With the summer months upon us, and pools opening everywhere, we thought it would be a good time to talk about a very important topic – drowning. It’s something no parent wants to think about, but it can happen faster than you could ever imagine.
Two summers ago I was at a pool party with a group of parent friends and their children. After getting my own child dressed I came out of the house to hear someone hollering to call 911, and my instinct was to leave my child with another adult and make a run for it. A 3 year old girl had slipped in the pool after her mother had turned her back for a matter of seconds to put something away in their beach bag. No one saw her slip in, and there were people everyone, including in the pool. Luckily someone spotted her and she was pulled out, but blue and not breathing. Between three of us we got her breathing again, and the paramedics cleared her and everything was okay. Had another minute passed without being noticed, it may have not been as lucky an outcome.
Drowning is Silent – What many people don’t know is that drowning is silent. There is very rarely any noise involved with it at all. No splashing or shouting.
Time is Crucial – If your child goes missing, and you are around water, look there first! Timing is everything!
Secondary Drowning – If your child does have a near drowning experience, it’s still very important to have them checked out. Secondary Drowning is something many people have never heard about, including this mother who blogged about her recent experience with it.
When having your child around water, wether it be the beach or a pool, never take your eyes off of them. For younger children, having flotation devices on them at all times can help add that extra step in safety. For toddlers, they should always be at arms length in the water. Talk with your older children about pool safety as well, remind them that they should never enter the water without a parent present. Taking these extra steps can help save a life.
We hope that everyone has a wonderful summer, with lots of time spend cooling off in the water, and we hope that this post is a good reminder to stay SAFE.
Karen Hewko
My Smart Hands Hamilton