The Easy Lifesaver

Of all the skills children learn when swimming, back float is by far the most underrated. It seems to be the simplest and the most boring, but from a swim instructor's point of view, it is the difference between swimming and drowning. A current coworker of mine, Marvin, told me a story that he still remembers after five years. He remembers because if it wasn't for him teaching back float and treading water, he might have never seen one of his students again.

“While teaching an upper level class, I integrated treading water and back float in deep water for about three weeks. One day, a mother of a former student came up to me and told me about a white water rafting trip they took in Wisconsin a few weeks ago. She said that her 10 year old son was going down the river on his raft when it hit a giant rock. He got knocked out of the raft and the rapids took it down the river away from him. Her son surfaced and she noticed he wasn’t wearing a life jacket, which is when the group leader started to go up the river along the side to rescue him. It took five minutes before he could be saved, and the whole time he just treaded water like it was no big deal. She didn’t think the outcome of her son’s accident would have been so fortunate if it wasn’t for me teaching treading water.”

If a child is still too young to learn treading water, a back float is the perfect substitute. It keeps the face out of the water, arms and legs can rest, and the body doesn't have to exert any energy.

Pool Tip: Back Float

If the back float is on a child's list of fears, parents can practice by putting their child's head on their shoulder while the parent sinks to collar-deep water. With one hand on the child's back and the other over their outer ear (to keep water from getting in), the child will begin to relax. When they get comfortable, sing a song such as the “ABCs” or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” After a couple tries (this could take days, not minutes), parents should slowly ease their arms away from the child's back and ear, then sink lower. This may need some assurance and trust that the parent will not swim away, but this method has worked countless times to ease the fear of allowing water to hold the body.

A Dangerous Curiosity

We are all aware that swimming is considered an important life skill. The perfect time to learn this skill is somewhere around the age of two and a half to three years old, mainly because children are like sponges soaking up new information. Their fears can be easily overcome and their curiosity about the water peaks ... and sometimes, curiosity can be dangerous.
 

Two years ago, Jessica was lifeguarding at her local pool. The depth ranged from four to 11 feet, and on this day, there happened to be more than 40 swimmers. She and another lifeguard were posted to cover the entire pool, and that's when she noticed a little girl struggling.

"The drop from four feet to 11 is pretty sudden at my pool. Most kids will hop around in the four foot area and easily touch the ground. This five year old girl was doing just that and hopped a bit too far. She ended up in the five to six foot area, lost her footing and went under, then managed to get her head above the water to scream. I blew the whistled and jumped in, but by the time I swam over her head wasn't even above the surface. I grabbed under her arms and pulled her out. Thankfully, she started coughing immediately and was pretty much fine. The worst part? Her mom was in the parking lot making a phone call."

Jessica's story is unfortunately very common. The best way to avoid such a bad situation is by having parents stay within 10 feet of their child, especially when their swimming still isn't dependable.


Pool Tip: Floaties 

Floaties are commonly used by parents to keep their summers "worry-free." However, floaties are NOT lifesaving devices. Unless they are U.S. Coastguard certified, the smallest shift in weight can topple a child over and prevent them from getting their head above water. Stay away from the blow-up ones that only go around the arms and stick to vests that buckle across the waist and between the legs. 

Read the labels: WARNING, THIS IS NOT A LIFESAVING DEVICE

Chicago Tribune: Summer Safety 

Overcoming Fears

I have seen many fearful children being pushed by their parents into the pool. When they don't want to get in, parents don't understand what could be so terrifying about water and often get angry and frustrated. This type of situation must be avoided. The more a parent gets angry, the more the child will resent water.


The best approach should be a calm one. If swim lessons by a certified instructor are not an option, parents should begin in the shallow end and slowly work their way deeper. Children do best when they see their parents going through the same motions expected of them. If they are too afraid to submerge their head underwater, buckets are a great way to overcome fears. Using a small bucket, parents should start by pouring water over their own ears, then onto their child's. They should then progress to chin, cheeks, nose, and then finally eyes and head. If the child refuses to have water poured on them, parents should ask their kids to pour it on them instead. Always beginning with the basics makes it easier, and adding some songs and reward hi-fives makes learning fun.


Pool Tip: Holding Your Breath
Puffy cheeks are a good way to practice holding one's breath. Parents can place a finger in front of their child's mouth and ask them to blow the "candle" out. The motion of puffing cheeks out and blowing air through the mouth blocks air from the nasal passage, a guarantee that water cannot get up the nose. After a couple practice puffy cheeks, children can then mimic the motion again underwater.

Why Should Parents Care?

With the pool season only a month away, safety in the water is a major goal for many parents. Whether a child is an intermediate swimmer or a beginner, I intend to inform readers of the many different ways to improve summer outings by practicing safe pool behavior. Look out for pool tips and related articles to make this summer the best it can be.


Pool Tip: Lifeguards are NOT babysitters!
Keep in mind that on a busy summer day, a lifeguard has to keep track of more than 25 swimmers. The best way children will stay safe is if the parents watch them and make sure their swimming limits aren't being pushed into dangerous zones. In many cases, parents have asked me to keep an eye out for their child who has specific needs, is known to have seizures, or has a tendency to go into deeper waters. Most parents don't realize that lifeguards must keep track of weak swimmers, enforce rules in and out of the water, and constantly scan many areas of the pool. Their attention won't be devoted to one child, but to all those in their scanning area.