Water safety tips from AboutKidsHealth
This summer, plenty of fun activities will draw your child to water. Drowning can happen in as short a time as 20 seconds, so it is important to stay vigilant to ensure your child’s safety — no matter where you are.
AboutKidsHealth has provided water safety tips and broken down the basics of CPR to make sure kids stay safe this summer. For more information on how to give CPR and recognize signs of drowning, visit www.aboutkidshealth.ca.
Water safety
Closely monitor your child when they are swimming or playing close to water. If they are in distress, they will not be able to yell for help.
Your child can drown in places you may not expect. In addition to pools, lakes, and other bodies of water, make sure to carefully watch your child in the bathroom and in shallow water — even if it is only inches deep. Stay within arm’s reach of young children playing in water.
Signs of drowning
Visible signs your child is drowning include:
• floating face down
• head back with mouth open
• gasping for air.
If your child is unresponsive, yell for help and begin CPR.
Stay within arm’s reach of young children playing in water.
How to give CPR
CPR is the combination of chest compressions and rescue breaths (or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation) administered in emergency situations.
Please note that this CPR is suitable for children older than one year old up until puberty. After that, children should receive CPR as adults. This information can refresh your memory if you have already taken a CPR course. It does not replace real, hands-on CPR training.
1. Check if your child is responsive. Tap them on the shoulder and ask loudly, “Are you OK?” If they do not respond, get somebody to call 911 while you begin CPR. Have a bystander get an AED (automated external defibrillator) if one is available.
• If you are alone, begin CPR and call 911 on your cell phone. After two minutes (or five cycles) of CPR, get an AED if any is available.
• If you are by yourself and do not have a cell phone, call 911 from a nearby landline and retrieve an AED after five cycles of CPR.
2. Once your child is lying down on a hard, flat surface, give them 30 consecutive chest compressions. Position the heel of one or two of your hands over the lower third of your child’s breastbone. Push hard and fast — compressions should move your child’s chest approximately 5 cm (or 2 inches) downwards. In order for blood to flow to the brain and vital organs, their chest should return to its original position before you start a new compression.
3. After you deliver 30 compressions, it’s time to give rescue breaths. With the palm of your hand on your child’s forehead, use two fingers on their chin to carefully tilt their neck back and open the airway. Pinch their nose, put your mouth over their mouth and give two rescue breaths.
• Check that your child’s chest rises with each breath. Breaths should be no more than one second long.
4. Continue giving your child cycles of 30 chest compressions and two breaths for two minutes until the ambulance arrives or your child begins to breathe on their own. In two minutes, you should be able to give five cycles of 30 compressions and two breaths. Be aware that giving CPR for two minutes will be very tiring — if you are with anyone else, take turns and let them give CPR after two minutes.
5. If your child starts breathing, it is very important to put them in recovery position while you wait for the ambulance. This will keep their airway open and stop them from choking on their own vomit.
Delayed drowning
Drowning isn’t always immediate. Delayed drowning can occur when a baby or child experiences complications between one to 24 hours after a near-drowning experience. Even if your baby or child seems to have recovered, take them to a doctor to ensure they have no complications from delayed drowning.
Symptoms of delayed drowning include fever, trouble breathing, and feeling very sleepy or moody.
For more information on water safety, CPR and thousands of other children’s health topics, visit www.aboutkidshealth.ca.
