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Nationwide Encourages Parents To Make Safe Happen

“This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. All opinions are 100% mine.”

snorkeling

Summertime is my favorite time of the year. We have more fun in the summer than any other time of the year. Unfortunately, more fun means more danger. If we aren’t careful around water bad things can happen. It’s important this time of year to keep a watchful eye on our children especially when they play around pools, lakes, and oceans. To play it safe, we should never be farther than arms reach from our kids.

Nationwide’s Photo HuntPhoto Hunt

Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen program is designed to increase awareness of the risk of drowning that is ever present during summertime play. With Safe Kids Worldwide they hope to reach as many parents and caregivers as possible in order to reduce drowning statistics and save lives. Each year about 800 children die from drowning. In order to Make Safe Happens Parents are encouraged to raise the B.A.R through Being prepared, Active Supervision, and Reducing risks.

A great way of being prepared in the case of an emergency situation is to learn CPR, First Aid, and AED. You can become certified at your local American Red Cross location. You can also become an authorized provider like my husband did by attending classes at your local college. When my husband was enrolled at Kennesaw State University, he completed the required coursework and became an authorized provider for Adult, Child, and Infant CPR First Aid and AED certifications. He found the coursework was valuable not only for his job as a massage therapy instructor, but it also gave him a lot of confidence as a parent. He even used his skills to save one of our newborn puppies from choking to death! Becoming certified in CPR and First Aid provides you the skill to be helpful in all sorts of emergency situations.

Active supervision demands constant awareness. Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. When kids are playing around water parents should never be farther than arms reach from their little ones. According to research, most parents have left their children unattended for a few minutes or have been farther than arms reach from their kids at some point. Parents become more confident if they consider them proficient swimmers or if they have taken swim lessons. The reality is almost half of kids ranging from ages 10-17 reportedly knew how to swim according to a recent survey. Fences and lifeguards don’t always keep kids safe. It takes minutes for a child to drown and they may not even make a noise. We have to keep vigilant and actively supervise our children. Active supervision is one of the best ways to Make Safe Happen.

Not too long ago my son was with my husband out on the lake. As a responsible father should he always makes sure they both have their personal protective equipment before they leave the house. Good thing too because one day while kayaking on East Lake Toho a storm came out of nowhere and waves capsized the boat before they could make it back. Who knows what could have happened if my husband were not prepared and alert.

Reducing risks is an ongoing process. Nature is dynamic and as such always presents new dangers. No matter what sort of outdoor adventure you find yourself on you should never feel too safe. Always be aware of your surroundings when looking after your precious cargo. If something doesn’t look right trust your instincts and remove your kids from the situation. Be aware of everything in your child’s environment that could become a safety risk. With a risk reduction mentality, you can avoid most dangerous situations. Fight the tendency to become complacent about safety at home too. Drowning can even occur without your children leaving the house. The danger isn’t just sinks and bathtubs either. Kids can drown in at little as a teaspoon of water. Dry drowning occurs when water gets trapped in someone’s throat and can end of stopping the flow of oxygen to the brain resulting in death. Even out of water we must always be aware of what is going on with our kids.

Water Safety 2016 Infographic_FINAL

As parents, we aren’t given a manual. We learn a lot of what we know through trial and error as well as resources like this one and programs like Nationwide’s Make Safe Happen. It’s up to us to make our homes safer and keep our kids safe when they are playing around water. One way to make your home safer is to create age appropriate room-to-room safety checklists. You can find even more ways to Make Safe Happen by visiting the website. Have some fun with Nationwide’s Photo Hunt (above). Check out the infographic the provides the facts about kids and the danger of drowning. You can also download the Make Safe Happen App and connect with Nationwide on Facebook and Twitter. Feel free to leave your suggestions regarding water safety in the comments.

Do you have what it takes to make the promise to your children?

 

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