Being safe around the lake or pool this summer does not have to take the fun out of your day on the water. There are some simple ways that you can make sure that your family has fun and stays safe this summer while still enjoying their day. We came up with these Lake Fun Water safety hacks to help you lay the ground rules before you ever head to the water this summer.
Always wear your life jacket. In my state there is no debate about wearing a life jacket with any child on a boat. They are required to. Sometimes however, the child does not want to wear the life jacket and can pitch a fit large enough to ruin everyone’s day on the lake. A great way to help them find this more acceptable is to be the big man/woman on the boat and offer to wear your PFD nonstop too, while on the boat. That way the child does not feel out of place, you ensure your own safety, and you helped everyone else by not having a crying child on the boat.
Water safety is hard to teach, and usually by the time you get to the water a child’s attention if fully focused on having fun. One solution to this is to talk to your child before you get to the water about water safety. We created this cool water safety coloring book that is fun to use, sells for under $5. It comes complete with a list in the back for parents to create their own water safety rules. A fun water safety coloring book that the family can use and customize is the perfect addition to this summer’s lake vacation. Just color the pictures and make some family specific rules. Then hang the colored pictures and safety rules around the lake cabin, lake condo, or your lakefront hotel room to remind everyone of the rules they are bound by.
The next water safety hack for this summer is the “sit in PFD recliner”. I never get in the water anymore without having a PFD with me. I used to swim quite a bit without one, but after my brother in law got a cramp in his side while swimming in the lake I realized it was not worth the risk. Children should be required to wear a life jacket at all times, and really adults should too. Just being reasonable, I know that it will not happen. It is wise to keep a life jacket with you anytime you jump into the water. One way to encourage this and make the PFD useful is the “sit in PFD recliner”. What you do is lay your life jacket flat on the top of the water. Then place your butt in the bottom arm hole. The other arm hole will fall somewhere around your neck to shoulder area. Now feel free to lean back and relax in your PFD recliner.
Another great idea, if you do not visit the water often, is to start early in water safety preparations. Talk to your kids about what you will see and find their. This way you can discuss different scenarios, and how you would like them to behave. Another written water safety hack is the Lake Vacation Super Coloring book. This book is great because it combines our best selling Lake Fun Book with our full color Lake Safety Story Book. It gives you 130+ pages of coloring pages, safety rules, crossword puzzles, word finds, matching games, and a section to create your own lake safety rules right in the back. For around $6 it is hard to beat the value you can derive from having this water safety hack with you on your next summer vacation.
We created some basic ideas that all cost less than $7 to keep your family safe this summer, and many of them are free. What other ideas can you think of to help keep you and your family safe on the water this summer? Please share them with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Pinterest.
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