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Now is a good time to equip for the dip

As swim season arrives, parents can look to a number of programs to make sure that they and their children stay safe in the water.

By JEREMY HAYES
Published May 6, 2005

Temperatures are inching upward, end-of-school stress is building and a dip in the pool seems like the perfect way to cool off.

Don't jump in so quickly, though. Whether in the Gulf of Mexico, a swimming pool or a bathtub, there is always risk. For every child who drowns, three receive emergency care for injuries sustained in the water. And of those, 40 percent are hospitalized, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Children aren't the only ones at risk. Untrained adults and children alike can take swimming lessons to learn to act safely and avoid dangerous situations.

"For kids, lessons are mainly an issue of safety," said American Safety and Health Institute certified swimming instructor Julia Lamb, "but adults learn to get over a big fear, maybe from some bad experience, and at the end have a huge sense of accomplishment."

Coaxing a child into the water is not always easy.

"You have to make them feel comfortable with you and build enough trust so they know you won't let go," Lamb said.

From that moment on, the need for supervision takes on a whole new meaning. After all, the child might have lost his natural fear of the water.

Brenda Crane, owner of Miss Brenda's Swim School, likes to teach adults how to handle their children in the water too.

"Part of teaching the kids is to teach the parents how to hold the kids, how to keep them from swallowing water, and how eye contact improves communication and focus," Crane said. "Parents don't think that young kids can do much on their own, but they can float, propel themselves, and pull themselves into and out of the pool."

The American Red Cross cautions adults to supervise their children constantly around water, whether it is a pool or even a bucket, and even if they already know how to swim. Flotation devices do not replace supervision, because they can lose air or shift. Parents also should learn CPR and take refresher courses as needed.

[Last modified May 5, 2005, 01:31:12]