Friday, July 23, 2010

Mom's guide to a safe and enjoyable swimming spree with your kids...

Speaking of weekends,

I and my family have gone to a local resort to have a much needed rest and relaxation...taking after an aunt's advise to have one since I've been whining up on her a bit..getting too tired..and much pre-occupied.

So I thought swimming was best...we did for two weekends! for me, husband and two kids...

We ate, swam, ate...slept. Swam, ate, swam...packed our things ready to go home...refreshed and totally bonded!

until I came across the thought, when I slept...were my kids safe? there was a life guard on the pool and plenty of people around...does it give me an assurance they were indeed safe?

Drowning was a scenario far out of my mind...but is a reality too important to be not considered.

It is leading cause of injury deaths for children 1 to 4 years old...

I read it before that, you wouldn't even know a child is drowning. Tell-tale signs of drowning being flapping or waving of hands on the water...shouting for help and gasping for air are dramatizations we usually see on movies.

The fact of the matter is, our instinct would tell us...if we are drowning to gasp for air as we raise our bodies up, hands pushing down on water to get air...no time to shout and ask help...this usually takes seconds only right?

So what are signs of drowning Moms should be aware of?
  • Vertical Body - when we swim it should be horizontal or head elevated on a slight angle right?
  • Head lowered in the pool
  • mouth at water level
  • hair over forehead and eyes
  • hands pushed down on water
  • silence - Kids are and will always be universally noisy in the water. So, time to get up...if they're not and get them out of there.
Better yet, take turns looking after the kids when they are in the pool...regardless of depth! Have floating devices...teach you kids to swim...

Best, swim with them!


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