Having a baby can change the dynamic of your relationship. But it doesn't stop there. You might also find that other relationships in your life take a knock after your child is born. Like the great one you once had with your in-laws...
For one woman, the change came out of the blue. She says her husband's parents were a dream... until they moved into a new house. The property has a pool and the in-laws are refusing to put a fence up around it, despite their son offering to foot the bill. They also insist on seeing their grandchild while they have the flu. The 15 month-old's parents are having none of it and have limited contact. But the grandparents think they're being unreasonable.
A new baby can bring families closer together or tear them apart
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For this couple, it's the latter... all because the baby's grandparents refuse to take her health and safety into consideration
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People fired off a bunch of questions and she was happy to answer
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There are around 300,000 drownings worldwide - a quarter of them are children under the age of 5
Around 300 000 people drown every year globally, and nearly a quarter of them are children under the age of 5. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), drowning is the fourth leading cause of fatalities for children aged 1–4 years and the third leading cause for children aged 5–14 years.
“Young children are at a particularly high risk of drowning due to an underdeveloped ability to assess risk, and a lack of swimming and water safety skills,” explains the WHO fact sheet on drowning. “The risk of drowning increases when children interact with water outside of active adult supervision.”
Putting fences around pools and sending young kids for swimming lessons are just two ways to help prevent drownings. And while both cost money, WHO says it’s a worthwhile and life-saving investment.
“Through investing in day-care programmes for pre-school children and teaching children basic swim skills, 774 000 fewer children would drown between now [2024] and 2050,” the organization notes. “Furthermore, another 178 000 children would avoid severe, life-limiting injuries due to non-fatal drowning over the same period. Scaling these two interventions is projected to result in savings of over US$ 400 billion – a return of 9 times the value of the cost of scaling up the interventions.”
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Here's what you can do to ensure the safety of children in and around water
Stop Drowning Now is just one organization in the U.S. working towards preventing drownings through awareness and education. Its experts say there are a number of things you must teach kids to ensure their safety in and around water.
The first is that they should be able to step or jump into water over their heads and return to the surface. They should also know how to float or tread water for one minute, turn around in a full circle and find an exit, swim 25 yards to exit the water, and lastly, be able to exit the water. That includes being able to get out of a pool without using the ladder.
Additionally, no kids should ever be allowed in the pool without adult supervision. “Even if kids can swim, accidents can happen,” warns the organization. They should also walk and not run, as wet feet can easily slip when running.
“Don’t dive into shallow water,” adds the site. “Enter the water feet first. Dive only off the diving board.”
Stop Drowning Now also advises that you ban any rowdy play in the pool. "No rough games involving dunking, holding your breath for any extended period, or lifting and throwing others into the air," explains the site, adding that glass containers should also not be permitted.
"Beverage glasses can easily break on the pool deck or pool walls," it explains. "Instead use outdoor-friendly options like acrylic tumblers or paper, plastic, or foam cups, or drink from a can."
Additionally, adults should not swim after consuming alcohol. Children and adults should be weary of swimming after taking certain medications.
Many felt the toddler's parents were justified and that the in-laws should respect their wishes
