What to Do When a Child Goes Underwater Unexpectedly?

A cute toddler, running around in a tutu swim suit. Mom turns and suddenly the cute toddler decides to leap towards mommy, and ends up under water.

Although I am not a parent, I can empathize with you. I was terrified when my little sister started swimming and would go under water. Of course as her big sister and protector, my only reaction was to grab her and pull her up and hug her to tell her it’s all-okay. Although the situation I just described about me and my little sister may be what most parents do, I do not encourage parents to do this! Think about that time where maybe your child skinned their knee and went to you about it. Many kids look towards their parent’s reactions to see how they should react. If the parent is shocked and running around trying to find the first aid kit crying and screaming, the child is probably going to react very poorly. Have you ever seen that mom that looks at their kid and says, “You’re okay! Go play!”? Think about that child, did they cry and scream? Or did they go out and go play?

Reaction, Reaction, Reaction

There is nothing more important in this scenario than your reaction. Yes, step one would be to grab your child and pull them above water, however I encourage you to compose yourself for a second before you respond to what happened. The next step? I would like you to applaud your child like they just won an Oscar, or became president! Treat your child like they have accomplished something amazing and brave! You will be so surprised to know how your child will act after they see you so proud of them!

My Example:

In that first paragraph, the picture I told you to imagine? This was one of my clients. She was 3 and cute as a button, but she hated going under water. One day at the end of the lesson, I was completely finished instructing and almost ready to leave. The mom told the little girl to get out of the pool and follow mommy. The little girl got out of the pool, looked at mom and suddenly took a leap right into the water. I watched as she started to jump and sprinted back to the pool, jumped in and grabbed her before she went under too deep. The mother, who was horrified, watched as I pulled her little girl above the water. The second that little girl’s head surfaced I applauded her like crazy and kept repeating how proud I was of her for going under water.

Ask Questions:

Immediately after I applauded the girl and reacted, I asked her questions about the experience! She wasn’t crying, she only wiped the water off her face. I asked her questions like, “What did you just do?” and she responded that she went under water like a big girl! I repeat these things and ask them a few times about this experience. It is important to ask a few times because repetition is the best way for a younger child to learn a task or information. After I turned her loose to her mom, she repeated back (excitedly) what she did. After this point she was never afraid to let her head touch the water again.

Safety:

Now obviously this girl disobeyed her mother and she was told that what she did was wrong. After her mother spoke to her, I gave her a quick safety lesson. I explained to her that she should never disobey her mother while at the pool because she does still need help. I also explained that she should always walk by her mother’s side whenever she goes to the pool so her mother knows where she is at all times. It is very important to establish rules with your children at the pool (especially at a young age) so that you can help them be safe!

Other Circumstances:

Lets say your child is four, and they have been working on kicking and pulling their arms to mimic swimming. The instructor (and parent) should always ask, “What happens if you accidentally fall into the pool, what do you do?” to the child. I always tell my students that they need to kick their legs as hard as they can to get some air and keep kicking until someone can help or they can swim to the side. If a student who almost knows how to swim (or is currently in the process of learning) falls in, or jumps in, or somehow ends up underwater here is what I’d like you to do: Count to three from the second they go under. Your counting needs to be slow and steady even though it may feel like a panicked situation. Watch your child as you are counting, see if they are kicking their feet and moving their hands like they know how to do. Once you get to three pull the child up, and just like above it is important to applaud them like they did the coolest trick in the world! If your child kicks, ask them about what they did. If they don’t know, tell them! It is important to repeat this information as well so the child remembers what they did and will remember it again if the same thing happened.

About the author: Katie Jansen
My name is Katie Jansen and I have been a swim instructor for kids and adults of all ages (2-33) for 3.5 years now. I joined the swim team when I was 6 and have loved the water since I was born. My goal with swim instructing is to teach all kids life saving skills so if they were ever in a situation where they needed to save their own life by swimming, they would be able to do so without immediate help. I love working with children especially; they are a joy to teach swim lessons (when cooperative). I am a junior in college studying psychology, which has helped my instructing people of all ages after learning about human development and human memory.