The Importance of Practicing Drowning Prevention All Year Long

May is National Water Safety Month, which means that community centers and online forums are offering resources and fun activities to encourage your children to always be safe in the water. With summer swim team season approaching, it's a great time to go over the importance of water safety with your children. However, water safety is not just reserved for the summer-it's something that should be practiced year-round, especially drowning prevention.

Drowning Hazards

Drowning prevention is particularly important because drowning can happen in any body of water at any time. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is one of the highest causes of unintended death among children between one and four years of age.

There are many factors that can contribute to a child's risk of drowning. One is, of course, not being able to swim properly. Another is swimming without proper supervision; if there's no adult around to assist in a water emergency, a child is much more at risk of drowning. Barriers should also be in place around backyard pools, as otherwise children can access the pool without a caretaker's knowledge. Proper supervision for children is important in any water situation, including the bathtub.

Another risk factor is the failure to wear a life jacket when the situation calls for it. According to the CDC, 88 percent of victims of boating accidents were killed while not wearing a life jacket. Even bathtubs can be dangerous places for children; they are the sites with highest risk of drowning for children with seizure disorders. For adolescents and adults, alcohol is also a big factor in drowning accidents, and drinking while swimming should never occur simultaneously.

Swim Lessons for Drowning Prevention

Thankfully, the risk of drowning can be easily diminished with proper water safety training. Especially for families with backyard pools, parents should enroll their children in swim lessons. Not only will they teach children the lifesaving water skills they would need to survive in a water emergency, but they will develop a life skill and learn discipline while making new friends.

There are differing opinions on when you should enroll your child in swim lessons, but we believe that the sooner they start, the better. Children who start learning to swim early on are better equipped to continue developing swimming skills so that they can stay safe in the water under any circumstances. We offer Infant Survival Swim Lessons for young children to learn the very basics of water safety so that they can grow to be competent and confident swimmers.

Katy, Texas Swim Lessons

At Texas Swim Academy in Katy, Texas, we provide best in class swim lessons for children throughout the greater Houston area. Before your child even begins to learn the different swim strokes, we make sure they learn the basics of drowning prevention and staying safe in the water. Contact us today for more information on our various swim class offerings in Katy, Cypress and Houston.

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Kids Safety Educational Resources

 

With summer just around the corner, it's nearly every kid's favorite time of the year: swim team season. Since your children are likely to be spending even more time in the water than usual, it's imperative you reinforce water safety rules as often as possible. Any swim lesson will be sure to include water safety first and foremost, but supplementing what they learn in lessons with other activities is a great and fun way to ensure they know their water safety skills. Think of it as swim team homework.

In honor of National Water Safety Month, we've rounded up a list of the best water safety resources for you to share with the kids.

Pool Safely Resources

Part of of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Pool Safely provides free and fun pool safety educational resources that are easy to download on their website. Easily print and share PDFs of pamphlets with friends and neighborhoods. Show your kids the fun, interactive videos that encourage staying safe in the pool. There is even a mobile app available for you to download. Install it on your smartphone so you have something educational at the ready the next time your child asks to play with it. These free, online water safety resources are a great way to ensure your children understand pool safety rules.

Swim Lessons

Though your child may already be enrolled in swim team, additional swimming lessons are always beneficial to improve performance and increase safety under any water circumstances. Swimming lessons are one of the best water safety resources for children of all ages-the more time they spend in the water, the more comfortable they'll be in any water-related circumstances. Our Infant Survival Swim Lessons equip young children with the skills to get comfortable in the water and continue developing their swimming skills as they grow.

Perhaps you have a child that is not yet ready for the demands of swim team and would benefit for more personalized attention. Our Adaptive Aquatics program is designed to provide specialized, patient attention to children of all ages and abilities. Parents of children on the autism spectrum frequently comment on how the program helps their children develop confidence both in and out of the water. No matter their ability, all children deserve to learn life-saving water skills.

At Texas Swim Academy, we also offer Fun Friday open swim times for students enrolled in swim lessons here to practice their swimming skills in a fun, recreational environment with their TSA peers. Check the calendar for dates and times.

National Water Safety Month Resources

 Since it is National Water Safety Month, there will be plenty of activities scheduled both in community centers and online. Visit the National Water Safety Month to find events listed in your area, as well as plenty of water safety resources!

Texas Swim Academy offers the best swim lessons and competition prep to children of all ages throughout the Houston area. We hope to see your child enrolled soon!

 

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