BT July 2019

Life & Style
Feature
Second is whether the pool has a helping aide or lifeguard
present for the children. If you are not swimming with your
child, you need to make sure that the pool or the club house
has a properly trained lifeguard.
Although, as a swimming instructor, I highly recommend that
parents to be present in the water with their children as that
is the best way to ensure that your children are safe in water,
but in case you are not able to be in the pool with your child,
make sure there are no interruptions or distractions outside
the pool for you.
In simple words, you need to fully devote your time and
attention to your children and keep an eye on them when
they are in the water, lifeguard or no lifeguard.
In this context, I want to share an experience that happened
to me a few weeks ago. I think it is important for me to share
this to caution parents about the dangers that can lurk in
water when they do not pay attention.
I took my kids for a swimming session a few weeks back,
to the club house where we usually go. Being a swimming
teacher, it is really easy for me to put on my swimming suit
and play the role of an instructor as well as a companion to
my kids in water.
We were having an amazing time, when my elder son called
for my attention saying, “mommy, mommy, I think that girl
needs some help”. When I turned around to look at the
direction he was pointing, I saw a little girl, about 4 or 5 years
old was struggling at the other end of the pool.
My son was the first one to reach her and as he had been
trained, he used his legs to push her to the wall where
she could then hold on to, and even in this ongoing
chaos, it took the father of the child a few minutes to
turn his attention from the phone in his hand to what was
happening to his daughter.
As a swimming teacher as well as a parent, I think it is
important to remind parents about the safety measures in the
pool that should be considered before a child goes swimming.
The first thing I would say is “Prevention is better than cure”.
What I mean here is if we take the time to ensure our kids
are swimming in a safe environment with all the necessary
attention, then we are already on the way to a great and safe
time out with the kids.
So here are some points that you should always keep in mind
while taking your child for a swim.
Assess the area
Before you take your children to swim, it is extremely
important to conduct a risk assessment of the pool. This is
not a complicated task and there are just a few very easy
things to keep in mind.
First check the depth of the pool. Are you and your
kids comfortable with this depth and in the event that
something happens would you or your kids be able to get
help or exit easily?
Use the right equipment
Another thing to be careful about is the float. If you are
letting your child in the pool and there is no lifeguard or
trainer available, you need to be careful with the floats.
For instance, I believe the neck float is not a good idea and
I would not recommend it, because toddlers’ heads are
typically heavy in relation to their bodies, they usually can’t
easily turn them to the side or lift them out of the water and
if the child turns over or is upside down, they won’t be able
to come back up on their own.
Arm floats are good for safety as the children can freely
move around with these floats, but it will delay their
swimming abilities.
Personally, I prefer Noodle floats, although I believe there is
still a certain amount of risk associated with them too.
Floats and all safety measures aside, I still believe if you can
take your child to swim, it is best to be in the pool with them
as there is no substitute for direct supervision.
Be Prepared
Finally, I would recommend doing a CPR course. It is
something that if needed will give you the precious few
seconds needed to save a person’s life. Get your paediatrician
to recommend a course for you if you are interested.
Remember, a child is especially at risk for drowning even in a
small amount of water and it can happen in seconds. I would
let this fact sink in to act as a caution for parents everywhere.
Teaching children to swim is one of the best
ways to protect them against drowning and
swimming with your children is not only a great
way to bond with them but also
the best way to keep them
safe. So, get into the pool
and enjoy your time spent
with your kids. You can use
the exercises that I discussed
in my previous article to have fun
while also teaching your kids the fine
art of swimming.
BabyTalk | July 2019 57