From 2005-2009, there were an average of 3,544 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States. About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. More information on these statistics can be found on the CDC website. With it being the summer, I thought it was a good time to teach my children about drowning, CPR, and choking. Ideally, it is best if your child knows how to swim. The techniques I wanted to teach my children were more for them being able to help another person in need. I wanted to share some of the great resources I found to help teach them. I took care of children who choked on something as simple as a chocolate covered doughnut and died. I’ve also taken care of children who drowned in their own bathtubs. Hopefully, I can provide some tips on great websites you can use to teach your kids to help others when they need CPR, are drowning, or choking.
For CPR, I talked to my kids (9 yrs and 6 yrs) about adult, child, and infant CPR. They practiced on each other (softly). Here are some great resources for it:
For choking, my children practiced on each other (just hand placement). These videos allow them practice with it:
For drowning, this is a great video for children to watch, so they don’t become a victim trying to help a friend.
This page has great tips on water safety with good pictures for the kids.
The kids actually enjoyed learning the material, and it makes me feel better if they are in a situation where they made need these skills.
This is a side note with swimming with infants. I kept purchasing the disposable swim diapers. They are super expensive. I purchased this reusable swim diaper on Amazon by i play. I LOVE it. My daughter had diarrhea and it held it in! I only recommend getting the size bigger than the recommendation.
I hope everyone has a healthy and safe rest of the summer!
