Every day there is another story in the news of a young child drowning. Devastating. If you’ve had the experience of almost losing a child to drowning, you know that terrifying feeling. It can happen so quickly. An educated Nanny can help. Decades ago, we were the parents of three small children with a pool in our backyard. One of the children needed to be changed and as I ran in with the baby I shouted to my husband to watch the two year old who was in his tree fort way away from the pool. The NCAA finals were on, so my warning to my husband may have been a bit delayed in processing. He spotted my son a minute later in the bottom of the pool, but he was able to dive in and pull the boy out in time. We were so fortunate, but we were only seconds away for a tragedy. This incident happened so long ago but I can’t shake the memories.
Here are some safety tips we would like to share for the nanny world:
- Make sure a nanny knows how to swim if you ask her to go to the pool with your child
2. Even if she isn’t a great swimmer, she still needs to be IN the pool not on the sidelines if her charge is in. That goes for parents, too!
3. CPR & First Aid certifications are a must!
4. Do not rely on lifeguards especially in high season when pools are overflowing with swimmers.
5. If there are multiple children, it is best for them to stay together– otherwise, someone is left unattended.
6. Make sure that non -swimmers have either floaties or vests on.
7. Sign up for swim lessons for your children– and your nanny
8. Make sure to go over pool rules. Rules differ at each public pool.
9. If the nanny isn’t comfortable putting on a swim suit and being in the water, then the pool should be off limits on her watch