May is National Water Safety Month

Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children ages 5 to 14. With National Water Safety Month in May and summer around the corner, it’s a great time for parents to remember the importance of ensuring their children are equipped with essential water safety skills. The Old Bridge YMCA offers youth swim lessons year round towards reducing the risk of childhood drowning, instilling a lifelong love of swimming and educating children on safety around different water environments.

Before letting your children hit the water this summer, the Y is offering these few tips to ensure it’s an enjoyable and safe experience.

• 1.Never swim alone. Teach your children that they should only swim in locations where a lifeguard is on duty.
• 2.Supervise your children whenever they’re in water. Whether it’s bath time or taking a dip in a pool or lake, make sure your children are within arm’s reach of you at all time.
• 3.Don’t engage in breath holding activities. Children shouldn’t hold their breath for a prolonged amount of time while swimming, as this can cause drowning and has several other severe physical side-effects.
• 4.Wear a Life Jacket: Inexperienced or non-swimmers should wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
• 5.Don’t jump in the water to save a friend who is struggling in deep water. If a child finds their friend in deep water unexpectedly, their natural reaction may be to jump in the water to try to save them. Even if a child is a great swimmer, a panicked person will overpower them, pulling them underwater with them. The Y’s Safety Around Water program teaches the “reach, throw, don’t go” concept of using a long object to reach for them and pull them to safety. By using these technique children can help their friend without compromising their own safety.
• Enroll your children in water safety or swim lessons. Just like teaching your children to look both ways before they cross the street, having them participate in formal water safety lessons teaches them an important life skill.

Learning how to swim also has multiple benefits beyond the ability to enjoy water safely. It helps children strive for physical achievement, promotes healthy living and builds their confidence. Non swimming, non member children ages 5-14 yrs. old can also register for Learn To Swim Week, an annual one-week community outreach program to teach swim basics and safety around water environments. Learn To Swim Week will be June 19-23 and registration must be done in person at the Old Bridge YMCA by June 12. For more information, visit www.ymncanj.org.