What parent has never felt a few palpitations when seeing an armband rise to the surface or watching their child drink from the cup? Or felt guilty by seeing a sunburn born on the back of his offspring? If swimming is a pleasant activity, a summer pastime to which we do not derogate, it can, if certain measures are not taken, prove to be a real source of anxiety for parents. We give you some tips so that the summer allows you to rest while letting the youngest splash around in peace. But in any case, a golden rule:mandatory supervision!
We can never repeat it enough:swimming is an activity that is just as pleasant as it is dangerous if certain precautions are not taken, and this, more specifically for children and elderly characters. In 2015, for the months of June and July alone, no less than 196 drownings were recorded. Among the victims, 12% were children aged 0 to 12, while 38% were people over the age of 65. So, in addition to the many preventive measures to adopt, supervision remains the best way to protect your child, whatever his age, his swimming level or the confidence that we place in him.
A study by Mpédia, a website that depends on the AFPTA (French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics), provides many tips on this subject. Like that of favoring supervised areas:municipal swimming pools or public beaches equipped with surveillance and rescue stations; even if the presence of these lifeguards does not exclude that, very strongly recommended if not compulsory, of a responsible adult. The latter must, as far as possible, remain as close as possible to the child; because in times of high affluence, we quickly lose sight of our offspring, as colorful as his swimsuit …. Bathing should also be avoided in the event of strong waves or a too high current; even if the heat is unbearable, safety must remain the watchword. In terms of equipment, also be careful:not everything that is sold on the market is necessarily suitable. Like buoys:25% of parents buy buoys that are fun but unsuitable. Check that buoys and armbands bear the CE marking and standard NF 13838-1. Otherwise, you can also choose two alternatives:swimsuits-floats, which cover the entire thorax, or "puddle jumper », which consist of two armbands connected by a ventral buoy. These two pieces of equipment are the most reliable; in fact, the material that composes them prevents deflation and therefore the alteration of their buoyancy capacity.
And if we haven't mentioned them, the traditional rules are always the same:don't forget to coat your child with SPF50 sunscreen every two hours (even more regularly if he goes back and forth in the water); we make sure he drinks every hour, we equip him with sunglasses that have CE anti-UV marking, we put a t-shirt on him and above all, we don't expose him to the hottest hours of the day.
That's it, all you have to do is sip a fruit juice quietly by the pool...
