Playing and cooling off in a swimming pool, river or lake: it is a pleasant pastime for children in the summer. How do you make sure they don’t just go under? A manual.
A child who drowns makes no sound
‘A child in distress in the water doesn’t make a sound, many parents don’t know that,’ says Mieke Cotterink. She conducts research into safety and children at SafetyNL, the knowledge center for injury prevention. ‘People think: if my child goes under, it will panic and start to struggle and cry.’ In reality, children often sink rapidly and silently to the bottom. Cotterink experienced it herself with her 2.5-year-old niece. “We were standing together in the shallows of the pool and I wanted to put her wings on her. She lost her balance and went, plop, head down. I saw with my own eyes how fast it can go. There is no warning. Luckily I was able to pull her up quickly with lifeguard class near me.
Swimming wings or flotation vest?
What’s safer? Inflatable wings or a flotation vest with wings on it? Both are good, says Cotterink. ‘It’s about buoyancy as high as possible on the body, close to the head. Wings around the upper arm are aimed at keeping the head above water. This is not the case with flotation vests that are only around the body.’ They are only intended as support when learning to swim. Foam swim wings are safe because they cannot leak. ‘Make sure that inflatable wings have a safety valve, so that the air cannot escape if the valve accidentally pops open, and that the wings have two air chambers, so that the child stays afloat even if one is leaking.’ Cotterink also advises to keep swimming wings on as much as possible,
Children can only save themselves with diploma c in their pocket
‘Our advice is to let children obtain diplomas A, B and C,’ says Titus Visser, director of the National Swimming Safety Council. ‘With diploma B you can get by just fine in a swimming pool, but if you want your child to be able to swim in open water and be prepared for unexpected situations, you also need diploma C.’
It’s important to keep practicing
Even after obtaining the swimming diploma, a child must continue to practice. ‘The water must continue to feel familiar. And that is not the case if you go swimming once a year during your holiday on the Mediterranean,’ says Visser. How often do you have to swim with your child to maintain swimming skills? ‘If you go into the water with your child once a month, it helps enormously.’ Due to the corona crisis, the swimming pools remained closed, so that children’s practice time was very limited last year. ‘Practicing a few times in the local bath before the holiday is definitely recommended.’
Be picky about the swimming location
In the Netherlands you can swim in open water unless otherwise indicated. In many countries it is the other way around: you are not allowed to swim unless there is a sign that says it is allowed. ‘Still, as a parent, it is wise for you to check on swimmingwater.nl whether a place has been officially designated as a swimming location,’ says Visser. ‘Then you know that the conditions have been controlled: that there are no sharp objects under the surface, there are no large differences in height and depth and no currents.’
Don’t get distracted (by your phone)
‘The most important thing is that you don’t lose sight of your child. ‘We see relatively many drownings of young children in and around the house, in a bath or ditch,’ says Visser. Distraction is often unexpected, adds Cotterink. ‘Your child is in the bath and the delivery person rings the bell to deliver a package.’
Pay extra attention to the sea
As a parent, you should always have eyes in the back of your mind at the seaside. ‘Look what color flag is on the beach. If necessary, go to the rescue brigade to ask what you should pay attention to’, Visser advises. ‘In the sea you have treacherous ripples, a channel between two sandbanks where the current is strong. You also have to be careful with swimming wings on children in the sea, because they can drift off.’
Let the daredevils go under
Some kids are real daredevils. Even without a diploma, they simply jump into the water, resulting in anxious parents. ‘Let them experience what happens if they go under without swimming wings’, says Cotterink. “Go into the water with your child and let them go for a while so they feel they can’t float. Then they understand better why mom or dad is always whining about those wings.’
