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Post by anonrefugee on Jun 2, 2016 2:51:23 GMT
Re-reading the responses on the thread about precautions for taking kids out in public triggered a reminder. Child drownings or swimming pool accidents can happen in the middle of large groups of adults because they think someone else is watching.
Heed the advice on the other thread, have a designated "watcher" for each child, please. We had a young (7) friend almost drown in the midst of a little league end-of-season party, adults in pool. He could swim, his Dad was in the pool, mother on deck, but things went horribly wrong, an accident. CPR and a parent MD brought him back. Prevention is worth the effort.
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Post by hop2 on Jun 2, 2016 3:01:32 GMT
Absolutely!!
And drowning doesn't look like you think it does, not like it's portrayed in movies.
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Post by epeanymous on Jun 2, 2016 3:08:59 GMT
I can't like your PSA enough.
I was a very strong swimmer growing up. We belonged to a pool club, where I went most days in the summer, and all our neighbors had pools, which I was in every day that I wasn't at the pool club. Still, I almost drowned at ten because I did a stupid underwater trick in the pool ladder and there were no adults supervising. The other kids in the pool didn't notice. If the seventeen-year-old brother of the host kid hadn't come out of the house when he did, I'd be dead. Even if your kids are a little older, and strong swimmers, and you don't need to watch them like a hawk, I think it's a good idea to have an adult poolside and checking in.
For little kids, or non-swimming kids, I think the specific responsibility and hawk approach is the only way to go. My absolute worst fights with relatives have all involved pool supervision, or lack thereof, and while I am a pretty free-range parent in a lot of ways, those ways do not involve water.
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Post by mlynn on Jun 2, 2016 3:37:44 GMT
Absolutely!! And drowning doesn't look like you think it does, not like it's portrayed in movies. So...what DOES drowning look like?
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zookeeper
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Aug 28, 2014 2:37:56 GMT
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Post by zookeeper on Jun 2, 2016 3:46:30 GMT
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Post by hop2 on Jun 2, 2016 3:49:42 GMT
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M in Carolina
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Jun 29, 2014 12:11:41 GMT
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Post by M in Carolina on Jun 2, 2016 4:02:09 GMT
Also make sure that your life vests are the newer kind that roll you over on your back if you're face down in the water. I've seen some watersport places that provide life vests that have really old life vests. We'd also sometimes wear the tubes (just a ring around your waist) while water skiing, but it's not going to do any good if you get knocked out.
Little kids need the vests that has the strap between their legs and fasten it! The vest isn't going to help when the kid slips out of it.
I was swimming in the roped off area at our beach that had lifeguards (well known for riptides) one day with friends. The riptide was so strong that all the sand was sucked away, leaving a very deep hole. (my dh and I have been in a tide so strong that we couldn't stand up in knee deep water!)
We were being pulled under the rope, so we were waving and trying to get the lifeguard's and our mothers' attention. They just waved back--except the lifeguard who was busy chatting up girls in bikinis. Everyone started panicking, but I remembered what my dad had told us--swim parallel to the shore. I yelled for everyone to grab the rope and use it to go parallel to the side rope which went back to shore.
The guy friend I was with panicked and was trying to climb on my shoulders, so I slapped him and drug him to the rope. When we got back to shore we couldn't believe nobody noticed how far out we were. Our moms red the lifeguard the riot act.
It's a good idea at the beach or lake to have a signal to show you're in distress. It's hard to tell sometimes with splashing and throwing your arms up, etc.
Also if there are red flags--DON'T GO IN THE WATER. Where I lived, several people drowned every year. The town stopped hiring lifeguards because swimming there was so risky. Many times there were multiple drownings--a child or someone who got pulled out and then someone who went in to get them. My dad ran the airport for a while which was where the helicopters refueled. The crews couldn't believe how many people still swam and how far out they went despite all the signs and flags. Especially when grown ups were being pulled out yet still let their kids swim. I hated seeing the helicopters fly up and down the beach--that meant that someone got pulled out. Only a couple of times did someone get rescued alive.
