How To Keep Children Safe at the Beach

Young children find the beach a fascinating new world of sights, sounds and scents. A beach can be a wonderful place to teach children about nature. The most important thing to teach children to keep them safe at the beach is how to swim. This is a measure of self-protection that is crucial to their safety. Even the youngest toddler is attracted to the sound of the waves crashing on the sand. They run to it eagerly, often not realizing that this new attraction is also dangerous. Some young children show an instant fear of it. This also needs to be addressed.

• Teach Children Safety at the Beach. For mobile toddlers, it's best they wear some type of life jacket. These are sold in department stores and sized specifically for youngsters and are defined by age and weight. Stress the importance of wearing their life jackets. Next, gradually introduce them to the water by walking at the water's edge. Then, begin to teach them to swim. This should be done slowly enough for them to master the simplest lessons. Once they reach school age, they can take advantage of formal swim lessons to learn other swimming techniques. One rule they need to always remember is: Never go into the water alone.
• Deal with Crowded Beaches. If there is one aspect of how to keep children safe at the beach that's overlooked, it's safety on crowded beaches. When the beach is a sea of sun worshipers, it's easy to lose sight of your children. This is where a name tag attached to their swimwear can be a huge benefit. The other thing you might do is make your beach blanket their visible command post so they can find their way back to you if they become lost on the beach. This is where a beach umbrella helps. Tie the top post of the beach umbrella with something the child is familiar with - their favorite cap or an article of clothing they wore to the beach. If a beach umbrella isn't available, use a beach chair instead. Do a "dry run" with the child when you arrive. A child who has been rehearsed, is more aware of how to cope with sudden disorientation on a crowded beach. This also applies to older children as well. Older children tend to wander, not realizing they are soon surrounded by total strangers.
• Don't Talk to Strangers. Clearly, another important thing to consider when children accompany their parents to the beach is who is a stranger and who is not. Make this a game at home so that the children know who can help them if something happens at the beach and who they should avoid speaking to.