My son returned home from college the other day just in time for Mother’s Day which is celebrated here in the United States and Canada on May 13th. And it was the best day ever.

I’m more proud of him now than ever before, and I love having him around especially since he’s so good with the techy stuff. Kidding. But seriously though, my new printer is finally hooked up. Thank you, Ethan!

I hope you had a beautiful Mother’s Day too for all the mom’s out there! And now today is May 15th which means it’s…

INTERNATIONAL WATER SAFETY DAY MAY 15!
Striving to make a planet that’s 70% water, 100% water safe.

International water safety day is a global team effort to bring as much awareness of the statistics of drowning to the general population. And to educate children and adults on how to be safe in, on and around water.

According to the World Health Organization…

In 2015, an estimated 360,000 people died from drowning, making drowning a major public health problem worldwide. In 2015, injuries accounted for over 9% of total global mortality. Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.

And the most vulnerable are children ages 1 to 4 years, followed by children ages 5 to 14 years.

Drowning can take place in any body of water from as little as 2 inches of water in a bathtub, bucket or toilet to a landscape water feature, pool, pond, river, lake or ocean just to name a few.

More Frightening Facts

• Drowning is silent and will go unnoticed if no one is actively watching.
• And that being said, drowning can happen even in the presence of lifeguards.
• But a non-guarded swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child under the age of 4-years-old.

My husband shared this relevant Facebook post with me…

Fun fact: Maurice LaMarche is the voice of the Brain from Pinky and the Brain.

Click here to read the article to which he is referring.

So to keep you and your family safe around water, make sure to:

• Always swim in a lifeguarded area.
• Learn swimming and water safety survival skills.
• Provide close and constant attention to children you are supervising in or near water.
• Children, inexperienced swimmers, and boaters should wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets.
• Provide adequate barriers around swimming pools, spas, and landscape water features.
• Also, know what to do in an emergency. If a child is missing, check the water first.
• And know when to call 911 and have easy access to reaching or throwing equipment, a cell phone, life jackets and a first aid kit.

Enroll in American Red Cross home pool safety to keep you and your family safe around water.

And for more information on preventing accidents to keep you and your family safe, get the free water safety app. For the iTunes app store click here and for Google Play click here.

To participate in International Water Safety Day, simply share this post with as many people as you can on your favorite social media platform(s).

The more people we can reach, the closer we get to make our planet 100% water safe.

Thank you for your participation.

Love the water but fence it in,
Tessa

P.S. Get the FREE water safety app to help ensure your family stays safe in, on and around the water. It includes kid-friendly videos and quizzes. Search the iTunes app store for Swim by American Red Cross or click here. For Google Play you can use the same search parameters or click here. It provides the latest in water safety guidance to help ensure your family stays safe in, on and around the water.

P.P.S. To start your child on the path to becoming water safe, click here.

Have you ever tried to get a swim cap on a child? Not so easy, is it? My video will show you how to do it in about 2 seconds.

Want to know how to get that cap on in a nanosecond? My video will show you how to do that too.

“It’s a must-see! Action-packed from beginning to end! The cinematography and editing are superb!”

– The Swimmywood Reporter

I now present to you how to get a swim cap on a child in under 2 seconds.

Today’s Water Safety Tips

• Never swim alone and especially don’t let your child swim alone.
• And always stay within arms reach of your child when swimming.

The other day, I was swimming laps. Alone. I know, I admit it, I don’t practice what I preach. It’s just not practical to have my husband sit there and watch me, to make sure I’m okay.

So there I am swimming laps. Feeling good, getting some exercise when suddenly I inhaled a tiny little bit of water. This happened smack in the middle of the deep end. I couldn’t stop coughing. It was uncontrollable. I struggled to get to the wall. It wasn’t easy.

I knew I was going to make it but wow! That was a whole lot harder than I ever could have imagined.

I always tell my students to float on their backs whenever they need to breathe or rest.

In my case, back floating or even swimming on my back wasn’t an option. The coughing was so out of control that it would’ve been impossible to maintain a supine position.

After I recovered from my near-drowning experience. Kidding. I thought about how impossible it would’ve been for a child to make it to the wall.

A child would not have been able to make it. Drowning is silent and the struggle to remain on the surface of the water will only last from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.

It will go unnoticed if no one is actively watching.

To avoid the unspeakable from happening, learn the CIRCLE OF DROWNING PREVENTION.

The complete CIRCLE OF DROWNING PREVENTION presented by the American Red Cross:

LINKS IN THE CIRCLE

1. First of all, provide close and constant attention to children you are supervising in or near water.
2. And fence pools and spas with adequate barriers, including four-sided fencing.
3. Also, learn swimming and water safety survival skills.
4. In addition, children, inexperienced swimmers, and boaters should wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets.
5. Finally, always swim in a lifeguarded area.

