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Water Safety for Children and Drowning Prevention

4 December 2024

Every year, there are dozens of cases of infants and young children drowning in swimming pools, in the sea and at recreation sites. Approximately 40% of cases occur in the sea. Remember that in the event of drowning, there may not be a call for help from the child who is in danger, and drowning may happen quickly. Therefore, while in the water or even near it, we must not lose sight of the children.

  • We will prepare in advance and keep in reach all equipment we need: towels, headgear, water, food and so on.
  • If we have to take our eyes off our children, we will leave them under the supervision of another adult or bring them out of the water and take them with us.
  • When children are in the water, that have to be within touching distance, so that if necessary we can grab them immediately.
  • While we mind our children in the water, we do not do anything else. Phones and books can wait.
  • It is important to use floats or swimming vests, in addition to an adult rather than as an alternative. Small children must be physically held.
  • Floatation rings are dangerous for infants. Infants’ center of gravity is at the top of their body, so they tend to fall into their water with their head tilting forward. Avoid using them.
  • We swim in the sea and pool only when there is a lifeguard around and follow instructions.

It is recommended to send children to learn to swim from the age of 4, according to their abilities. Only after they prove control in the water should children be allowed to swim unassisted, but even then this should not be instead of parental supervision.

Every year dozens of infants and young children drown in swimming pools, in the sea, at recreation sites and in natural water sources. About 40% of drowning cases occur in the sea. It’s important to remember that if he or she is in distress in the water, a child cannot call for help, and it may happen very quickly. Therefore, when in the water or even near water, we mustn’t take our eyes off our children.

Infants and children have a center of gravity that is at the top of their body, meaning that their head tends to drop forward if they fall into the water. When their mouth and nose are covered in water, they cannot rise up unassisted, and are effectively in a drowning state. Infants may drown even in just 10 cm of water.

swimming lessons

In preparation for later swimming skills, one can try out child and parent swimming lessons, from the age of one year, to adjust to water and later to advance to swimming lessons.

In the water – never take your eyes off your children

Safe behavior near water can save lives. You should adopt safety rules when going to the pool (a public or private one), water parks, rivers or the beach with children. One must not leave children unattended near water, even for a moment. Always maintain eye and physical contact with children.

  • 1
    Prepare everything in advance

    To avoid having to leave children unattended even for a moment, we should prepare our towels, sunscreen and headgear, water and everything we need in advance and keep it within reach.

  • 2
    Mute your telephone

    When your children are in the water, never take your eyes off them. Reading a book or a long call can wait. They need to be within reach, so that we can grab them immediately whenever necessary.

  • 3
    Children above the age of 9 who can swim

    They can swim in pairs but only when there is a lifeguard or other responsible grown-up present.

  • 4
    When having group fun

    When there are other family members or friends are around, you can organize and rotate “lifeguard” watches lasting 15 minutes, with a different adult responsible for the children each time.

  • 5
    Floats and floatation rings

    Floats and swimming vests can be used. It is advisable to use floats that are worn as armbands, but in addition to and not as an alternative to active supervision. Floatation rings are dangerous to infants because their center of gravity is at the top of their body, meaning that they tend to fall into the water with their head forward. In any case, it is important to remember that these accessories are no substitute for adult supervision in any circumstances, so we must mind our children and keep them within reach all the time.

  • 6
    Lifeguard services at the beach and pool

    We must swim according to the directions and only when there is a lifeguard present. We must not enter the sea, a public pool or other open water sources when there is no active lifeguard service. Please note that in paddling pools (such as in hotels and at a public pool) and pools in guestrooms and private homes do not usually have lifeguard services and adult supervision only is used. When children are near the pool unattended we must make sure that the pool is enclosed and the gate locked, so that children cannot enter the pool without supervision.

Important

Important

We must not leave children who can swim unattended, especially if they are less than 9 years old. When they are older and prove full control in the water, they can swim alone. Until then, we must stay close to them and in constant eye contact throughout their time in the water. According to the Regulation of Bathing Places Order 2016, declared bathing sites mandate supervision of children up to the age of 13.

