Water Safety: Keeping Kids Safe When You Live Near a Lake
Friday, July 13, 2012 Years ago, I was chatting with a client and we realized that we lived in the same town. Our area is known for its lakes and that is the primary reason that people move out here, so I asked if she lived on the water. "No, of course not. I have small children," was her reply. At the time, we didn't have any children yet but it certainly was in the plans. We never considered moving away from the water because of the children. In fact, we bought the place because we thought it would be a wonderful place to raise children.
That said, living near any water, whether it is a lake, river, pond, creek or swimming pool, means that you need to take water safety into consideration. I'm a former lifeguard, so I do have subject matter expertise as it relates to water safety. But, I don't think it is rocket science. Water safety is mostly common sense.
On one side of our home, there is a road with cars and trucks that frequently drive too fast. On the other side of our home is a lake that is 30 feet deep at the end of our dock. Most people have to deal with the road hazard when raising children. For me, dealing with the lake is much the same as dealing with the road. It takes a three-pronged approach: Supervision, safety precautions, and teaching.
Supervision
When you live near water, it is important to supervise your children carefully anytime they could possibly get to the water. I would divide our outdoor space into three parts: The deck, the backyard, and the water side.
The Deck: We have a large outdoor deck that our kids can play on. It includes toys, tricycles, a pick-nick table, and a play house. There is space for them to move, have fun, and be outdoors. There is also a gate with a latch that can be locked. Once our kids were toddlers, I felt comfortable with them playing on the deck on their own if it was locked, because I knew that they couldn't escape and get out to the road or the lake.
The Backyard: We have a backyard with a playground for the kids and space to run around. When the kids were toddlers and preschoolers, they were always supervised when they were playing in that space. We didn't always have them at arm's length, but they were always within our view and running distance, so that if they went towards the road or headed towards the lake, that we could get there first. Now that they are five and almost eight, they are allowed to play in the backyard on their own, because they know not to go on the road or to the lake (and they also know how to swim). They've earned that trust over time by showing that they understand the rules and can act responsibly. When we have birthday parties or when the kids have friends over, the supervision levels get ramped up again and we always have someone watching carefully to ensure no one goes down to the lake.- The Water Side: On the other side of our house is the lake. We have to go down the equivalent of three flights of stairs to get to the lake, but once we get down there it is deep -- 30 feet deep at the end of our dock. The kids are not allowed to go down there without an adult with them and it is up to the adult to supervise adequately to ensure that they don't go down. It is incredibly important whenever children are near water to ensure that there is a sober, responsible adult watching them.
Safety
The second element of our approach is safety, which includes locks and life jackets.
- Locks, Latches and Alarms: As adults, it is our responsibility to ensure that kids can't slip out of the house and head towards the water (just as it is our responsibility to ensure they don't slip out of the house and walk into the street). This means using latches and locks that your children cannot open to ensure that they cannot slip away. We had those childproof handles on the door of our house and a stiff latch that they couldn't reach or open on the screen door that led to the deck. We also had, as I mentioned earlier, a lockable latch on the deck so that the children could have a safe outdoor play space where we didn't have to hover at all times. We also have an alarm system on our house and we activate the alarm at night. That, combined with co-sleeping, is a pretty good way to ensure no child slips out of the house at night.
- Life Jackets: When we are in, on or near the water, all non-swimmers and weak swimmers (babies, toddlers, children, and even some adults) have to wear life jackets. By life jacket, I don't mean water wings or other floaties. I mean a certified, approved life jacket or personal flotation device that fits and is designed for that person (see Transport Canada's recommendations for children). Strong swimmers do not have to wear a life jacket, but they do still have to be supervised at all times. One of our kids no longer has to wear a life jacket in the water, but we are always close by in case he gets into trouble. There is also a beach nearby that has shallow water the kids can wade into. In that space, as non-swimmers, they always had to be either at arm's length or had to wear their life jacket.
Teaching
The third element of our approach is teaching. Obviously, as children get older, their understanding of safety and their capacity to self regulate increases. However, it doesn't always make intuitive sense, so it is important to keep on teaching and repeating yourself over and over.
- Boundaries: We teach our children boundaries. They know that they can play in the backyard, but that they cannot go down to the lake or out on the road. They know that because we've told them over and over again that they are not allowed and we've told them why they are not allowed. They understand that they could die. They respect that.
- Water safety: We teach our children about water safety. They know that they have to wear a life jacket and know why they have to wear it. They know that they cannot go swimming alone. They know that you have to watch out and not jump on top of other people when you are jumping into the lake. They don't always remember and often need to be reminded, but that is why we supervise them (see part 1!). We repeat ourselves over and over again.
