Families with children have to prepare for the summer vacation season especially carefully. After all, the safety of the child on the beach is the most important task for parents. We hope that our top 7 tips for organizing child safety on the beach will make family vacations easier and more enjoyable.
7. Do not let your child swim alone
If the child is near water, you should also be near water. If the child is in the water, you should be ankle-deep right behind him at a minimum distance. Sudden cramp or fatigue can lead to trouble. Also, the child can fall into the fencing current (such currents are called pulls or rips) near the shore, panic and drown. There are drags even in shallow seas, such as the Sea of Azov. Such currents are directed to the shore at right angles and to get out of them you need to swim not forward, but parallel to the coast, until you get out of the rip. Then you need to turn and swim diagonally to the shore. Explain to the child that the rip will not be able to drag him to the bottom, this is not a funnel or a whirlpool.
6. No air mattress
Swimming with a baby on an air mattress can be fun in a pool or river, but it is not a good idea to relax at sea. A current or a strong wind can carry a craft away from the coast. An inflatable vest or a circle is also not an absolute protection; a child can slip out of them. However, such boats can be used in shallow water (maximum water should be on the chest of the child).
5. Do not sunbathe during dangerous hours.
Keep your child away from the sun and do not sunbathe yourself between 11 am and 3 days. During this time period, solar activity is at its peak and it is worth nothing to sunburn or receive heat stroke. And do not forget before going to the beach to apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher on your child’s skin, as well as grab a band-aid, mosquito repellent and panthenol - a burn control. If the child is on the beach for the first time, it is advisable for him to be in the sun for no more than 5 minutes, and then 20 minutes should be spent in the shade. Next time, the time in the sun can be increased by 5 minutes.
Symptoms of heat stroke include: confusion and dizziness, severe fatigue, headache, muscle cramps or weakness, nausea, excessive sweating or a complete lack of sweating, pallor of the skin, swelling (especially of the hands or face), heart palpitations. When these symptoms appear, put the child in the shade, let him drink plenty of water, rinse with cool water.
4. Read the warning labels.
On various beaches there are signs with colored flags, so do not forget to ask the lifeguard to explain what this or that flag means if you are not sure that you understood its meaning correctly.
- Usually red warning flags indicate strong surf and currents (that is, “Caution!”). Sometimes a red flag means that the beach is closed.
- Yellow flags indicate moderate surf and currents. Be careful and stay in the field of view of rescuers.
- Green flags indicate that the sea is calm.
- Blue or purple flags often indicate that there are potentially dangerous marine life nearby (such as sharks or jellyfish).
3. Know when your child needs help
According to statistics, drowning is in the top 3 list of the main causes of unintentional deaths of children under 15 years of age worldwide. A child can drown even in shallow water, a few meters from their parents. Drowning, as a rule, occurs rather quietly and quickly. In a drowning person, the head is low in the water (mouth under water) or tilted back with an open mouth, eyes are closed or “glass”, unable to focus, legs are upright in the water and the drowning person does not make any movements. A drowning person instinctively extends his arms to the side to push off from the water; he cannot lift them and swing them over his head, attracting attention. If you notice one or more signs that the child is drowning, help him immediately.
2. Pay attention to the waves
Childhood injuries resulting from strong waves can range from simple dislocations and broken collarbones to injuries to the internal organs and spine (which can lead to paralysis). Waves that break right on the shore (and not a few meters from it) can cause serious injuries to the neck and spine. Therefore, being in the water or near the water line (where the water goes ashore) never put your child and do not become your back to the waves.
1. Do not allow your child to take off shoes and underwear on the beach
The first place in our selection of recommendations for safe rest is taken by the obvious advice, which nevertheless is neglected by many parents. After all, the feeling of sand between the toes is part of the quintessence of a beach experience. But when this sand heats up to 40 degrees and above, walking on it is not too pleasant and even dangerous (you can get a burn). Black sand beaches are especially dangerous in this regard.
Also, do not bring a small child to the beach without panties. Sand grains that enter the genitals can cause irritation and inflammation.
