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Water skills a must for kids around Lake Norman
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Published: July 12, 2009
Krenzer said that she would recommend introducing children to water at age six months.
"Obviously, we're not teaching them swimming techniques at that age, it's more about getting them comfortable during the Mommy and Me class," she said.
When the kids get a little older, Krenzer and fellow aquatics instructors teach children the basics.
"They learn how to hold their breath, to float on their front and back, how to tread water and safety skills in the pool and around all water," she explained.
Safe Kids USA, a national safety campaign sponsored by Johnson and Johnson and Children's National Medical Center, said drowning remains the second leading cause of injury-related death among children ages one to 14.
"Drowning, which can happen in as little as one inch of water, is usually quick and silent," according to usa.safekids.org/ NSKW.cfm. "A child will lose consciousness two minutes after submersion, with irreversible brain damage occurring within four to six minutes. The majority of children who survive without neurological consequences are discovered within two minutes of submersion, and most children who die are found after 10 minutes."
Of all drownings reviewed on the Web site, 39 percent occurred in pools (14 percent residential, 7 percent community and 18 percent of unknown type). Thirty-seven percent occurred in open bodies of water (such as lakes, rivers and ponds), and 18 percent occurred in and around the home, in places such as bathtubs, buckets and spas.
Safe Kids and Krenzer had a few safety tips for parents while near water.
"Absolutely wear a life jacket," said Krenzer emphatically. "Especially if the child is under 7, it's so important, and I think there is a law backing that up. I know that so many kids sit on the bow of the boat and they can flip off so easily. Please just use common sense and put one on your child."
Safe Kids recommends that parents not rely on water wings or inflatables to keep their child safe.
"If they can't swim, do not be more than an arm's length away," the Web site recommends. "Learn which of your child's friends have pools and make sure there will be supervision at all times. Fence in all pools, spas and hot tubs and learn infant and child CPR."
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