Constant active adult supervision is the only way to keep babies and toddlers safe around water.
Source: Water Safety New Zealand
Key points about water safety
- drowning is a leading cause of death from injury in young people
- always stay within arm's reach of your child when they are in and around water
- never leave tamariki, especially those under 5 years of age, unsupervised near water
- be aware of unfenced water features, stormwater catchment ponds and streams near homes
Never leave children unsupervised around water - it only takes seconds for a child to drown.
Always watch young children near water
It is important that young tamariki are always supervised near water. Never leave them unsupervised.
There are some key things to remember:
Keep them close
Always stay within an arm's reach of your child when they are in and around water.
Watch them - always
Never leave tamariki, especially those under 5 years of age, unsupervised around water. This includes baths, buckets, ponds, streams and water troughs.
Never leave a young child alone in a bath
All tamariki under the age of 3 years should be constantly supervised in the bath by an adult.
Bath aids, bath seats or young siblings are not a replacement for adult supervision. If you need to leave the room, take your child with you.
Be aware of unfenced water features
Be aware of unfenced water features, stormwater catchment ponds and streams near homes.
Always empty baths and paddling pools after use.
Pool fence safety
Make sure pools are fenced
Make sure your pool, including a spa pool, is completely surrounded by fencing that is at least 1.2 metres high. Check pool fences and gates regularly.
Always check your pool gate and fence
Check that your pool gates open outwards, away from the pool, swing shut and automatically latch, every time. Check pool fences for gaps to crawl under or for loose bars or planks.
If fences are modified or houses and gardens redesigned, always check that the pool fence still keeps tamariki safe.
Never prop open the pool gate
Never prop open a pool gate or have anything nearby that might block the gate latch (such as clothes or towels).
Keep the area around the fence clear
Remove any chairs or toys that tamariki might use to climb over a pool fence.
Be clear with visitors
Be especially careful with tamariki if you are visiting someone with a pool. If you are in a group, make sure everyone knows who is supervising the tamariki. Otherwise, everyone may assume someone else is watching them.
Check the water safety NZ website for information and tips for keeping tamariki safe in and around swimming pools.
What to do in a rip
It is important to teach tamariki from a young age how to be safe around water. One of the things you can teach them is to follow Surf Lifesaving NZ’s 3 Rs rip survival plan if they are ever caught in a rip.
3 Rs rip survival plan: relax, raise, ride.
- relax and float so you don’t run out of energy
- raise your hand to signal for help
- ride the rip until it stops and you can swim back to shore or until help arrives
Check out the Surf Lifesaving NZ website to learn more about beach safety.
First aid
Your first priority is to get a drowning child out of the water as quickly as possible. If they aren't breathing, place them on their back on a firm surface and start CPR.
Melody's story
A video of Melody's story. In 2016, Eugene and Chereen's world was shattered when, tragically, their beloved 3-year-old granddaughter Melody drowned at a public pool. This is their story - bravely shared to honour Melody's legacy and to raise awareness for water safety.
Source: Safekids Aotearoa