- Swimming lessons: We ensure that our kids learn to swim. They have taken some swimming lessons and I've taught them a bit at home too. Being next to a lake and having the opportunity for daily practice really helps a lot more than a 30 minute per week swimming lesson. But I do think that all children should learn how to swim. Although we still supervise our children carefully around water, our stress level has gone down quite a bit now that they know how to swim. We no longer have to worry that if they slip off the dock, that they could drown in a matter of seconds. We have a bit of breathing room and space because of their abilities in the water.
That has been our approach to water safety. I think we've gained so much by having access to the water and I love raising a family there. But it does require a level of supervision and attentiveness that a fenced in suburban pool-less backyard may not.
How do you ensure your kids are safe around water?
Reader Comments (25)
Included in our boundaries is "Never head first. Ever." I know that when the kids are much older and we are in specific locations with which we are very familiar, the "never" and "ever" may soften a little but still. Never head first. Ever.
Yes, that is a good one.
It hasn't come up in our case because it is 30 feet deep at the end of our dock and I can't even touch the bottom if I try. Also our kids are still scared to go head first. But I think we will add that one to the messaging once they've started diving, so that they'll remember it as we visit other locations.
While reading this post, I realized I've been a little more overprotective than I thought. So, I wondered why. I think it's that I'm afraid of not being able to rescue them. So, I've kept us all out of those types of situations by avoiding water situations I felt I couldn't control and by holding hands across the street for much longer than necessary. I've been intentionally working on both street and water safety with them this summer. I'd call my 5 year old a weak swimmer, but my older kids are strong. I just want to thank you for this post. It showed me ways to get over my fears and allow my kids as full of an outdoor life as they have indoors.
At what age/stage/swimming proficiency do you think it is okay for a child not to wear a floating jacket thing near a pond or lake? Jackson is two and in his very first swimming class this summer, but I was thinking ahead and wondering at what point a parent can relax a little bit. Just a little bit, mind you!
Thanks for this. I've never been a good swimmer (can function in the deep end of a pool and off a diving board, but that's about it), and I once watched my partner nearly drown in the middle of a deep lake because he got too cocky about his own swimming abilities (it was terrifying). I struggle not to be fearful about having our toddler in the water. Having some sensible guidelines and knowing that kids CAN enjoy the water without being in danger helps me to be comfortable allowing him this wonderful way of exercising, enjoying nature, and having fun.
My boys are 13 & 8, and I am with them in the pool when we go. The 8 year old is a new swimmer, & the 13 year old dives off the 10 meter board - so they are vastly different. There's no real age - it's more of ability, but the thing is, the 13 year old still tries to pull stupid stunts without the foresight to realize how he could hit his head, for example, so my eyes are always looking for both of them in the water. With the 8 year old, I'm at arms length about 75% of the time.
Meri:
I only let my son swim without a life jacket in the lake once he had demonstrated in a pool that he could swim long distances without having to touch down or grab onto the wall. When he could swim fairly well, but not very far, I would let him take the life jacket off when I was able to be within arm's length of him in the lake. I would swim next to him holding a pool noodle or flutter board that he could grab onto if/when he needed it. I only let him out of arm's length once he was able to swim around 25 metres or so on his own without touching down anywhere.
That said, when we are in shallow water, I am a bit more relaxed about it. My daughter can only swim about 10 metres or so without touching down. If we are in shallow water, I'll let her go without a lifejacket, knowing that she can put her feet down on the ground as needed. But I always supervise carefully.
I must tell you all about Infant Swimming Resource (ISR). A friend of mine is an instructor and it teaches babies and small children how to float and get to the "side." We will be getting the lessons for our little one when she is 6 months old (in October). Our sitter has a pool, and although there are safety fences around the pool, I feel like I would be remiss if I did not also get her trained. Check it out!
http://www.infantswim.com/
Thank you for this post! Water is the one thing that stresses me out more then anything else when it comes to my kids, and I'm doing my best to keep them prepared and safe while still enjoying water activities. Last year, my son was 18m and would just walk out into the water until he could no longer touch and I'd have to run in after him. This year I bought him a life jacket thinking it would protect him. He walked in, ending up doing a face plant and began thrashing about, I had assumed it would just flip him over, but it didn't. My friends 8yr old had to flip him over, he cried and is now terrified of going in past his knees. I had no idea that life jackets only flipped people over when they were unconscious. Our city operates a public lake, and requires all children under 7 to wear a life jacket, I think it might give parents a false sense of security. Swimming lessons it is for next spring!
