Water Safety Tips For Children

With summertime finally here, I just wanted to take a second and remind people of drowning risks and provide some water safety tips for children. It only takes five minutes under water for a child to suffer permanent brain damage, so listen carefully.

1. If you have a pool, gates and fences are a necessity. Install alarms, block pools and hot tub entrances. Remove all toys, as these can be enticing for a toddler.

2. Educate your child on pool safety. Children usually can learn to swim at about age five. Get them prepared in understanding the water as soon as possible.

3. Have proper flotation devises ready. The U.S. Coast Guard indicates that 90 percent of the people who drown in a boating or water accident would be alive today if they had been wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident. The DNR states that any child under 6 must wear a life jacket when in the open deck area of a boat.

The last one seems to be quite important as life jackets save lives. Obviously nothing can replace the good old fashioned concept of keeping an eye on your child at all times, but these are some tips to hopefully keep a child safe.