01/02/2026
When you really think about it, this makes so much sense. Any of the flotation devices that are placing a child in the vertical position with their legs dangling down are creating muscle memory and body familiarity in the water. These children are not aware of their own buoyancy in the water and are not used to having to do anything to obtain their air supply. They are not equipped with the skills to obtain a floating (horizontal) position in the water.
This wouldn't be such a risky practice if we knew that kids would never have access to water without them, but we know that's not true. Lapses in supervision are inevitable. We know that drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-4 and we need to change our perception of water safety to include non swim times. Self rescue swim skills are one layer to prevent a drowning fatality or serious injury. The more layers you can have in place, the better. Kids are quick, impulsive and curious. These characteristics are funny when they sneak into the markers and draw on themselves, or unroll toilet paper all over the house. These characteristics when water is near, is dangerous.
Let's do better in 2023 and reduce the number of childhood drownings. 92 children have been taken from their families in 2022 in Florida alone and an estimated 644 other children were treated for non fatal submersion injuries*. If we can change our approach to this epidemic, we can save lives. We can empower more children to have life saving skills.
*For every 1 fatal drowning, there is another 7 children treated for a non fatal submersion injury. -CDC, 2022
To make a donation for survival swim scholarships in Hernando County, FL please visit our website: www.swimforcj.org/donations. Thank you for helping our community become safer around the water