A very nice post! And I do think your last sentence sums it up very well: The closer you live to danger - the safer you are. Because you know you have to take precautions and you follow through with them. For me, this is similar to road safety: we don't own a car and get around the city by foot or bike and our 4.5 y.o. is probably safer there than most of his peers.
Great post! Growing up in San Diego, water safety and swimming was something everyone learned pretty much automatically (I was on swim team in 1st grade, along with a bunch of other kids and knew all 4 strokes and how to tread water like a water polo player, plus more basic stuff like how to float on your back until you were rescued if you got in too far to swim back) and I was surprised in high school and college how many of my Midwest friends didn't know how to swim well and/or tread water well. There are lakes, rivers, and pools all over the Midwest too, after all! I actually fell off a whitewater raft in high school once because a friend was using the raft wrong and I was stupidly too nice to tell her to move her feet, but thanks to water training (and a life jacket), I didn't panic, and then with the help of a raft guide, got back in and told my friend to move her feet!
Anyway, important topic and a very sensible approach-nice work :)
Thank you for this post Annie. It's especially important in light of the recent drownings.
I hate rules like that. When my sister was 4 years old she was on the swim team and racing in the 8 and under category. To put a life jacket on her would have been ridiculous. That said, there are many older kids and even adults that should be wearing life jackets. Aged based rules don't really help anyone.
We also just moved onto a lake house. We gated our deck (my toddler figured out the lock in ten seconds), and supervise him out in the backyard. Truthfully, though, he is naturally a cautious kid and I haven't felt worried about it. I am going to get him swimming lessons...I don't know why I haven't yet. I had thought about it but we just moved and it seemed like a lot. I should get on that.
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That is a great post, Annie! I did a series of three short posts about getting your child used to the water. Here is the first-
http://standardspicywhatnot.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-get-your-child-used-to-water-1.html
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Thank you for this post Annie. Great advice! Question though: do your kids wear life jackets at all times when in the lake, and if so, is it because of their age/ability? They are still quite young. Will they eventually be allowed to go without? Also, at what age would one start swimming lessons and any recommendations? My LO is 15 months.
When they are swimming from our dock, where the water is 30 feet deep, they wear life jackets at all times until they are very strong swimmers. My son (7 years old), no longer has to wear his life jacket if I am closely supervising him. He can swim more than 25 metres without having to touch the bottom. My daughter (5 years) can probably swim around 15 to 20 metres without having to touch down or hold on to something, so she is not allowed swimming in the deep water without a life jacket at all.
Both of them have been allowed in the lake without life jackets at the beach where it is shallow since they were able to walk. But they were never more than an arm's length away from me until they were strong swimmers.
For me, it is both maturity and swimming ability that is important, not age. My kids have shown that they are cautious, so once their swimming ability develops sufficiently, they can take off the life jacket.
That is a good point. In unknown waters, everyone should be extra cautious. In our lake, however, we know the lay of the land (or the water!), so we feel comfortable letting our kids go without life jackets once they are good swimmers. They are, of course, supervised by responsible, sober adults at all times.
When my kids were teenagers, we visited Florida. I let them go (together) to the pool at the campground without me, as they were both stronger swimmers than I was, but when they went swimming at a Gulf beach, I went along and didn't take my eyes off them -- but that was as much watching for sharks as anything else!
[...] Common-sense water safety for kids Whether you own or are planning on visiting a waterside home or cottage, PhD in Parenting offers some sensible rules and precautions to keep in mind. Water safety: Keeping kids safe when you live near a lake [...]
I am one of those who would choose not to live right next to water with small children, mainly because in the baby/toddler stage, I just do not trust the situation 100%. Those doorknob handle covers (locks), for example can come apart, making the doorknob exposed to turning anyway. While the following wasn't a water situation, we know someone whose toddler was killed by two dogs he had in the garage for breeding who weren't socialized to human contact, because the family was relying on the handle cover to keep the child out of the garage. I don't condemn anyone who chooses to live by water, but it's not for us; I prefer to err on the side of caution.
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I have a 2 year old and one one the way and my in laws have a lake house with a 15 ft lake at the dock. No wadding area. They are always asking for my little one to be aĺlower in Lake and honestly I don't want them in it for many years. I'm also afraid they wont listen to my warnings and sneak down there and fall in. I'm terrified f going to their house. My question and I know there's probably not just one answer, but when. did you get in the deep lake with them with life jackets and what did you say about the death risk?