National Water Safety Week, special note about children

This week is National Water Safety Week and you’re going to be hearing us talk lots about it on this blog.

 We’re especially asking moms and dads to take a second to read our messages because studies show that infants and toddlers aged 1-4 years have among the highest drowning rates in Canada.

Canadian Red Cross water safety experts say that toddlers are at a high risk because they are so curious. And while they are able to walk, they are generally speaking, unsteady on their feet. 

A Red Cross study showed that in nearly half of infant and toddler drownings, the victims were alone, 38 percent occurred while toddlers were supervised by adults and 17 percent occurred while they were supervised by minors.

Here are some safety tips to help keep our children safe this summer:

  • The absence of adult supervision is a factor in most child drownings. Actively supervise your children at all times in pools, bathtubs, ponds and any kind of water.
  • Flotation toys, personal flotation devices, lifejackets or buoyancy swimming gear do not replace adult supervision.
  • Children should never be responsible to supervise other children. 
  • Fence all pools with four-sided fencing and a self-closing, self-latching gate 
  • Empty portable pools after each use

Click here for more information and water safety tips.

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