This week, mom-to-be Kourtney Kardashian and her family are still vacationing and showing off photos of their fabulous adventures with their fans and followers in social media.
But please, don’t learn boating safety from your favorite celebrity.
We noticed yesterday, the pregnant E! reality TV star shared a photo of herself with her beau Scott Disick and sister Khloe Kardashian pushing off shore in a sailboat but none of them were wearing life jackets.
While the pic may have been staged and the mom of two could have slipped on the safety jacket after the photo, but the message to the millions of impressionable people who follow and try to copy their every move has already been set.
It reminded us to reshare our post from May about National Drowning Month with tips we got from the US Swim School Association.
Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. On average, 3,533 people die as a result of drowning each year, and most of those deaths are children under the age of four who drown in backyard swimming pools. The tragedy of these statistics is nearly all drowning deaths are preventable.
Once again, learn some of the standard things parents should do:
- keep their children under their supervision constantly;
- enroll them in swimming classes;
- know CPR;’ and
- install pool fences and barriers.
In addition to these vital steps, USSSA has created a list of tips parents can use to build extra layers of protection for their children around water.
- Create a verbal cue for your toddler or child that must be given by you before he or she can enter the pool.
- Never allow your baby/toddler in the pool without a swim diaper.
- Create a process the child must go through before entering a pool such as putting on a swim diaper, a swimsuit and applying sunscreen.
- Never use flotation devices or water wings when swimming or when teaching kids to swim.
- Children should learn to swim without goggles. Teach your children to open their eyes under water; if they fall in they can find the side of the pool or a step and get out safely.
- For very young children practice having them put their entire face under water in the bathtub and blow bubbles to build their comfort with water.
- Create a water safety plan for your family and have water emergency drills with your kids covering how to recognize the signs of someone struggling in water and what to do in this type of emergency.
- Make sure your guests and kids’ friends know your pool rules before they go outside and get in the pool.
- Start swim lessons at 6 months of age and continue them year-round at a US Swim School member location.
- Always make sure your children wear life jackets on boats, personal watercraft and in open bodies of water.
