Summer water safety

Know the dangers

Babies and toddlers

Babies and toddlers can drown in very little water so they need you to stay with them near water at all times. In many cases, toddlers who drown in pools or ponds have wandered away from parents and fell into the water by accident.

Small children

Children under 8 still need to be actively supervised in and around water. They might know how to swim and understand safety instructions but are likely to forget in the heat of the moment. Remember that a child that’s drowning won’t cry out for help and wave to be rescued. Instead, they disappear under the surface of the water, often unseen and unheard. So keep a watchful eye.

Older children

Even older children who can swim can easily get into difficulties and drown. So, teach them how to stay safe in and around water.  Remind them not to go swimming alone and explain the dangers of swimming in open water, including strong currents, deep, cold water and things under the surface they can’t see.

In the garden

• Empty the paddling pool out after you’ve used it
• Securely cover hot tubs after every use
• Turn a pond into a sandpit, or fence it in or cover it while your children are little

At the pool

• Don’t rely on lifeguards: Not every pool in the UK has a trained lifeguard. While provision, training and legislation varies in different countries, and lifeguards may have other duties.
• Avoid neck floats for babies, baby floats with canopies, mermaid tails and monofiins, and swim vests from unknown sellers on online marketplaces. All can increase the risk of drowning.
• Be a water watcher: Actively supervise children in and around the pool.

At the beach

• Toddlers can wander off and fall into shallow water. As they don’t have a reflex to move their head sideways or push themselves upward, they can lie in the water and drown. So keep them close.
• Remember inflatables can be swept out to sea when the wind is blowing. So, save them for the swimming pool and always keep an eye on children on them.
• Teach children to swim between the red and yellow flags on UK beaches – these mark the areas patrolled by lifeguards. If you’re going abroad check online what their beach safety flags mean before you go
• Don’t rely on lifeguards abroad: Provision, training and legislation varies in different countries, and lifeguards may have other duties.

Open water

With rising temperatures, older children may be tempted to cool off in open water like rivers, lakes or reservoirs.

The water can look inviting but there may be hidden dangers like:

• Steep drop offs
• Strong currents
• Sharp rocks, broken glass or thick reeds lurking beneath the surface
• Steep slimy banks that can make it hard to get out again

If you’re out as a family, look out for any warning signs. If older children are out with friends, peer pressure may lead them to ignore warning signs. There are helpful resources online to help you coach your child to think things through and learn how to say no.

Cold water kills

Even on a very hot day, open water in the UK can still easily be cold enough to cause cold water shock and increase the risk of drowning.

This physical reaction causes your breathing to suddenly speed up, your blood pressure to increase and panic to set in. Even the strongest swimmers will find it difficult to swim.

What can you do?

• Encourage older children to choose safe places to swim like public pools and beaches with lifeguards.
• Teach children how, even on a very warm day, open water can still be cold enough to cause cold water shock.
• Tell them to enter the water gradually, but bear in mind this won’t necessarily prevent cold water shock.
• Explain that the reaction will pass quickly, so they need to recognise it and control the panic enough to then be able to float.

Teach your child to float

The RNLI recommends they should:

• Tilt their head back with their ears submerged
• Relax and try to breathe normally
• Move their hands and legs to stay afloat
• Not to worry if their legs sink, as we all float differently
• Call for help or swim to safety once their breathing is under control.

In an emergency

Stay calm, float on your back and call for help.

If somebody else has fallen in, don’t enter the water to try and save them.

Tell them to float

Throw them something that floats to help keep their head above the water. If there isn’t a lifebuoy, you could try a plastic bottle (with the lid on), a football, a cool box lid, or a life jacket.

Call 999 for help. Ask for the Coastguard if you are near the sea, or the Fire & Rescue Service if you are inland.