time, kids learn to hold their breath, roll onto their back and float, swim short distances to reach the edge of the water, and eventually begin to learn strokes to swim longer distances. One key element of survival swim training involves children experiencing the sensation of entering the water fully clothed and finding out that their maneuvers still work.
This type of specialized swim training comes with a cost but Ana equates it to the crucial value of a car seat or a safe crib. Training reduces the risks by 88%.
Other tips Ana shared for summer water safety for children:
Dress your child in colors of clothing that will be most visible and therefore safest. Neon pink, yellow, and green are great, but blue and white hide the swimmer. A child should not blend in with the water.
Avoid using arm floaties to help keep kids safe as they learn. “They are great to use while on a boat, but they give kids a false sense of security when swimming,” Ana shared. “Flotation devices give children the habit of swimming vertically with their heads outside the water. This will cause a delay in learning how to swim horizontally with the head in the water. Once they take their flotation devices off, children don’t know the difference, and they think they can still float by themselves.”
The American Red Cross also suggests the use of fence enclosures around home pools (on all four sides) and self-closing gates that self-latch so children cannot enter the pool area unsupervised.
Trouble Comes in Many Forms
Older children and adults need water safety reminders, too. One teen hyperventilated in order to see how far he could swim under water. It caused him to pass out on the bottom of a busy pool. His scout leader was watching from the deck and alerted other swimmers to pull him up. In another situation, one would-be hero dived into a canal headfirst to save a child but struck his head and became paralyzed. The water was shallower than he supposed. And all the prohibitions we’ve heard against running and horseplay are safety regulations that really can help avert tragedies.
Trained lifeguards know what to watch for. One jumped in to knock a weight out of a woman’s hand. The woman was in training, determined to complete the assignment to carry the weight, and not aware that she was in danger of waiting too long. In another case, a lifeguard needed to rescue a lady who went off the high dive at the wrong angle, bruising the tops of both thighs and becoming momentarily paralyzed by the pain.
A trip to the beach has its own hazards. Swim only in guarded areas. Heed the flags and other warnings of high winds and rough water. Stay away from pilings and rocks. Learn about rip currents, how to spot them, and to swim parallel to the shore to get away from their relentless pull. Avoid sunburn and stinging sea creatures.
Here are some general rules for water safety:
Never swim alone.
Never leave a young child unattended near water.
Minimize dunking your head; avoid swallowing water.
Do not use air-filled or foam toys in place of life jackets.
And here are tips for pool parties:
Learn how to administer CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
Avoid alcohol use, especially when supervising children.
Select an adult to supervise children in the pool.
Put away toys and all other items after the swim.
Have emergency numbers and a phone nearby.
If you have an automatic pool cover, close it before serving the food.
Summer should be fun and remembered for all the right reasons. Making water safety a priority for everyone in the family—no matter how young—can help ensure your memories are joyful.
Ana Karina Baez is the owner of Red Cardinal Infant Aquatics in Holly Springs. If you have questions about infant swim training, you can contact Ana Karina Baez at anak@baez.one in English or Spanish.
