Tips for parents These are the biggest risks for children in the pool

Dangers lurk when swimming in a lake, river or swimming pool. Caution is particularly important with children. Find out here what to look out for when swimming with children.

Whether it's a swimming pool, river or lake: the hot temperatures drive people into the cool water.

Swimming is fun and exuberant, especially for children. But accidents happen time and again. Some of them even end fatally.

In the hot summer of 2022 alone, the Swiss Life Saving Association (SLRG) set a sad record: almost 60 people drowned in Switzerland during the bathing season up to mid-September, three of whom were children. The long-term annual average of 45 drowning deaths was thus exceeded.

Several water accidents have already occurred this season, including some involving children. Most recently, a 3-year-old boy had an accident on the slide at the Olten swimming pool and died a few days later in hospital.

So what can be done to minimize the risk of accidents when swimming with children? And what is the best way to react if a child has an accident despite all precautions? An overview.

Both the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (Bfu) and the Swiss Life Saving Association (SLRG ) point out that personal supervision is the be-all and end-all when it comes to avoiding swimming accidents.

The number one rule for swimming with children is: only let children into the water with you - supervise small children within easy reach!

"Don't let yourself be distracted by your smartphone or a conversation," writes the SLRG.

Even swimming aids such as "Flügeli", fins or air mattresses do not offer sufficient protection. They can be defective, slip off the arm or restrict the child's freedom of movement.

The two specialist agencies also recommend teaching children to swim at an early age and to have fun in the water, wear swimming aids and wear a suitable life jacket when boating.

The general rule is to get the child out of the water immediately so that the airways are clear and the child can breathe. However, do not neglect your own safety. "Rescue with the least risk" is the general credo.

In the swimming pool, the child should be placed on the hard ground and in open waters on the dry bank so that the child's condition can be assessed, explains Christoph Merki, SLRG media spokesman. This means that if the child is unconscious but still breathing, they should be placed in the recovery position.

If the child is neither responsive nor breathing, resuscitation measures should be started immediately, says Merki.

Note: Compressions should be applied to the lower part of the sternum and about one third of the diameter of the chest. As a guide, you can imagine a line between the nipples and apply the compression below this imaginary line.

There are sources of danger everywhere, which is why it is so important to be close to the child and pay full attention, says Merki

"Just because there's a lifeguard at the pool doesn't mean you no longer have to keep an eye on your child," says Merki, appealing to the accompanying adults' duty of constant supervision.

Merki only recommends swimming in open waters such as rivers and lakes to experienced swimmers. You should also think about where you are going to swim beforehand. Where do I go? Are there any eddies or currents? Where can I get out again?

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"No," says Merki. And a look at the statistics on fatal drowning accidents confirms this. On a ten-year average, drowning accidents involving children are stable at a low level. There were three per year in 2021 and 2022.

But that doesn't mean you can be more lenient when watching out, says Merki, adding: "People sometimes forget that."

According to the Bfu and SLRG, children should not be left unattended while bathing. They also recommend securing access points. For example, cover the paddling pool or the pool so that access can only be opened with the help of an adult. Screen off the pond, for example with a fence. The access door should be self-closing and latching.

According to the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (Bfu), small children are particularly at risk in and around water. If they fall into the water, they are not yet able to hold their breath automatically. Even their relatively heavy heads can barely keep them afloat. Just a few seconds under water can be a death trap, warns the Bfu. The depth of the water is irrelevant, the Competence Center for Accident Prevention continues.

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