Tips on keeping kids safe in the water

(THE RHODE SHOW) – Most Rhode Islanders would agree during the summer months there’s no better place to be than in the Ocean State. There’s nothing quite like cooling off from the hot summer sun with a dip in the pool, but practicing water safety is always so important.

“Children need to learn to respect water, understand what to do when they are in water. The best gift you can give is to enroll your children in swim lessons,” says Susan Pascale-Frechette.

Swim lessons are always a great idea – but what else can parents do? Susan is the owner of Pods Swimming in East Providence and has been teaching swim lessons and pool safety for years. She says, “Number one safety tip, if your child does not know how to swim the only true life saving device is a life jacket.. other floatation devices are not recommended but a life jacket is.”

Another reminder is that children should should always be supervised. “A child should never be in the water alone without a parent in the water,” says Pascale-Frechette.

Are you planning on hosting a pool party sometime soon? Susan said, “Having a lifeguard or a water watcher, or designating someone that is actually just in the water with the children and making sure they are safe and even adults. There are many adults that don’t know how to swim.”