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| PFD'S FOR KIDS' SAKE
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November 17, 2006.
Personal Flotation Devices
There’s Still Something You Need to Know
By Carol-Ann Giroday
www.writefromthesea.com
Last summer I watched as two young families with their motor yachts tied to a yacht club outstation after a day of cruising. While the parents enjoyed happy hour and lively conversation on the stern, two small children with minnow nets hung over the bulwarks hoping to catch some supper. One of the children was not much over a year old, judging by the wide stance of her legs and wobbly gait. The older child looked to be about four years old. Together they walked up and down the fingers of the docks, hanging over the side whenever they saw something noteworthy in the water. I had to fight the urge to go over to the parents and tell them about the perils of believing that if children are wearing PFDs they are safe.
Many years ago I was a lifeguard at a public swimming pool. One of my responsibilities was teaching a “Water Babies” swimming class, for mothers with babies from six months to three years old.
One of the lessons explained how and when PFD’s work and don’t work for young children. The wide-neck collar that supports and keeps a child’s head out of the water works only if the child is lying face-up. If the child were to fall into the water face-first, the buoyancy at the back of the neck could result in a drowning.
The collar’s flotation is more powerful than the child’s capability to lift its face out of the water. If not properly trained, the child would be unable to flip itself over. Small babies also lack the strength in their neck to keep their face out of the water for long periods of time.
Younger children are more top-heavy than older children, their heads being the biggest part of them. Even in water only waist-deep, if their feet come out from under them, they are hard-pressed to get their feet back underneath, get their face out of the water, and stand up again.
As a lifeguard/instructor, I demonstrated this to a group of mothers and babies in the shallow end of the pool. One of the mothers had been bringing her daughter to swim since the daughter was six months old. The daughter was now 18 months. She could go underwater and swim happily from her mother to another adult, exhaling her air and returning to the surface with a big grin on her face. She happily slid down the kiddies’ slide, plunked into the water and paddled her way back to the edge, ready for another go. This kid was comfortable in the water.
With her mother’s permission I demonstrated the effect of a PFD on a child that falls into the water face first. We suited the child up in a PFD; all the buckles done up right, the through-the-legs strap fastened, and the large neck collar suited to her size and weight.
This child had not worn a PFD before this demonstration. We placed her on her back and let her get used to the feel of it as her mother smiled her encouragement. The baby smiled back and kicked her feet and flapped her arms around playfully. I then asked the mother to turn her baby over onto her tummy and let her float freely in that position. As predicted, the child had her face in the water and was not in a position to get her nose out and breathe. Although she was able to lift her head for short periods of time, the neck collar was working against her.
We soon flipped the little girl over onto her back. The mothers watching were silent, clutching their children close to them. Without assistance from us this child most likely would have drowned. We spent the rest of the lesson teaching the babies that were old enough, and strong enough, how to flip themselves over while wearing a PFD. Only the larger, older children were able to accomplish the move with little assistance.
This information isn’t meant to frighten anyone. The intent is to provide a critical warning that could save a child’s life. Of course a child is much safer wearing a PFD than not. What needs to be clearly understood is that although children may be wearing PFDs, they still need to be closely supervised, particularly if they are not comfortable in the water and are under three years old.
To my knowledge, only one PFD currently on the market, the Salus Marine Wear “Bijoux,” addresses this problem. It is advertised as one that will “turn your baby (9 to 25 lbs.) face up from a face forward position, while a 3-piece collar cradles the head when floating.”
This PFD earned an award from the CASBA for the Best New Safety Product. Visit www.salusmarine.com for more information.
Further information about PFD’s and young children is provided at any public swimming pool and/or through a local Life Saving Society. v
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