June, 2020
Child safet

On hot days, we all seek refreshment, using both natural and artificial bathing areas, seas, rivers and lakes. This year, tourist vouchers also open up new opportunities. However, it is important to be aware that bathing is also dangerous, especially for children. That’s why the NIJZ has prepared safety rules and tips that can help us avoid accidents:

Basic safety rules:

  • The main way to keep your child safe from drowning is to keep a close eye on them at all times and supervise them when they are near or in water, whether it is a swimming pool, pond, lake or inflatable paddling pool. In this context, we need to keep the small child and the poor swimmer at arm’s length at all times.
  • A child should only swim in a pool, lake or sea with an adult, even if they can swim or use inflatable flotation devices. Inflatables (rings, gloves, jackets) do not guarantee safety and should only be used by children under the supervision of an adult who knows how to swim.
  • Children are very different from each other, so we assess when your child is ready to learn to swim and enrol them in a swimming lesson. Young children are usually taught at the beginning what to do if they fall in the water, e.g. to turn on their back and float on the water. Even if a child can swim, this does not mean that he or she cannot drown.
  • In the event of drowning, the only way to save a child’s life is to know first aid and basic resuscitation procedures. Let’s take a first aid course as soon as possible so that we know how to help our child.
  • Let us not allow the use of a mobile phone or anything else to distract us for a moment from the children who are near or in the water.
  • We do not drink alcohol before swimming, boating or when supervising children in or near water.

More information and additional materials can be found on the NIJZ website – link.

EU Funds

The project is partly funded by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and the European Union through the European Social Fund. The operation is financed under the Operational Programme for the Implementation of the European Cohesion Policy 2014-2020, Priority Axis 9 “Social inclusion and reducing the risk of poverty”, Priority Investment 9.1 “Active inclusion, including the promotion of equal opportunities and active participation, and improving employability”, Specific Objective 9.1.2 “Empowering target groups to move towards the labour market”.