Summer is finally here and the pools have been open for about a month now. We are just as excited as anyone else to have our fun pool days but we all need to remember to keep water safety as our number 1 priority. Luckily my children have been learning many life saving tactics during our weekly Goldfish lessons. At 5 my son knows how to tread water and switch to a back float when he's tired, and my 3 year old knows to crawl her hands along the edge of a pool if she has fallen in.

These skills could make the difference between life and death in certain scenarios but, pools in the summer can be very crowded. In a recent interview, Lisa Armitage and some other water safety experts reminded us that it can take as little as 10 seconds for a child to slip underwater. With all the other children, one child could get lost in the scuffle for a moment too long and even lifeguards may not be able to notice in time. Check out the video and safety information here .

Although this is a scary topic, it's important to use this information to come up with a plan to keep everyone safe at the pool or water park.

"Always be your child's first lifeguard."
Make sure your child is always swimming with a buddy, no matter what the age.
Designate a rotation of "watchers" so either you or another parent can always be keeping an eye on who or what is going on underneath the surface.
Set boundaries, rules, and meeting times / locations.

Diaper Bag Diaries wishes you all a safe and happy summer!