Teach Your Child What to Do If Someone Grabs Him While Swimming
After many lessons, my 6 year old daughter starts to swim well. She can walk on water, find toys at the bottom of the pool, and find her way to the wall after jumping to the deep end. But there is a skill that she still needs to master, and I do not think that her instructors will teach. That is: what to do if the struggling swimmer grabbed her.
Safety Educator water Natalie Livingston wrote in his message on Facebook, she constantly sees this scenario in the case of drowning – swimmers who manage on their own, pushing down those who are trying to stay above water. She teaches her children what to do if they ever find themselves in a similar situation, and explains that there are three things to remember: “Suck, duck, set fire.”
- Take a breath if you can (take a breath)
- Take cover underwater (the struggling person doesn’t want to go there)
- Bend (use your arms and legs to push off) and then immediately call out to the adult to help.
Drowning swimmers can be dangerous, which is why the United States Swimming Schools Association (USSSA) recommends that if you ever notice someone is having a problem in the water, you should “quit, don’t go.” This means that you should throw something like a kick board or beach ball to the person who is struggling instead of jumping into the water yourself.
If you are observing children in the pool, remind them to keep their hands away from each other. My husband had to do it the other day. While our daughter and her friends were swimming, they constantly hugged and tried to ride on their backs. When they are all gathered together, splashing and squealing, it would be difficult to notice if someone is struggling.
And advise your kids to be careful not to grab onto adults in the pool. Livingston notes that they “may be weaker swimmers and find it difficult to hold onto them.” It’s best to give everyone their place. For more tips, see our guide to keeping children safe while swimming .