Swim, Sun, Fun!

Pool games, playtime tips, and sun-safe gear—for the care and keeping of your water babies!

swim

Planning a backyard pool party for school-age swimmers? Tom Hellmann, Aquatics Recreation Supervisor for Cosumnes CSD in Elk Grove, urges parents to always maintain adult supervision around water, even for bigger kids who know how to swim.

To make the job easier, Hellmann recommends rotating lifeguard duty among parents every 20-30 minutes and assigning someone to watch the water even when kids take a break from pool play. One last tip: “Periodically count heads to make sure everyone is accounted for.” When everyone’s safe, no one’s left out of the fun.

sun

When it comes to slathering on sun protection for babies and kids, your safest bet is a chem-free sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide—these form a mineral (vs. chemical) barrier. The Environmental Working Group, which tests sunscreens for safety and effectiveness, has determined these to be some of the safest for little ones:

• California Baby Sunscreen Lotion, No Fragrance SPF 30+
• Mustela Sun Lotion Bebe High Protection SPF 50
• Adorable Baby Clear Baby Sunscreen SPF 30+
• Badger SPF 30+ Baby Sunscreen
• Johnson & Johnson Baby Sunscreen Lotion SPF 40+
  (available at most retail stores)

fun!

Beat the Sacramento heat and share some giggles with a round of Starfish Tag. As with Freeze Tag, one person tries to tag all the other “fish” in the pool. When tagged, each person becomes a starfish and has to stand still. Tagged swimmers can only be set free to swim again if someone else taps them on the shoulder (or swims under their arms or legs, depending on your fishies' skill level). Try setting a time limit to the game, and see who can win the most tags. For video clip demos of this and five more family-friendly pool games, visit Swimming.org.

take a D.I.P.

This month, the California Park & Recreation Society Aquatic Section (CPRS) launches its D.I.P. campaign (Drowning Is Preventable), and the best approach, say swim safety experts, is a layered one. According to the World Aquatic Babies & Children Network (WABCswim.com), this should include teaching your child how to float and how to swim, installing barriers, alarms and pool covers, learning CPR, diligently maintaining pool barriers, and last—but most important!—providing close parental supervision when a child is in or near water. Here are a few more reminders for swim season:

• Remove toys from around the pool after use, so children aren't tempted to return to the pool area for them
• Double-check that no tables or chairs are placed near a barrier fence, so kids can’t climb over and re-enter the pool
• A power safety cover that meets the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) adds protection, but it can never take the place of a fence between your house and the pool
• Floaties, pool noodles, swim rings and other inflatable swimming aids sometimes give parents and kids a false sens of security. Give kids the know-how to swim or outfit them with an approved life vest in addition to inflatable toys
• Stay within an arm's length of children near any water, including kiddie pools and buckets