“Oh, I dress my girls in similar colors when I have them out in public – especially when I’m alone,” I told a friend when she asked why my girls seem to always wear similar outfits. She looked at me a bit confused, and I started to explain that if one of them ever goes missing, I would know exactly what she was wearing. As I explained my reasoning, she nodded her head and told me it was a good idea.
As much thought as I put into planning outfits when we’re at parks or the zoo, I never thought about what I should do in a pool setting. At least not until I learned about Water Safety Month through Foss Swim School.
May is Water Safety Month, and there are some important facts we should all know when it comes to water safety.
- 3500 Americans drown each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 20% of those 3500 are under the age of 14.
- 87% of drownings for kids aged 1-5 years occur in home pools or hot tubs.
- The estimated drowning risk reduction for kids aged 1-4 years old is 88% when they participate in formal swim lessons.
Those are some anxiety-inducing statistics, but there is something that we can actively do as parents to help protect our children.
- Enroll your child in formal swim lessons. I’ll be honest, I was never taught how to swim by a professional, and it shows. I remember going under the water once in my cousin’s pool, and I’m lucky because they were able to pull me up. I’ll never forget how terrified I felt and how terrified I became of the water. I don’t ever want my daughters to feel that way, so we have them enrolled in swim lessons with Foss Swim School. They love going to the pool, but they also know the proper way to enter and get out of the pool, and they’re learning some life-saving skills while having a fun time.
- Carefully consider your child’s swimsuits. Did you know that certain color swimsuits are more visible in pools and other colors are more visible in lakes/natural water settings? According to ALIVE solutions, the colors you should avoid in a pool are white and light blue. The colors that are best in a pool are neon pink and neon orange. In a natural water setting like a lake, the top colors are neon yellow, neon green, and bright orange.
Here’s a perfect example of how the colors stand out differently in the same pool, at the same time, and on the same child (my oldest daughter).
We can’t protect our children from all of life’s dangers, but there are always ways we can help instill certain skills and take proactive measures if we ever find ourselves in a parent’s nightmare like a potential drowning. Foss Swim School makes it their mission to teach the whole family how to be safe in the water, and instructors are available at both their O’Fallon and Ballwin locations to help ensure you can splish and splash safely this summer.
