Your Children & Water Safety

Water Safety is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart, as a year ago today, our son nearly lost his life in a drowning (If you would like to read about our story, click here). It is something that can happen in an instant, and of course, like most tragedies, no one thinks it will happen to them.

I urge you all to of course watch your children closely around the water, and not for ONE SECOND, take your eyes off them! If you have a pool, please consider putting a gate around it or installing a safety net. But do not think that the gate (or net) will alone protect them! Parents must STILL watch them CONSTANTLY! I have heard stories about gates being left open, or children figuring out how to move a chair over to the gate to open it, and then...tragedy hits.

One option to bring some peace to your soul over this issue is to consider infant survival training. It is a swim course your children as young as 6 months can take, and it helps teach them to roll onto their backs and breathe air for a limited period of time, until an adult gets to them. One place to check out is www.infantswim.com (ISR). Here is a video link that captures an ISR final session lesson. It's pretty amazing (although a bit difficult to watch, especially for me, with my past experience)!

Parents should also learn CPR in case of emergencies. You can check www.cprsearch.com for local CPR trainers.

Please also remember that children can drown in bathtubs, fountains, or even small buckets of water, so BE SURE to ALWAYS have your eye on them, and get rid of such hazards around the house/yard. One last reminder, if you're outside near a pool, or your child is in the bathtub, don't take even a moment to go answer the phone or door if they should ring while you're with your kids. Take the kids with you, or let the phone or door go for now.

Adam's Blankie, which handcrafts blankets, bibs, pacifier clips and more for babies & toddlers, is donating 10% off all sale proceeds for items purchased 5/13-5/15 to www.preventdrownings.org.