Water safety: Keep eyes on kids

At last it appears summer has arrived and a huge percentage of Kiwis will be heading to the water.

If you are going away to the beach, lake or on the boat the message remains the same: "Keep an eye on the kids at all times when around water".

To get professional advice on what to look for when buying a lifejacket, I visited Safety at Sea Ltd, marine safety survival specialists.

Firstly, all adults must wear a correctly sized, firmly fitted lifejacket. Without it you will struggle to keep yourself afloat, let alone be able to help anyone else.

When purchasing lifejackets for the family, take them all along to be personally fitted as every body is different and one model may be a better fit than another. "It must be firm to perform" I was informed, as badly fitting lifejackets will ride up on the wearer and could potentially get torn off by severe wave action.

Fitting kids is especially important. Never be tempted to buy a lifejacket that they will grow into in time. It must be of a firm comfortable fit or they will not want to wear it. Children as young as one can be catered for with a 'child extra small' lifejacket, the next step up being'child small'. As the child grows, both sizes have crutch straps to hold them securely.

Safety at Sea suggests getting into the water so that you feel comfortable with the way a lifejacket works. As a warning, small children wearing baggy togs or plastic nappies may find that the extra buoyancy now trapped in the crotch area may prevent the lifejacket from doing what it is designed to do. By spending time in the water with the kids they will gain confidence and learn to relax. Small children who get scared tend to bring their legs up and their arms in close in a fetal position and, in some cases, this can cause them to roll.

Again, these are more good reasons why adults should be wearing a lifejacket as well. We big kids need to be able to look after the small ones.