Child Safety
Water Safety Classes Make Summer a Splash
Swim and water safety classes can be this summer’s best investment!
Lakes, pools, oceans, ponds, rivers… are you cooling down yet? Water is an essential part of getting through these brutally hot Florida summers. But for parents, bodies of water look less like a relaxing escape from the sun, and more like a whole lot of control lost. And a whole lot of safety lost, too.
Despite not having kids of my own, I personally took on a chunk of this dread last summer as a camp counselor. It was at that camp that I, an 18 year old, sat every day feeling helpless in the face of an 80 foot deep lake. An 80 foot deep lake full of 20 five to seven year-olds that I was responsible for. While the kids happily waded in the shallow end, washing away their summer boredom, I stood there dreading the unimaginable. This dread, and even more so the dread and horror of losing a child to drowning, is something nobody should have to experience.
So, what should I do?
Luckily, parents (and anxious caretakers like myself) have resources to help make summer fun again! No, it’s not bubble wrap. InstaSwim is a nationwide service providing private water safety classes (think swim lessons!) and lifeguard services right here in Tampa Bay. Don’t waste your summer carting your kids around to ANOTHER lesson: InstaSwim comes to YOU!
To sign up, you can visit their website at www.instaswimusa.com or call (888) 610-2656. They offer water safety and swim classes for all ages from infants all the way to adults, including special needs children (special needs mamas, we see you!). Each one of their instructors go through rigorous vetting, and have at least 2 years experience as a lifeguard or swim instructor. You can sign up for 30, 45 or 60 minute sessions where your kids can go solo, or you can sign up for a Mommy-and-me session for a more connected experience. Want to try it but not sure? Book a single session; if you love it as much as we do, they have six and twelve lesson packages too! Now is the time to make a valuable investment in your child’s safety (and your sanity!) by trying InstaSwim’s swim lessons.
Tips to keep your family safe and cool by the water this summer:
In the meantime, here are some tips from the American Red Cross on water safety that can help keep summertime splashes fun. The American Red Cross is one of the leaders in Lifeguard and First Aid certification, they give tips that save dozens of lives a year.
- Be or designate a “water watcher”-someone to watch the water at all times so problems are caught before they escalate. (P.S. InstaSwim also offers lifeguard services to keep everybody safe this summer!)
- Teach your kids to always ask before heading for the water
- Wear coast-guard approved life jackets. Taking the boat out for a spin? Florida law requires “one USCG approved, wearable life jacket for each person on board.” Otherwise, any children or inexperienced swimmers should wear one when in water.
- Use barriers around at-home pools or spas.
- At the beach, always swim in lifeguarded areas. The ocean is its own animal, best to let the professionals handle it.
- LEARN TO SWIM! Use services like InstaSwim for professional guidance that can help save you and your family in a pinch!
InstaSwim has been a longtime partner of Tampa Bay Moms for making our families safer for summer. Check out some of our past coverage on them here. Love InstaSwim already? Let us know here or on any of our socials @thetampabaymoms.