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LeaP
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Jun 26, 2014 23:17:22 GMT
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Post by LeaP on Jun 2, 2016 4:54:57 GMT
anonrefugee is right. I was a yard or two away from my daughter in the pool while she sat on the step. I turned to say something to my neighbor, turned back and she was face down. It was less than ten seconds and I've never forgotten. It was completely quiet and so fast. I yanked her out of the water and she wasn't even coughing, but it spooked me.
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Post by Linda on Jun 2, 2016 11:40:36 GMT
agreed when my older daughter was two - she walked down the steps of a pool and just kept walking under the water...so grateful to the pool owner who jumped in fully dressed and grabbed her out
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Post by melanell on Jun 2, 2016 12:08:35 GMT
Yes, please, please, please note that drownings occur when someone IS watching as well. People CAN drown when other people are watching, without anyone noticing.
Please check out the links above!
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jun 2, 2016 12:16:35 GMT
I can't like your PSA enough Me either. Pools & the ocean are places that I don't take my children at this point in life. I would not be able to hawk eye my youngest two (both under 5), and I have no one else to ask to handle that responsibility. I feel for young kids in water, it needs to be a 1:1 ratio, one adult buddied and responsible for one kid. It only takes seconds for a happy day to turn into a tragedy. Heck, we have a tiny splash pool (meant for infants and very young toddlers) and I keep my feet in it while they play in it, and I don't read (I also don't have a smartphone, so don't do that either). I mention that I don't read because if they were just playing in the backyard, I would have no problem sitting on a lawn chair and reading a novel while they played around me. But not when water is involved. I cannot do anything that distracts me from keeping them safe.
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Post by melanell on Jun 2, 2016 12:22:07 GMT
Also, even experienced adult swimmers can get themselves into trouble. I had a very scary situation with my son once and the adults around the pool had no idea that I was struggling. Had I not been able to fix the situation myself, people probably wouldn't have noticed until they saw my son go under. (Because I was holding him.)
He was jumping into my arms over and over again, always on a count of 3. And we were in the deep end of the pool. At one point, he just jumped in with no warning to me, and landed on top of my head and shoulders, pushing me under. I was immediately in a bad situation because I wasn't prepared to be under water, plus he was very heavy in that particular position. I was kicking and using one arm under the water trying desperately to get to the edge of the pool while using my second arm trying my best to keep him above the water. I was really scared. I remember how my chest was just burning and how desperate I felt. And no one around the pool noticed at all, even a few people who were doing nothing but watching.
I finally found the edge of the pool, and kicked off of it to propel myself out and as I did I managed to get DS off of my head. And once I caught my breath we had a very serious discussion about how dangerous that trick of his was.
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iluvpink
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Jul 13, 2014 12:40:31 GMT
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Post by iluvpink on Jun 2, 2016 12:26:37 GMT
My parents have a large pond in their backyard. When my dd and nephew were younger we often had large family parties where all the kids would swim (our kids and our cousin's children etc). My sister and I along with my husband would always make sure that one of us three was watching our kids. There were always other adults there too but we didn't trust them to watch their kids AND ours. My one aunt has an eagle eye and I know she always kept a special eye out for our two but we always made sure that one of the three of us was watching also. And would make sure to specifically say something to one another to make it clear who was on duty.
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Deleted
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Oct 8, 2024 6:39:26 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2016 12:31:55 GMT
PSA #2 Some pools have filters on the bottom. My very strong 10 year old son was swimming in my parent's pool and got sucked down and stuck on the bottom due to the strong suction. He freed himself and had a large "hickey" on his stomach. Both of my parents were standing next to the pool watching him and had no idea he was in distress.
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Post by anxiousmom on Jun 2, 2016 12:46:00 GMT
We were in the water almost from the day the boys were born. We are surrounded by water here, and are able to be in some body of it for a good portion of the year.
I also think that beyond making sure that you are watching the kids that formal swim lessons through a legitimate agency like the YMCA are really important. Not only do they teach the mechanics, but they also teach how to be safe in the water. Knowing how to swim is good, but knowing how to get out of trouble is equally necessary.
