How can I reduce my child’s risk of drowning?

For the past three years, I have coordinated the nationwide educational campaign Swim Patrol. This is an initiative in which volunteers go to a beach of their choice during the summer season and offer short swimming lessons. The campaign aims to reduce drownings by building a swimming culture. Between 400 and 500 people drown annually in Poland, one of the worst statistics in the European Union.

Swimmers, lifeguards, watermen and physical education teachers become volunteers. We focus primarily on experiencing water. We believe that putting up bans as a precaution and chatting on the shore without going into the water are ineffective in combating the scourge of drowning. Although it is mostly middle-aged men who drown, according to statistics, this time let’s focus on children and consider what we can do to protect the youngest.

How to avoid drowning – some practical tips

1. As an adult, I can learn to swim and constantly improve my skills. It is important to be able to realistically assess your capabilities. The child of a swimming parent naturally learns good habits in the water. If I go to the beach with my child, and I don’t know how to swim, I’m putting my child in danger. Historically, the view has been repeated that adults have limited opportunities to acquire swimming skills. There are now numerous schools focusing on them. The whole methodology of teaching swimming at a later age has also been developed.
2. Young children need time to play in the coastal area. There are situations where a child has no contact with water for the first years of life, and then he or she ends up on a swimming course. Early contact with water means that the child does not develop a fear of the element. Learning to swim is a long process. You should set yourself up for several years of perfecting your body control skills in the water. Infants often show patterns of automatic swimming, and can reflexively hold their breath below the surface. These are reactions that will fade over time if the child is not in contact with water. Reflex swimming patterns are not a conscious swimming style. These are learned from about 4-5 years of age. It is not worth applying a lot of pressure to learn styles during this period.
3. It is important that the child learns to drift, that is, to float freely on the water, without too much effort. The second important skill is diving. Seamless head immersion realistically affects safety. It’s also a good idea to learn a simple method of propulsion in the water at the beginning to be able to swim a short distance. A child who goes to elementary school should be equipped with such skills. You can also think about playing in the water with your clothes on, since we are usually clothed in critical situations. When swimming in clothing, you will notice that it usually gives you extra buoyancy and you are warmer. Slow swimming movements in such a situation are possible and can be economical. They only require training.
4. Let’s provide a child playing in the water with a swimming board, which is attached to the hips with a strap. A person playing in the water can grab onto the board and regain a sense of security, and we can always see where he or she is. Another option is to use an inflatable swimming buoy or even a plastic soda bottle strapped to your hips. It is important that it can be easily untied, in case the tape becomes entangled. The hip belt can be provided with a plastic snap. Playing in the water with a tied board is safer than without. It is difficult to understand why this method is not widely used, although it must be admitted that it is slowly being adopted on Polish beaches. The inflatable wheel and sleeves do not provide much opportunity to build body awareness in the water. Instead, they can become a cause of trouble.
5. Let’s remember that in a guarded bathing area we are still responsible for our child. A lifeguard may not notice that someone is drowning. He can then help another person. Let’s do an experiment. When standing in a guarded bathing area, try to observe all bathers at the same time. This is practically impossible. Rather, let’s think of a lifeguard as a person who can give us support while our child is drowning, but it is we who must be ready to help.
6. Being on a boat, we wear a life jacket. Imagine that someone falls overboard. Is he able to board independently? Do I have a strategy to take it out of the water? Climbing into the boat, getting out of the water on the quay wall, using the rope and ladder are all skills we can hone. What good is knowing how to swim if you can’t get out of the water? Sitting on a boat on a cold day can numb your legs and arms. If we fall overboard, it is difficult to move because of this.
7. Allow the child to play in cool water as well. This experience will cause him not to panic if he falls into one. If the water is cool, stays in it can be short. Two minutes in 16-18°C water, on a sunny day, should do no harm. Experience cool water for your child can also be done at home. We use short, rather strong thermal stimuli instead of long cooling.
8. Let’s teach first aid procedures. This knowledge should be refreshed from time to time. Even experienced rescuers do this.
9. Let’s teach calmness and control of emotions in the water. If a child gets sick, let’s not build a narrative of a meltdown. Let’s not scare with water. Some of the drownings are due to panic, during which the endangered person forgets that he or she can stay afloat.
10. Let’s build knowledge about the real dangers in water and dispel harmful myths. For example, it is commonly believed that when a whirlpool appears, you should dive. However, we overcome small river eddies by swimming on the surface. If we dive into them, we lose our orientation in space and may hit the obstacle that creates this turbulence. They usually drown the best swimmers – this is false, looking at the statistics. Rather, it’s about people who can’t realistically assess their skills. Remember that we are part of nature and have adaptive mechanisms. Water is not a malevolent element and is not treacherous. It is what it is. You just have to get used to it.

We live by bodies of water and contact with water is unavoidable!