Parent to Parent: Steps to keep your kids safe near the pool this summer
HOUSTON - With the hot temperatures, a hot spot is going to the swimming pool or beach, which can be more dangerous than you think for your children. Especially the little ones.
According to Safe Kids Greater Houston, which is led by Texas Children’s Hospital, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death among children between the ages of 1 and 4. In 2020, Texas reported having 80 drownings. Almost 80% of these incidents happened to children 4-years-old and younger.
The statistics are scary, and can be 100% prevented, which is why one local mom is leaving her career to keep kids safe full time.
Shawna Nickerson now spends eight hours a day in the pool.
"I had several of my friends asking if I would teach their kids to swim. I was like yeah, let’s go. I had a little extra time, and then I started getting referrals and all these people messaging me, and I started to realize there are a lot of kids that can't swim," said Nickerson.
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She’s now coach Shawna to hundreds of kids, including Selma Kliment’s two-year-old daughter.
"The first thing we learned is doing monkey crawls against the wall and finding a stair. She was able to do that, so that eased my mom's brain a little bit and helped me enjoy the pool and stay safe," said Kliment.
"When your kid is in swim lessons, almost always we are going out of their comfort zone. The best way to get them out of their comfort zone is to make it fun, give positive reinforcement, and just keep encouraging," said Nickerson.
For additional resources, you can contact the Houston YMCA by clicking here. You can also find more information on preventing drownings by visiting the Houston Health Department website by clicking here.