Summer Water Safety - CareforKids.com.au®

Summer Water Safety
Keep your kids safe this summer

Summer holidays are around the corner and the water is warming up, which means fun in the sun, pool and surf for kids. It also spells additional danger to small children who are not yet proficient or confident swimmers and worry for parents.

According to the Royal Life Saving Society Australia, fewer children are dying in backyard pools, due to increased safety regulations, but a 2004 report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare revealed swimming pool-related accidents are the most frequent cause of hospitalisations for near-drowning in Australia. Children are also at huge risk at the beach in sea water with unpredictable currents and waves.

Toddlers and young children are most at risk: 30 per cent of drowning cases were children under four years old, who made up 63 per cent of drowning incidents in swimming pools.

There's no substitute for parent vigilance and of course no child should be left unattended in any pool or sea, but water confidence and awareness of the dangers of water can go a long way to preventing accidents and drownings in backyard pools and the sea.

It's vital that kids are taught to swim at an early age; wear appropriate swim aids in the water that enable them to move freely and learn strokes properly; and that they receive education in water safety from parents, carers or swimming instructors or other professionals.

Most preschools and child care services usually have some sort of program or lessons on water safety for young children. It goes hand in hand in Australia with road safety and stranger danger. If your centre doesn't have a scheduled program or lessons in water safety – put that in the suggestion box. It's easy to organize with one of the local representatives of Austswim, Surf Life Saving or even a local swimming instructor.

AUSTSWIM is Australia's national organisation for the teaching of swimming and water safety™. AUSTSWIM has developed quality aquatic education program for those wishing to enter the aquatic industry as a teacher of swimming and water safety™.

The AUSTSWIM accreditation is the industry standard for swimming and water safety teachers™ and is delivered and recognised in each state and territory of Australia and many countries overseas.

There are currently over 25,000 AUSTSWIM Teachers™ in Australia and internationally with over 10,000 licensed in teaching specific programs for infants and young children as well as older kids and adults, working closely with aquatic facilities, education departments, peak industry organisations and partners to achieve the AUSTSWIM philosophy that all Australians should have appropriate and relevant swimming and water safety skills and understand the principles and practices of water safety. Visit austswim.com.au to find your nearest teacher or aquatic facility.

While many of the conventional swim aids go some way to help children in the water, one Australian company, award-winning FloatSuits has a unique design that supports the whole body, while giving freedom of movement and confidence. FloatSuits also provide UV protection of SPF50+.

The innovation of the FloatSuit is a distribution of the floatation foam in a thin but wholly supportive layer throughout the upper body, both front and back, allowing children to swim naturally with freedom of movement and confidence, while keeping their upper bodies above water.

"The scary number of preschool age drownings in Australia is a constant reminder to us all on the importance of products such as the FloatSuit", says Nathan Geer, a Sydney based father and keen surfer who founded FloatSuits Australia. He believes the best way to prevent accidental drowning is to provide children with strong swimming skills and confidence in their ability to use them".

Further information:

www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/swimandsurvive/

www.austswim.com.au

www.floatsuits.com.au