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swimming

The Benefits of Swimming: You and Your Child Should Get Along “Swimmingly”

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RNLI lifeguard offering safety advice

Did you know there are many benefits to swimming? Bucknell University lists 9 physical benefits:

  • Improved flexibility
  • Increased endurance
  • Muscular balance
  • Heart strength
  • Improved physique
  • Increased circulation
  • Rehabilitates muscle
  • Improves ease of weight management
  • Low impact on weight bearing joints

All these are important, but for your children swimming is just plain fun.  What are some reasons to get your kids in the water and create a healthy habit for life?

Safe from the start

Helping your child overcome their natural fear of water comes from a safe and stress-free introduction to swimming.  Seeking out your local Red Cross approved swimming program will give you an age appropriate entry point.  From babies to adults, there are first timer programs that will ease their way into swimming, by developing proper techniques and safety consciousness.  Their ability to react calmly to situations in the water, because of good basic safety skills, could save their life or the lives of others. [Read more…] about The Benefits of Swimming: You and Your Child Should Get Along “Swimmingly”

How to Make Your Pool Safe For Kids

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pool safety

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If you’ve put in a pool or moved to a house that has one recently, you’re probably wondering where you can get some toys to give the kids to play with in the water. But there’s that voice in the back of your head reminding you that the pool can also be dangerous. And indeed, everyone’s heard at least one horror story about a hapless child falling into an unattended pool. The results are never good, so it’s always a good idea to look into pool safety.

First things first: some residential zoning authorities have regulations pertaining to pool safety. These vary from place to place, so check your local laws, but they normally involve placing the pool a certain distance from your property line or installing a protective fence (normally it’s required to have a locking gate and be at least four feet tall). So, the first thing you’ll want to do is to make sure that your pool is up to code. If it is, you can start to think about what additional safety measures you’ll want to employ. [Read more…] about How to Make Your Pool Safe For Kids

Safety Tips for Kids at the Beach

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Beach Kids

Many families love to go to the beach during summer. That’s undeniable. People’s love for the outdoors and most especially the beach often reaches its peak when the kids are off from school. What better way to enjoy family bonding moments than to get some sunshine and get wet.

But for families with small kids, parents need to give safety a top priority when they bring their kids at the beach. Educating your children early on is important. This way, the kids get first hand information from you on the safe practices they should observe and the dangers that exist at the beach such as the waves, stingers, bluebottles and sunburn.

Parental supervision is crucial right from the time you arrive and notably when the kids are near or in the water. Don’t rely on the lifeguards because they only have two eyes. And do make sure that the beach you’re going to has a lifeguard. [Read more…] about Safety Tips for Kids at the Beach