PARENTING4POOLS™
Educate, don’t just shut the gate
Water safety in its current form consists of lessons, closing gates and doors, flotation devices and if all of those fail then we are trained on how to save a child after it has already drowned. There is a lot of talk about layers of protection but very limited information about educating a child not to enter the water. We teach from birth that you must wear a seat belt, not to go near the road, touch electricity points etc. The pool area should be no different. It is better to teach a child from birth the right way, than to try to correct established behaviour.
We feel this is the number one element that will help to save more lives and reduce the number of drownings. There is quite a difference between educating a child about good safe pool practices verses restraining a child. A pool gate is a restraint, as is strapping a child in a pram or being held by a parent.
By educating children on what we expect within that environment, we stand a much better chance of preventing drowning then just teaching water safety skills and lessons.
Understand how you child learns
Have you ever thought about what your child sees when they look at water? What is their attraction to it? Is it the shimmer or the sunlight reflection? Or the memory of toys and fun? Or, is it a temptation because it is something behind a gate and they are unable to get to it?
Regardless of the reason, what we have effectively been teaching them is one of avoidance as opposed to respect.
Children are sensory learners; they use their senses to explore and learn new skills. They are like a sponge, absorbing more information than perhaps we give them credit for. Parents repetitive actions, words or directions are observed and imitated by children. From the earliest skill of smiling, our children learn to visually replicate what behaviour they see us doing. We teach our children to drink from a cup not a tap, or to hold our hand while crossing the road, not run across without us. So why do we close a gate and assume they are safe?
Lead by example
By setting a routine, or a sequence that babies as young as four months will be able to recall. If you are consistent in your routine your children will know no difference when it comes to how to behave around a pool or aquatic environment. You need to ensure that all adults and other siblings are following the rules as well. This can be difficult initially especially if you already have older children. Children will follow what you do so if Dad runs and jumps in the pool you can guarantee that your little ones will follow. Avoid using technology for you or your child as this will cause distraction and send the wrong message.
Create a safe zone
If you open the gate and walk straight into the water, the lesson we are teaching is when the gate is open it is ok to get into the water. We need to teach a child when the gate is open, they go and sit in the safe zone. Teaching children to be in the area without going into the water is surprisingly a lot simpler with a few basic steps.
- When setting a safe zone make it somewhere that can be permanently in the same place. Set a foam mat or chair and identify an area away from the pool but within the general vicinity.
- Regularly take your child into the pool/dam/river area without going for a swim.
- Take a picnic, have lunch or go and read a book in this area.
- Enter the area full clothed not in swimwear or naked.
- When you would like to swim take the child inside to get changed. Don’t ever let your child swim naked as this teaches them that they can strip off and swim whenever they want.
- Allow a few minutes before each swim to sit and wait before entering