Swimming is a summer pastime that helps us enjoy the sunshine and stay physically active. It’s great for the whole family, as introducing kids to water early can build a life-long interest in this form of exercise. But water activities do come with some risks for swimmers of all ages. Here are some tips for keeping your family safe around the water.
Keep Babies Safe
Talk with your pediatrician about when your baby may be ready to swim before getting them into the water. Young babies cannot regulate body temperature and have developing immune systems, which puts them at risk for hypothermia and contracting diseases or infections from potentially unclean pool water.
When your baby is ready to swim, be sure to protect them with a life jacket specially made for babies to offer full body and neck support. This ensures that your baby will not be fully submerged under water. Introduce your baby to water in short increments of time to see how they tolerate it. If they enjoy the water, slowly increase the amount of time spent in the water.
Make Sure Kids Are Supervised
More than 90% of drowning incidents with children involve a lack of adult supervision, so play close attention when your child is in the pool, even if they can swim well. If a parent isn’t paying close attention, drowning can be easy to miss. There’s usually no splashing and flailing like you see in the movies. Within minutes, damage can occur to the brain as it is deprived of oxygen.
Seek Medical Help for Any Water Emergencies
You may have heard terms such as near drowning, secondary drowning or dry drowning. These terms can be confusing for people to determine the right level of care needed after an incident. Here’s what is most important to remember: Anyone who has had any type of water emergency should be evaluated by a medical professional as soon as reasonably possible.
If you see someone drowning, get them out of the water as quickly as possible and try to help reestablish breathing. Use hands-only CPR or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and call 911.
Even if a person seems fine after a water emergency, medical evaluation is still needed. A small amount of water ingested can lead to spasms in the airway (sometimes called “dry drowning”). Water can also get into the lungs, causing inflammation and fluid buildup (sometimes called “secondary drowning”). Symptoms such as difficulty breathing, persistent coughing, chest pain and fatigue can happen up to 24 hours after the incident.
Keep the Water Clean
Keeping swimming water as clean as possible is an important way to reduce the spread of germs and water illness. If you are sick or have been sick in the last two weeks with diarrhea and vomiting, stay out of the water. This includes all swimming water, pools, lakes and ponds.
It’s also important to keep urine and feces out of the water. Make sure that kids take swimming breaks frequently for bathroom breaks. Use swim diapers on babies, which are made to hold waste to keep the water clean and safe. (Just be sure to remove the swim diaper when the baby is out of the water, as they are not made to be absorbent.) Lastly, never swallow water that people swim in.
Protect Your Ears
Swimmer’s ear, or otisis externa, is usually caused by excessive water exposures. Water becomes trapped within the ear canal and the skin becomes soggy, which results in bacterial growth. Small cuts in the ear canal linings can also cause bacterial infection.
If you have swimmer’s ear, you may experience decreased hearing, jaw pain and facial swelling. You should see your primary care provider as this condition is best treated with antibiotic ear drops. Analgesics and topical heat may also help with the pain. For those with recurring swimmer’s ear, ear plugs while swimming may help reduce the risk. You may also consider using an ear drop solution made with one part rubbing alcohol and one part white vinegar before and after water exposure to prevent the condition.
Keeping these safety precautions in mind can help you and your family safely enjoy water activities this summer.
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