Monday 12 July 2010

Drowning - If your summer holiday involves water, read this...

3 years ago, Boy #1 nearly drowned in a friend's pool. I can't actually bring myself to write about what happened; 36 months on it's still too raw. Consequently, I found this article in MumsRock hard going - it's much too close for comfort - but I still did to remind myself of what to look out for, and urge you to, too.

8 comments:

  1. Oh man - I just read that article and it gave quite a scare. Thanx for linking

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  2. My boyfriend sent me the original article a couple days ago. I swam all through school and knew this already but always a good reminder and good for those who don't realize to read as well. Very eye opening.

    Sorry to hear about your own experience with this but so GLAD it turned out alright.

    Thanks for passing this on.

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  3. 2nd time this week I've run into this article! Glad it's circulating though, makes me not want to take my eyes off Charlotte when she's in the water.

    Sorry to hear about your own experience but glad he's okay.

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  4. Thanks for posting - having had my own experience recently with little boys thinking they can swim when they can't, it's very timely. I am so glad that Boy 1 was OK. x

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  5. omg, feel sick reading this and even more anxious about the fact that we're going to spend 2 weeks at my dad's house where there is a giant swimming pond and Three likes to find inventive ways to kill himself (quietly). We are supposed to be leaving the children for a couple of days with the grandparents but I don't really think I can, now. Shudder.

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  6. Last summmer 2 friends of friends lost a child each through drowning. Both aged 2, 1 girl 1 boy; 1 in a gaaden pond, 1 in a large washing plastic tub in the garden. Horrific. There is also an auto response in toddlers which means they can drown in only a few inches of water. If they fall forward into water, they are unable to right themselves, roll over or get up. Happened to my husband as a toddler, fell face first into a rock pool & just lay there. There's an accoutn of thi sin a white African family in "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight"- a true stroy.

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  7. Thanks so much for linking this. It's been incredible how many people are reading this particular post - we've had 20k visits in the last week. But what I don't really understand is why it should come as a surprise to me - why don't we learn about this in parenting books or magazines - it's one of every parents worst nightmares. Thank God your boy is okay
    xx

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  8. Oh gosh, this is one of my worst fears. So much of a child's social life where we live revolves around swimming, and it freaks me out. I always want to go along to swimming parties to keep my own watch, but you have to let go...

    That article made me better informed. Thanks.

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