Make Safe Happen – Learn About #WaterSafety

“This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. All opinions are 100% mine.”

Make Safe Happen – Learn About #WaterSafety

Summer is happening at wide-open throttle, which means lots of trips to the neighborhood pool or local water park, hauling pool toys, towels, extra clothes etc. And while other summer activities are also happening, for my family, swimming is the most common one.

Whether you opt for a pool, or perhaps a lake or even the ocean, we’ve got to remember that us parents are our kids’ first defense from accidents and injuries. That’s why as part of the Make Safe Happen campaign we’ve previously shared with you about, Nationwide is hoping to reach a goal of 1 million safety actions by the end of 2016. Just so we realize how important this is, a total of 800 children drown every year, and according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 9,000 children die each year due to accidental injuries! 

It’s crucial that we help raise awareness and spread the message of safety with all of our friends and family, whether they’re parents or not. We can all contribute to saving lives and #WaterSafety

Make Safe Happen recommends three precautions to ensure children’s #WaterSafety this summer:

• Active Supervision: As parents and adults, we have to set the right example. It’s easy to get distracted on our phones or engage in other activities while kids are swimming. Pledge to eliminate distractions and stay within an arm’s reach of young or inexperienced swimmers.  

• Reduce Risks: Are the little ones done swimming? Make sure to empty the kiddie pool immediately after use. If you have a full-size pool, install a fence around it. Is your neighborhood pool not fenced? Make sure to lock and kid-proof your door to protect escape-artist kids.

• Swimming Lessons: As with most things, certain dangers can be avoided by having the correct knowledge. Knowing how to swim properly and what to do in certain situations can be priceless. Swimming lessons prepare little ones to be better equipped.

•  Be Prepared: Learn CPR and First Aid, and know the signs of drowning. Make sure to have viable communication handy in case you need to call 911. You can find out more on how to become CPR certified by clicking HERE.

• Misconception: I will hear my child if he/she gets in trouble in the water and starts to drown.
  Reality: Drowning is silent. A drowning child may not splash, wave or yell, but nearly half the parents surveyed think that if a child was drowning nearby, they would hear him/her. 

• Misconception: If my child has had swim lessons I don’t have to worry about him/her drowning.
  Reality: Swim lessons are essential, but research suggests that often parents overestimate their child’s swimming ability. Of parents surveyed, 60 percent said they would not worry as muchabout drowning if their child had swim lessons, yet a review of children who drowned in a pool revealed that 47 percent of 10 to 17 year–olds reportedly knew how to swim.

Oh, and don’t forget to get the Make Safe Happen App on your mobile device, for age-appropriate safety checklists and more!