If you have any thoughts on the subject or experiences that you would like to share, I would love to hear from you.

Love the water but fence it in, so
Tessa Swim cap on a child

P.S. Get the FREE water safety app to help ensure your family stays safe in, on and around the water. It includes kid-friendly videos and quizzes. Search the iTunes app store for Swim by American Red Cross or click here. For Google Play you can use the same search parameters or click here. It provides the latest in water safety guidance to help ensure your family stays safe in, on and around the water.

P.P.S. To start your child on the path to becoming water safe, click here.

Student(s) Spotlight

Autumn water safety tips for adults

In the middle of a swim lesson the other day, one of my students asked me, “Would you like to ask me about my day?”

Okay, first of all, she’s 2. What?! I know, right.

Secondly, that’s a 9-word sentence. She has no business constructing a 9-word sentence.

And finally what impressed me more than the sheer length of the sentence was just how sophisticated it was. I mean isn’t that the kind of question you ask your spouse?

Mark water safety tips for adults

“THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL!” exclaimed 4-year-old Mark after I demonstrated bobbing for him.

Apparently, I executed the bobbing sequence with such exquisite precision that he found it impossible to contain his enthusiasm.

I didn’t realize I was so talented in that department. Thanks for thumbs up, Mark!

In the News + Water Safety Tips

On March 18th firefighters and paramedics responded to a drowning and a near drowning within 30 minutes of each other.

The first drowning occurred in a hot tub in Rancho Mirage. There are no details except that the victim was elderly.

A Scripps Howard study reveals that one American drowns nearly every day in a bathtub, hot tub or spa. It’s usually alcohol or drug related and happens disproportionately more in western states.

Also more than half of all tub deaths are among non-disabled people between the ages of 5 and 64.

And the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) declares that for persons with seizure disorders, drowning is the most common cause of unintentional injury death, with the bathtub as the site of highest drowning risk.

The second near-drowning incident took place at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center. The victim suffered a medical emergency while swimming. The lifeguards pulled him out of the pool and were administering CPR when first responders arrived.

He was transported to the hospital and is in critical condition as of March 18th.

According to the CDC, drowning can happen even in the presence of lifeguards.

CDC Tips to help you stay safe in the water. For complete details click here:

• Supervise When in or Around Water. Designate a responsible adult to watch young children while in the bath and all children swimming or playing in or around water even if lifeguards are present.
• Always swim with a buddy. Select swimming sites that have lifeguards when possible.
• Seizure Disorder Safety. If you or a family member has a seizure disorder, provide one-on-one supervision around water, Consider taking showers. Wear life jackets when boating.
• Learn to Swim. However, even when children have had formal swimming lessons, constant, careful supervision when children are in the water, and barriers, such as pool fencing to prevent unsupervised access, are still important.
• Learn Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). In the time it takes for paramedics to arrive, your CPR skills could save someone’s life.
• Air-Filled or Foam Toys are not safety devices. These toys are not life jackets and are not designed to keep swimmers safe.
• Avoid Alcohol. Avoid drinking alcohol before or during swimming, boating, or water skiing. Do not drink alcohol while supervising children.
• Don’t let swimmers hyperventilate before swimming underwater or try to hold their breath for long periods of time. This can cause them to pass out (sometimes called “hypoxic blackout” or “shallow water blackout”) and drown.
• Know how to prevent recreational water illnesses. For more information about illnesses from recreational water, click here.
• Know the local weather conditions and forecast before swimming or boating. Strong winds and thunderstorms with lightning strikes are dangerous.

The most significant takeaways from today’s newsletter:

• First of all never swim alone. water safety tips for adults
• Secondly, avoid alcohol when supervising children.
• Also, avoid alcohol while relaxing in any tub or spa.
• Always swim in a lifeguarded area.
• And last but not least, choose the shower vs. bath if afflicted with a seizure disorder.

If you have any thoughts on the subject or experiences that you would like to share, I would love to hear from you.

Love the water but fence it in, water safety tips for adults
Tessa water safety tips for adults

P.S. Get the FREE water safety app to help ensure your family stays safe in, on and around the water. It includes kid-friendly videos and quizzes. Search the iTunes app store for Swim by American Red Cross or click here. For Google Play you can use the same search parameters or click here. It provides the latest in water safety guidance to help ensure your family stays safe in, on and around the water.

P.P.S. To start your child on the path to becoming water safe, click here. water safety tips for adults