  • When we finish using a bath, bucket, basin, inflatable pool or any other water container, we must completely empty them.
  • We must not leave toddlers unattended in a bath, even for a moment.
  • We must make sure to prepare in advance all objects that we need for bathing: a towel, washing implements and the like.
  • If anything is missing, we must ask for help or take the infant out of the water and go together to fetch the missing item.

Read more on bathing babies safely

Even if you swim in a calm sea, in a natural water pool or a shallow swimming pool, there is still a danger of drowning. Therefore, in the sea, swim only at a declared beach while there are active lifeguard services. The sea may be dangerous for children who have learned to swim, because it is unpredictable and dangerous, even for professional swimmers. Therefore, special attention is required during dips in the sea and it is recommended not to stay in the water with children throughout the dip.

In the sea, we should only swim where swimming is permitted, as marked with flags. Pay attention to the flag color appearing on the shore and next to the lifeguard hut.

The meanings of flag colors:

  • White flag: the sea is calm and there are active lifeguard services.
  • Red flag: bathing permitted but restricted.
  • Black flag: entering the sea is prohibited.

Private swimming pool at home

If you have a swimming pool at home, this information is for you: in December 2017, new regulations were published on the subject of private pools that are intended to safeguard children and prevent drowning, poisoning and other private pool related harm. The regulations apply to private pools that are 60 cm deep or deeper, and differentiate between pools of less than 10 m2 surface area and larger ones. To illustrate, a pool of 10 m2 area is the size of an average home security room.

The main regulations

  • Means must be taken to deny the free entry of persons, particularly infants and children, into an area containing a pool, such as by installing a fence that meets the fencing requirements set forth for a public pool.
  • The cleaning agents and disinfectants for use in the pool are hazardous materials, so they must be assigned a separate place.
  • The pool must be clad with an anti-slip, abrasion resistant material.
  • The entire swimming pool area must be bare and visible for inspection by the responsible adults. The pool must not contain areas below the water surface where people and toddlers can get trapped or in which a body part can snag.
  • In the lowest place in the pool bottom, at least 2 water inlets are to be installed. The water inlet must have a protective cover allowing a maximum flow speed of 0.5 meters per second. The cover will prevent body parts from attaching or being sucked in and will be locked to prevent its being opened by a bather.
  • The pool is to have at least one means for climbing into and out of the water such as steps or a ladder. Along swimming pool edges, at a 1.20 meter depth, a step of 12-15 cm width is to be built in a manner allowing a person to stand on it safely. An engineer may exempt a pool from needing a ladder or steps if this does not impair user safety.
  • The depth of the water must be prominently marked every 20 centimeters. An engineer may exempt a pool from depth marking if this does not impair user safety.
  • A water slide will be installed according to an Israeli standard and the space under the slide that is in the water will be blocked off so that no person or body part can get trapped in it.
  • A springboard will only be installed at a pool of at least 2.5 meters depth. The springboard height will be matched to the water’s depth.

We can start accustoming children to water from the age of one year, including learning the safety rules. It is advised to start teaching swimming from the age of 4, according to their ability. After they prove control in the water, children can be allowed to swim unassisted but with supervision.

When can you let a child go to the sea or pool alone

  • After we make sure that the child swims well, demonstrate control in the water and behave responsibly and understand the dangers.
  • We make sure that the sea or pool has active lifeguard services.
  • After we talk with them about behavior boundaries, peer pressure and responsible decision making.
  • For the first times is tis recommended to stay around and watch (from a certain distance) the child’s behavior when they are with friends.

We are allowed to let more mature children gradually swim independently, only after they prove full control in the water. Until then, we must swim with the children in the water throughout their bathing time.

In the case of struggling in the sea

If we see someone struggling – we mustn’t get into the water to help them. We must stay in eye contact with the struggling person and call the rescue services immediately. We can throw a floating object (water ball, floatation ring, etc.) for them to catch and try to call a surfer nearby to try to help.

If we see someone unconscious floating in the water

We must immediately call the rescue services, and in the case of loss of consciousness call the MDA ambulance service by dialing 101 and follow their directions.

If we get carried offshore in the water

Tell your children that if the tide carries them out to sea, they must wave their hands to get attention, try to call a nearby surfer and in any case try to stay calm. Instruct them not to try to swim towards the beach but to float where they are and with the current, not swim against or resist the current.

Video: Prevention of Drowning in Open Water Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDF_IsMwOa0

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