NCL Little Girl Drowns on Ship

[party-of-five]

Over on the NCL pages on cruise critic, someone has posted these excellent links. They discuss what drowning looks like, and shows a video of a near drowning (the person is saved).

We should all watch and read these every year, just to remind ourselves that drowning doesn't look or sound like drowning.

Read: http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

Watch: http://mariovittone.com/2011/07/video-of-instinctive-drowning-response/
In that link, there is a lady looking right towards the guy...she has no clue.


And, since safety is so important to talk about, little kids should have proper Coast Guard approved life vests, NOT arm floaties. The arm floaties can actually *cause* drowning, if their little arms go up over their head. Once that happens, little ones don't have the strength to pull their arms down, and having the floats on the upper arms causes the mouth and nose to go under the water.

I learned about this when DS was little, learned about it here on the Dis. Scoffed at it. Went to visit my brother, we all went swimming, DS in arm's reach in his arm floaties. I was talking to my brother. My brother looked past me, his face went weird. I turned around, DS's arms were above his head, his mouth and nose were bobbing under the water. He was SILENT. If my brother hadn't noticed my son... I was in arm's reach, just turned the wrong way. I reached out, got him. Made sure he was OK...later, popped the floaties. Next day bought him a proper swim vest.



I post these things as info, as reminders, so just in case we're next to someone in a pool and we notice someone silently struggling...maybe we'll see it for what it is. And the second bit is posted "just in case". I'm sure it had nothing to do with the 10 year old on NCL, but...arm floaties are just not good. I'm so lucky that my brother noticed, so I post about it in hopes that someone else can learn from MY experience, not their own (or, rather, their child's).

Thank you for this link. You're so right about the arm floaties. I've seen them pop right off the child's arms as they jump into the water. Very scary. I don't like those tubes either. My niece once managed to flip herself head over toes while jumping into the water. She ended up head down in the water with no way to right herself. Fortunately my brother was right there to pull her out. Can never be too careful.

My heart aches for this child's family. What a tragedy.

 

[Dug720]

Over on the NCL pages on cruise critic, someone has posted these excellent links. They discuss what drowning looks like, and shows a video of a near drowning (the person is saved).

We should all watch and read these every year, just to remind ourselves that drowning doesn't look or sound like drowning.

Read: http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

Watch: http://mariovittone.com/2011/07/video-of-instinctive-drowning-response/
In that link, there is a lady looking right towards the guy...she has no clue.


And, since safety is so important to talk about, little kids should have proper Coast Guard approved life vests, NOT arm floaties. The arm floaties can actually *cause* drowning, if their little arms go up over their head. Once that happens, little ones don't have the strength to pull their arms down, and having the floats on the upper arms causes the mouth and nose to go under the water.

I learned about this when DS was little, learned about it here on the Dis. Scoffed at it. Went to visit my brother, we all went swimming, DS in arm's reach in his arm floaties. I was talking to my brother. My brother looked past me, his face went weird. I turned around, DS's arms were above his head, his mouth and nose were bobbing under the water. He was SILENT. If my brother hadn't noticed my son... I was in arm's reach, just turned the wrong way. I reached out, got him. Made sure he was OK...later, popped the floaties. Next day bought him a proper swim vest.



I post these things as info, as reminders, so just in case we're next to someone in a pool and we notice someone silently struggling...maybe we'll see it for what it is. And the second bit is posted "just in case". I'm sure it had nothing to do with the 10 year old on NCL, but...arm floaties are just not good. I'm so lucky that my brother noticed, so I post about it in hopes that someone else can learn from MY experience, not their own (or, rather, their child's).

Excellent point about vest vs. water wings, BUT...

Flotation devices are definitely second best to legit swimming lessons. I was put in lessons the summer I turned 4, and I was not allowed into anything deeper than my little paddling pool before that. I think too many people (I'm not saying all, but I am honestly shocked at the number of young people I've worked with - from pre-school through high school) who have NEVER had proper swimming lessons and instead rely on flotation devices for their protection.

(And yes, I realize that even people who now how to swim can drown. I'm just saying I'm much happier in the water knowing I have a knowledge of what to do.)

 

[dbrn]

Over on the NCL pages on cruise critic, someone has posted these excellent links. They discuss what drowning looks like, and shows a video of a near drowning (the person is saved).

We should all watch and read these every year, just to remind ourselves that drowning doesn't look or sound like drowning.

Read: http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

Watch: http://mariovittone.com/2011/07/video-of-instinctive-drowning-response/
In that link, there is a lady looking right towards the guy...she has no clue.


And, since safety is so important to talk about, little kids should have proper Coast Guard approved life vests, NOT arm floaties. The arm floaties can actually *cause* drowning, if their little arms go up over their head. Once that happens, little ones don't have the strength to pull their arms down, and having the floats on the upper arms causes the mouth and nose to go under the water.

I learned about this when DS was little, learned about it here on the Dis. Scoffed at it. Went to visit my brother, we all went swimming, DS in arm's reach in his arm floaties. I was talking to my brother. My brother looked past me, his face went weird. I turned around, DS's arms were above his head, his mouth and nose were bobbing under the water. He was SILENT. If my brother hadn't noticed my son... I was in arm's reach, just turned the wrong way. I reached out, got him. Made sure he was OK...later, popped the floaties. Next day bought him a proper swim vest.



I post these things as info, as reminders, so just in case we're next to someone in a pool and we notice someone silently struggling...maybe we'll see it for what it is. And the second bit is posted "just in case". I'm sure it had nothing to do with the 10 year old on NCL, but...arm floaties are just not good. I'm so lucky that my brother noticed, so I post about it in hopes that someone else can learn from MY experience, not their own (or, rather, their child's).

I reposted the video on my Facebook page. You posted the link before, and it was the first time I had heard that information. I never knew the information about the arm floaties, either. I appreciate you taking the time to post it!

 

[Ofinn]

Excellent point about vest vs. water wings, BUT...

Flotation devices are definitely second best to legit swimming lessons. I was put in lessons the summer I turned 4, and I was not allowed into anything deeper than my little paddling pool before that. I think too many people (I'm not saying all, but I am honestly shocked at the number of young people I've worked with - from pre-school through high school) who have NEVER had proper swimming lessons and instead rely on flotation devices for their protection.

(And yes, I realize that even people who now how to swim can drown. I'm just saying I'm much happier in the water knowing I have a knowledge of what to do.)

Couldn't agree with you more. The best defense against drowning is knowing how to swim. There's no reason a healthy child shouldn't be able to swim by age 3. My kids did and there not particularly athletic. I see way too many kids wearing flotation devices instead of learning to swim. A young child that slips out of sight of parents (everyone that's had a kid knows how fast that can happen) and falls in a pool and can't swim has no chance of survival on the other hand one that knows how to swim has a good chance of making it out of the pool. People teach your kids to swim.

 

[krisinparis]

So sad.

 

[southerngirl528]

Bumbershoot, your post #20 was an eye opener! Shocking that I knew so little of what information you just provided links for, and consider myself a pretty informed person. I'm pretty much stunned. Thank you SO much for giving these links. They could definitely save someone's life. Thank you.

 

[southerngirl528]

And I join my prayers with the others for this family. I cannot fathom their grief at this terrible time.