Swimming – Kid's Swim Gear- Life Jacket

The importance of choosing the proper swim gear for children cannot be over emphasized. Most children love to swim and play in the water, and they like the brightly covered colored swimsuits, swim goggles and swimming fins. However, drowning kills more than 1000 children a year under the age of 14 and at least another 20 are admitted to the emergency room because of near drowning.

I almost lost my youngest son to drowning when he was approximately 18 months old. I was working part time selling real estate at that time, and I had a 22-year-old babysitter who came with good references. We had a fenced in pool in our backyard and one afternoon my youngest son was napping. The babysitter decided to wash her car after she had done some sunbathing by the pool, and I was paying her for this!! My baby son had no fear of the water and we kept door latched at all times.

Apparently he woke up, went out the unlatched door and jumped in the pool. My oldest son was about 10 and found his brother in the bottom of the pool. He yelled for the babysitter who came running and jumped in the pool and pulled my son out, while my oldest son called 911. And then he called me. My baby regained consciousness fairly quickly and vomited which was a great sign.

Of course, I just jumped in my car and drove as fast as I could to the hospital. While driving those 22 miles I was terrified that maybe my son had died and they didn’t want to tell me on the phone. I arrived at the hospital and as I walked back into the ER I recognized his cry, which was music to my ears. They kept him overnight to make sure he didn't get pneumonia or have any other problems, and I spent the night holding him sitting in a rocking chair. In fact, I held him wrapped so tightly in a blanket that he developed a temperature of 101° that returned to normal after the blanket was removed. I knew how close I came to losing him that day but by the grace of God not only was his life spared, he had no ill effects from the experience at all. He still wasn't afraid of the water! It is certainly one of the scariest events that ever happened in my life, and I was so proud of my 10 year old son for reacting so competently in the face of this crisis.

The CDC lists specific guidelines on their website to help prevent drowning:

• Supervision: Always have a responsible adult to watch children when they're swimming or playing around water or even in the bathtub. The adults should not be reading a book, talking on the phone or playing cards as they need to keep their full attention on the children.
• Buddy System: Always swim with a buddy and choose swimming sites that have a lifeguard whenever possible.
• Avoid Alcohol: Do not drink alcohol before or during swimming, while boating or water skiing or while supervising children.
• Learn to Swim: Formal swimming lessons can help protect children from drowning. Pool fencing is still necessary even when children know how to swim because they need the supervision of an adult.
• Learn Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR): During the time it takes paramedics to arrive at the scene you can save a life by starting CPR on an unconscious person. CPR performed by bystanders has been shown to improve the outcomes in drowning victims. With the new CPR guidelines this is not difficult to do. Please check my CPR hub that explains the guidelines in detail.
• Do Not Use Air Filled or Foam Toys: The air–filled or foam toys, such as “water wings”, “noodles”, or inner tubes in place of life jackets are not designed to keep simple swimmers safe.

Product Description

An excellent wetsuit for young children in swim classes or at the beach! Features: 1.5mm neoprene front and back panels give thermal protection and a little bit of buoyancy. Lycra sleeves & side panels provide flexibility, comfort, and room to grow. Excellent sun protection in a suit kids will want to wear. Back zip with short zipper leash for easy dressing and undressing

Summer will be here soon and children will swim any time they get a chance. I think the CDC guidelines are so important as it is so tragic for a child to die or live with brain damage due to drowning. This is a preventable accident. If you are not comfortable with performing CPR, call the Red cross and take a class which would only take about a half a day. There are even classes online.

Have fun with your children and make it a safe summer!

The copyright to this article is owned by Pamela Oglesby. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.