| mmer draws near and the amount of daylight | | | | supervision. |
| grows, the activity that grows more prevalent in | | | | Teach your children to swim, or have them |
| many people's minds, especially many children's | | | | taught, from the earliest possible age. Ignore their |
| minds, is swimming. | | | | protests if they put up resistance. They will thank |
| We seem to be instinctively drawn back to the | | | | you later, and it could very well save their lives |
| water from which our most distant ancestors | | | | one day. |
| came (and perhaps this is a key to unlocking the | | | | Children also need to be taught never to swim |
| door on the mystery of why dolphins so love | | | | alone. They should always have at least one |
| human beings). | | | | friend with them whenever they are going |
| However--we land-lubber human beings no longer | | | | swimming. First aid kits and life-savers should |
| have gills or fins. And contrary to a commonly | | | | always be close by the pool. If you are swimming |
| held myth, swimming is not second nature to us | | | | at a place such as a lake, take first aid kits and |
| (infant water therapy notwithstanding). So, as | | | | life-savers with you. As a parent, learn CPR. |
| much fun as swimming in the water can be for | | | | However, even more safety can be afforded to |
| us, it can also be deadly. | | | | children who are going swimming, or boating or |
| Statistically, a home with a back yard pool is | | | | fishing on a boat, with the use of one of the best |
| more dangerous, more potentially deadly, to | | | | water safety inventions ever devised--the life |
| children than a home in which the parents keep a | | | | jacket or safety vest. |
| locked gun cabinet. Each year, there are more | | | | At Avendales, there is a wide array of Coast |
| children who die by drowning in swimming pools | | | | Guard approved safety vests and related water |
| than there are who die because of a gun accident. | | | | safety items that are offered to give children |
| There are certain vitally important safety | | | | added protection in or near the water. |
| measures that adults should make sure they | | | | Their Finis Swim Vest can be adjusted by adding |
| practice with children whenever there is a | | | | or removing foam layers that alter the buoyancy. |
| swimming pool or a beach, a lake, etc where | | | | The vest also acts to keep children upright in the |
| children are playing in the water. | | | | water. The large life vest for children is designed |
| First and foremost, no children under the age of | | | | to promote floating on one's back, one of the |
| 14 should ever be left alone near the water. Not | | | | safest positions to take in the water. |
| for a second. It takes only a split second for a | | | | Their Sprint Children Therapy Wet Suit was |
| child to fall into a pool, hit her head on the edge | | | | especially designed to be worn by autistic children |
| on the way in, and die in a matter of minutes, or | | | | to keep them safe while they, too, enjoy the |
| to have something very similar happen just as | | | | water and the sunlight. The Swim-Tee Trainer is a |
| quickly and tragically. If you have to go | | | | tank top swimming suit with a heavy duty |
| somewhere, all young children need to go with | | | | inflatable inner tube designed for small children just |
| you. | | | | learning to swim. This trainer promotes |
| Another thing to do is be wary of pools bearing | | | | self-confidence in the water while providing a very |
| toys. Even if it isn't your own back yard pool, but | | | | high degree of safety. |
| one close by your home, pay special attention to | | | | The Spring Duck Mat is used to provide safety |
| small children going into the pool to play with the | | | | and support for water therapy rehabilitation or |
| toys. Always keep your pool toy free when | | | | water aerobics. |
| you're not there, and encourage your neighbors | | | | Avendales offers a Water Sports Helmet to be |
| to do the same. | | | | used with such water sports as tubing, water |
| Also keep your pool fenced in, and make sure the | | | | skiing, and wake boarding. The impact resistant |
| fence is locked and is too tall for small children to | | | | outer shell adds much more protection to |
| climb over. Children have little sense of the | | | | potentially dangerous but exciting sports. |
| dangers of pools and won't think to ask for adult | | | | |