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Swimming Safely
Don't Let Summer Fun Turn Tragic By Gwen Morrison
The National Safety Council instructs lifeguards that they must be able to reach a person who is in trouble in the water within 20 seconds of spotting them. This thinking should be something that parents implement with their children every time they are around the water. Stay close and stay alert.
"My girls are allowed to swim only if I am there," says Yvette De Luca, a mom from Phoenix, Ariz. "They know not to run around the pool, no horseplay and not to get into the pool without my OK."
De Luca enforces time outs for her children if they break the safety rules at her local pool. It is important for children to understand the seriousness of taking risks when swimming. Children tend to get excited and lose track of where they are in the pool or lake.
In open water, such as lakes and oceans, there are added risks involved. If the water is rough, visibility can be greatly reduced. Conditions in the open water can change quickly. Rapid moving water can change direction and cause strong currents making it difficult for even experienced swimmers to reach shore. With young children, it is so important to make sure that they don't lose track of where they are or drift out too far from shore in these types of water conditions.
Teach your children what to do if they are caught in a current: Swim parallel to the shore until they are out of the current, and then continue 
to swim toward the shore. Tell them to make noise!
According to a report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, each year, nationwide, about 300 children under the age of 5 drown in swimming pools. And what's most frightening is that it's usually in their own backyards.