Both of my kids started lessons early, with my youngest starting at 9 months. I spent a lot of time in the water with them but over that time they became strong and confident swimmers. They both got their diving certification(s) as soon as they were old enough to do so.
But all that started because they had two parents (my ex is a strong swimmer-he surfed for years) who were comfortable in the water and through lessons and working with us, they never felt unsure in the water.
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Post by bianca42 on Jun 2, 2016 12:54:57 GMT
A local top college swimmer planned to spend his summer lifeguarding on the ocean in Mass. He was at tryouts Saturday (which were held in a pond) and he drown. He's lifeguarded before and spent his whole life swimming. Everyone needs to be watched, no matter how strong a swimmer they are.
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Post by anxiousmom on Jun 2, 2016 13:00:08 GMT
A local top college swimmer planned to spend his summer lifeguarding on the ocean in Mass. He was at tryouts Saturday (which were held in a pond) and he drown. He's lifeguarded before and spent his whole life swimming. Everyone needs to be watched, no matter how strong a swimmer they are. I read about that-it was so sad! I actually used that article to point out to both of my boys that they should never be too overconfident. I would say that 90% of the beaches that we go to don't have life guards so it is all on us to watch each other. My mom is almost 70 and one of the stronger swimmers of the family-but she is still 70. She gets watched too.
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blue tulip
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Post by blue tulip on Jun 2, 2016 13:17:00 GMT
absolutely. 2 years ago we had a going away party at our house with a pool. long story short one of my son's friends couldn't swim but thought he could, he just jumped into the pool and sank like a rock. suddenly we happened to look over and realize what was happening, and DH jumped in and pulled the kid out. no CPR needed, and his parents didn't even seem that phased. but later it hit them, and mom messaged me in a belated panic over what could've happened. we were all very lucky.
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Deleted
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Oct 8, 2024 6:39:26 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2016 13:55:33 GMT
I watched a parent jump into the pool, fully clothed, to save her 5 year old swim when the YMCA swim instructor did not notice one of his five students slipped under water and wasn't close enough to the edge to grab it.
It takes more than one person with eyes like a hawk to keep swimmers safe.
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Post by cath4k on Jun 2, 2016 16:21:01 GMT
I almost drowned at 3 because I just followed my older sister out too far at the beach. I didn't struggle. My mom just happened to see my hair floating on the surface of the water. I almost drowned in a pool with adults present when I was 11-ish. An older, special needs relative of mine was playing in the water with me and she intentionally held me under water too long. She held me under on purpose, but didn't realize it would harm me. None of the adults noticed because we were "playing." We are always in the water here (note my avatar.) In addition to what others have said, we also have told our children to never play games that include yelling the word "help", playing "dead" in the water, or playing games where you are physically grabbing other people. And no running on the pool deck - I can't tell you how many kids have slipped and hit the side of the pool and needed stitches. I have been surprised at how many pool parties I have attended where no one watches the kids. Guess who always spends the whole time at the side of the pool supervising? I often get treated like I am overcautious, but none of my children have nearly drowned yet and they all have had a great time in the water, so I must not be TOO strict.
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Post by ten&rose on Jun 2, 2016 17:18:50 GMT
I hate pool parties. My mantra is "when everbody is watching the kids nobody is watching the kids." I would much rather take my 3 to the pool or beach myself. My DH thinks I'm nuts but I'm constantly counting and recounting.
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Post by colleen on Jun 2, 2016 17:44:34 GMT
For anyone who lives in a beach community I would highly recommend a Junior Lifeguard program if your city has one. Junior Guards taught ds so much about respecting the ocean and how to be safe there. I still tear up remembering him swimming all the way around the Huntington Beach pier at 9!
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Post by lucyg on Jun 2, 2016 17:49:38 GMT
I had a friend whose 6yo grandson drowned in a busy pool full of family and other adults at a Mexican resort years ago. She was never, ever the same again. I was pretty free-range with my own kids, but after seeing what my friend's family went through, now I am manic about pool safety with DGS. Really, I didn't realize just how easy it is to lose a kid in the water. Sometimes you can't even see the body at the bottom of the pool!
