Most Dangerous Time of the Year in a Pool: Tips to Swim Safe

When I was a lifeguard, this moment right at the start of the the season was the most dangerous time of the year in a pool. In my seven years guarding, most of my saves were young swimmers in the first few weeks after opening. Kids came back to the neighborhood watering hole after a long winter and jumped right into the water fully expecting to swim like their end-of-summer-super- strong-swimmer selves. Their relative weakness after a long hiatus would bring on panic and cause them to flounder. Either that or they would sink like stones in their first jump off the diving board. Even now with my pool-running days way back in my rearview mirror, I still get anxious at the opening of the season and for good reason.

It's the most dangerous time of the year in a pool. Some tips to stay swim safe this summer! | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

A couple of years ago, our friend hosted her annual End of School/Welcome Summer pool party. With tables overflowing with yummy eats, good friends brimming with conversation, and a pool full of splashing, happy kids, we were all in a happy, relaxed place. This is not to say that we weren’t vigilant. In fact, the sides of the pool were lined with moms and dads watching their kids play or even in the water with them. But the pool was packed full, there was a lot of splashing and carrying on, and in the end, even with lots of eyes on and in the water, nobody saw the tragedy that almost played out in front of us.

It's the most dangerous time of the year in a pool. Some tips to stay swim safe this summer! | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

What to expect at an end of year pool party

I was busy refereeing a disagreement over a pool noodle, when a woman I barely knew walked over to me with a crying little girl in her arms.

“I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am to your son. He just pulled my little girl off the bottom of the pool.”

My eyes found my ten year old breathing heavy on the side of the pool. He had been swimming underwater trying out his new goggles when he saw the little girl on the bottom. He reacted quickly, grabbed her by her polka dot suit straps and yanked her to the surface. The little girl was a new swimmer and had slipped down the slope that led from the shallow end to deeper water. It was a common mistake, but her panic at not being able to put her foot down rattled her. When she panicked, she got some water in her mouth and ended up on the bottom of the pool. The scariest part: not one single adult sitting on the edge or swimming near her saw her go under. This is the stuff that stops my heart, scary movies be damned.

Our story is one of a near miss and we are grateful for it, but this scenario is common this time of year. In fact, at another pool party the same time the next year, I jumped in fully dressed to pull another five year old to safety. It’s the most dangerous time of the year in a pool. So what can you do?

First of all, the very best thing you can do for your kids if you plan to even look at water this summer is make sure everyone can swim. Find a reputable place for some lessons and then commit the time and resources to get this one done. But there is a caveat to this very sage advice: real lessons shouldn’t start until age 4. Swimming lessons are not a replacement for common  sense and they can give a false sense of security. By all means, have your kids take lessons as early and often as you are able, but know this truth: just because your child can swim a little and very young kids can swim, it does not mean they have enough stamina to swim out and then back to safety, a key marker of a competent swimmer.

It's the most dangerous time of the year in a pool. Some tips to stay swim safe this summer! | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Second, make a hard and fast rule that no one enters ANY body of water (even backyard kiddie pools) without a buddy. Accidents happen even to great swimmers, even in inches of water. Even with people watching. Lots of people.

It's the most dangerous time of the year in a pool. Some tips to stay swim safe this summer! | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

Third, never leave a swimming child unattended. We both have kids who have spent a season or five on a swim team and would easily qualify as strong swimmers. There is no way we would let any of our kids ever swim unattended. We’ll say it again: accidents happen even to great swimmers, even in inches of water.

So stay swim safe out there, folks! Summer fun is right around the corner and we wouldn’t want anything to spoil your fun!

It's the most dangerous time of the year in a pool. Some tips to stay swim safe this summer! | Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms

-Erin 

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