Within Arms Reach

Within Arms Reach

Supervision of children while playing in the water and swimming needs to be constant. Parents and caregivers need to stay “within arms reach” of a child. Many children drown by slipping into water and it can happen in as little as 2.5 cm (1 inch) of water. Tips for supervising parents, adults and caregivers:

• Do not let yourself get distracted by socializing, answering the phone, drinking alcohol, or doing chores.
• Always have an adult in charge. This adult could hold onto an object and pass it to another adult before leaving the pool area; examples include a whistle or key chain.   
• The supervising adult needs to know how to swim, initiate a rescue, perform CPR, and call for help in case of an emergency.
• Adult to child ratio needs to be monitored. General recommendations include: 1 adult for 2 children less than five years of age, 1 adult for 4 children 6 to 10 years of age and 1 adult for 15 children 11 to 15 years of age.
• Staying “within arms reach” is essential when you are supervising any infant or toddler around water. This includes all pools, open bodies of water, spas, and bathtubs.

For more information about child water safety, call Ottawa Public Health Information 613-580-6744, TTY 613-580-9656 or visit our web site at ottawa.ca/health. read more..

source:ottawa.ca