General Swimming/Water Safety

• Actively and closely supervise your children when they are around pools, the ocean, lakes or rivers. Never leave your child alone around water, even for a moment. Take turns with other adults to keep a constant eye on the children. Keep a cell phone nearby in case of an emergency.
• Enroll your child in swimming lessons taught by a certified instructor. However, don't assume swimming lessons or life jackets make your child "drownproof." These precautions are important, but they cannot substitute for constant supervision.
• Learn infant and child cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In less than two hours, you can learn effective methods that can give a fighting chance to a child who has fallen into water and become unconscious. Contact your local hospitals, fire departments and recreation departments for CPR training.
• Make sure kids swim only in areas designated for swimming. If your child is an adolescent who has completed swimming lessons, require that they swim with a buddy.
• Do not let your child dive into any body of water unless you know the depth of the water and it is at least nine feet deep because if they hit their head on the bottom, it can cause very serious injuries.
• Do not allow your child to swim during thunderstorms or lightening storms.
• Do not let your child play rough in the water.
• Do not mix alcohol with diving, swimming or boating.

Safety in Swimming Pools

• If you have an in-ground pool, install four-foot-tall isolation fencing around it that separates the pool from the house and play area of the yard. Keep a cell phone near the pool for emergency use.
• Teach your children to enter the water feet first.
• Remove toys from the pool so children are not tempted to reach for them.
• Empty blow-up pools and put them away after each use.
• Keep electrical appliances away from the pool. Do not allow riding toys near the pool.

Safety at the Lake, at the River and in the Ocean

• Natural bodies of water can be challenging for even the strongest swimmers, especially when conditions change rapidly.
• Teach children that swimming in open water is much more difficult than swimming in a pool. Teach them to be aware of uneven surfaces, river currents and ocean undertow.
• Teach children how to tread water and float, and to stay calm and continue floating if a current carries them away from shore.
• Teach children not to dive into oceans, lakes or rivers. It's impossible to gauge how deep the water is or what might be hidden under the surface that can cause serious injuries.
• Do not let kids operate personal watercraft such as jet skis.
• When boating, make sure your child wears a Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device.
• Make sure that adults who are not comfortable with the water wear a Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device.
• Pay attention to the weather.

For more information and resources, visit the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.

Sources:
http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/tips/healthtips/safetywater.html#children
http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=352&folder_id+181
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?li+MNID=2911&articlekey=51575