Summertime fun includes activities such as swimming, biking and just being in the great outdoors. But it’s important to remember to remain safe. Swimming is a great way to get exercise and stay healthy. Children especially enjoy spending time in swimming pools and playing on sandy beaches. Even if children know how to swim, it is safest to keep them in a life jacket, particularly when at the beach or in large bodies of water like lakes and ponds.

Children should also be kept out of the water if they are not feeling well or become sick. It’s important to keep children out of swimming pools when they are sick especially if they have diarrhea. If diarrhea gets into the pool water and someone swallows contaminated water, they can get an infection from a parasite called Cryptosporidium. While most germs are killed by chlorinated water this parasite does not, and therefore it’s important to keep children out and away from pools when they are sick.

Preventing swimming injuries is also important to keep in mind when enjoying pools and beaches. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drowning is a leading cause of unintentional injury death among children 1 to14 years old and drowning kills more young children 1 to 4 years old than anything else except birth defects. You should never take your eyes off your children during any water time activity; accidents can occur within seconds.

Summertime Safety Swimming Tips:

Avoid Swallowing: Remind your children to avoid swallowing pool or sea water.

Break Time: Take kids on bathroom breaks every hour. This is also a great time to reapply sunscreen!

Checkup: Check diapers frequently, and change them in a bathroom or diaper-changing area—not poolside—to keep germs away from the pool.

Shower First: Rinsing off in the shower before jumping into the pool for just one minute helps get rid of any germs that might be on your body.

Stay Vigilant: Never leave children unsupervised. Do not leave an older child in charge of younger children.

Floating Helps: Teach children how to float to avoid possible drowning.

For more information on healthy swimming please visit https://www.cdc.gov/features/healthyswimming/index.html.

Melinda Marquez works for Montefiore Health System’s Office of Community & Population Health.