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MerryMom
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Post by MerryMom on Jun 2, 2016 18:40:56 GMT
What drowning looks likeI was a lifeguard for several years WAAAYYY back in the early 1980's and I still "scan the pool" with a pattern whenever I am around water. I have pulled up more than a few children and an adult who were starting to struggle in the water over the past few decades even though my lifeguard certification expired in 1988. Water parks with the big wave pool with the people on those inflatable rafts? My gosh, those lifeguards at those wave pools certainly earn their money!!! Ha ha, back in my lifeguarding days, when kids did that, ^^^^^^ they had to sit out a swim period and also pick up trash in order to "earn back" the next swim periods!!! Good times, good times.
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RosieKat
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Post by RosieKat on Jun 2, 2016 19:58:04 GMT
We had 4 adults and 6 young kids (all of whom were at least basic swimmers) at the pool one time. One of the adults had been playing with the kids, letting them jump into the water and he'd catch them. DS was about 3. He wasn't paying attention and didn't realize that the game was over - he jumped into the water, and no one was there. I was right there watching already, but thankfully at DS's swim lessons they drilled them on "turn, swim to the wall" anytime they got scared or panicked. So he automatically turned and swam for the wall. In that case, I was close enough and watching closely enough that it would have ended OK, but I was able to see firsthand how quickly bad things can happen.
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Post by nnnsmom on Jun 2, 2016 20:19:52 GMT
My 16 yo DS is training right now to be a lifeguard at our local (smallish) water park. He's a strong swimmer. We had a boat from his birth until a few years ago and we've had a pool since he was little. He said at the swim tests last night he finished way before everyone else.
I agree that the wave pool at the park is what always scares me. Too many kids!!!
All of these stories are making me even more nervous about his job. I'm glad that he is taking it very seriously and it seems like they are doing a very good job with the training. He did two days of CPR before they tested and moved on to swim. He still has several more days of in water and in park training.
I still don't know how he's old enough to be lifeguarding though! Last night I was folding beach towels and came across his old Finding Nemo beach towel from preschool days!
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theshyone
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Post by theshyone on Jun 2, 2016 21:58:15 GMT
Many cardiac conditions can be triggered by water and swimming. It may not be drowning that started the event but it'll be drowning that finishes it. Always consider that in a drowning resusitations that an AED may need to be used immediately.
My family has long qt, a sudden Arrythmia death syndrome, no swimming alone, no swimming without an AED on deck, no swimming with just another long qt person present.
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Post by christine58 on Jun 2, 2016 22:35:31 GMT
A friend's nephew who is 3 is fighting for his life right now due to an accidental drowning in a neighbor's pool.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Jun 2, 2016 23:12:44 GMT
A local top college swimmer planned to spend his summer lifeguarding on the ocean in Mass. He was at tryouts Saturday (which were held in a pond) and he drown. He's lifeguarded before and spent his whole life swimming. Everyone needs to be watched, no matter how strong a swimmer they are. Lakes are super dangerous here right now. It gets hot and people think they can go swimming. But the water is still way too cold. My dad had a friend that drowned when they were teens. A group of the guys were swimming across the lake and one of them didn't make it Water safety has been drilled into our heads knowing about that neighborhood loss. But we noticed that our generation knew it and talked about it, but our kids did not hear that story. So even though we taught them water safety we forgot to share that human connection. We also have a friend that was paralyzed while in the military because he dove into shallow water
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Post by melanell on Jun 3, 2016 2:15:35 GMT
I watched a parent jump into the pool, fully clothed, to save her 5 year old swim when the YMCA swim instructor did not notice one of his five students slipped under water and wasn't close enough to the edge to grab it. It takes more than one person with eyes like a hawk to keep swimmers safe. I saw this happen when I was at lessons for my younger son just last summer. The parent made it out of the observation area, across the pool deck, into the pool, and had that kid back out of the water before the instructor noticed and made it back to the edge of the pool. (I'm not knocking the instructor at all. They are out in the water holding or helping another child, so obviously their focus isn't entirely on the kids who are waiting their turn at the edge of the pool.) My son was having one on one lessons, and I still watched the entire time.
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