Take Turns Watching the Water at the Kids Pool Parties
Summer has arrived, and although swimming in the pool is great fun for children, parents should be vigilant at all times. Pool parties are easy to unwind and unwind. People come, there are conversations, and you assume, “There are a lot of adults here – someone is watching my child.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States, with about one in five drowning children aged 14 and under. Statistics show that most drowning cases are due to lack of supervision.
If you are hosting a pool party with a large group of people, you might consider hiring a lifeguard. But another (free) option is to ask adults who can swim to take turns becoming Water Watchers, a hint from the Time story. The water watcher agrees to focus his entire attention on the children in the pool for a set amount of time, say 15 minutes. After their time, another person becomes an observer of the water. Nobody should play the whole game there.
Safe Kids Worldwide has a Water Watcher card that you can print and give to the duty officer. A bright hat will work too. It is best if Water Watchers know what CPR is and what drowning actually looks like (probably not what you think).