By Goldfish Swim School, Oct 2024
After the highly anticipated first drive home from the hospital with a new baby, parents like you carefully strap your tiny infant snugly into their car seat, checking the chest clip multiple times. You secure the car seat base in the back seat, double-check its stability, and drive cautiously all the way home. It’s your first opportunity to ensure your baby’s safety!
Following the baby’s first ride, you have countless opportunities to protect your child from germs during sleep or in the bath. However, no parent knows everything; instincts have limits, and sometimes, expert advice is needed to ensure the baby’s safety.
Board-certified pediatrician Dr. Molly O’Shea is a trusted source for advice on babies, children, health, and wellness. As an advocate for safety, she provides parents with the essential guidance they need when they are uncertain about the best practices for their little ones.
Safety begins before the baby’s arrival. As you build baby registries and plan your parenting approaches, research and consider measures to ensure your child’s safety. Invest in crash-tested car seats and take precautions to keep newborns away from germs upon returning home from the hospital. Safety becomes a consideration in all aspects, including water safety.
Dr. Molly offers valuable insights on how to prepare your home and bathtubs for those precious moments with your baby:
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- Adjust the water heater temperature to prevent burns from bath or sink water, protect curious hands, and bathe babies.
- Always maintain supervision. Never leave a baby unattended, particularly in bathrooms or kitchens where water is accessible. Save tasks like checking emails, responding to messages, or doing chores for when the child is safe, such as during a nap or when under the supervision of another adult.
- Baby-proof the home by installing cabinet locks and bathtub spout covers and ensuring hazardous items are out of reach.
- Enroll children in formal swim lessons to equip them with essential water safety skills for various situations, including bathtubs, sinks, pools, or lakes.
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Early swim lessons are essential. Goldfish Swim School offers lessons starting at four months old, understanding that the sooner children become comfortable in the water, the sooner they acquire necessary water safety skills. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 4, but formal swim lessons can reduce this risk by up to 88%.
Parents may not typically associate swim lessons with in-home water sources like bathtubs or toilets, but, it’s important to recognize that babies can drown in as little as two inches of water. Swim lessons teach them to float on their backs, approach water cautiously, and respond during emergencies — crucial skills for ensuring their safety. The American Academy of Pediatrics even recommends swim lessons for children as young as one year old.
Understanding that new and experienced parents constantly seek ways to protect their children, partnering with a brand that shares this commitment to safety was a natural choice. In celebration of National Baby Safety Month in September, Goldfish Swim School is proud to collaborate with Ziebart, a premium automotive brand. This partnership allows them to focus on keeping children safe — whether in the backseat, on the road, at the lake, or in the pool.
New to Goldfish Swim School?
See them in person. Schedule a tour or sign up for a free trial lesson at your preferred location, including:
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- Alexandria, VA
3155-B Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 348-3261 - Falls Church, VA
7395 Route 29, Ste. K, Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 348-3261 - Reston, VA
12340 Pinecrest Rd., Reston, VA 20191
(703) 348-3261
- Alexandria, VA
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