Urgent warning to any parents taking their kids swimming in the heatwave
PARENTS have been warned about the harms of taking their kids swimming during the heatwave.
And there's a simple trick you can use to make sure children are safe in the pool.
When the sun comes out in the UK, Brits flock to lidos, the sea and lakes, and many families get a pop-up pool.
Drownings increase during a UK heatwave by up to 70 per cent for a number of reasons.
The water is colder, which can cause shock and currents are stronger than people realise.
While these drownings typically occur in natural water, pools can be dangerous if your kids are not supervised.
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Parents are also warned to keep an eye on kids abroad - over the last six years, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said 30 children under 10 have drowned in holiday swimming pools abroad.
In order to protect your little one from danger, first aiders have warned that you should be mindful when dressing them for the pool.
Posting to , former paramedic and CEO Nikki Jurcutz said: "Always put your little one in bright or contrasting colours that would be easy to find in an emergency.
"It only takes 20 seconds to drown, little tips like this could save a life".
Along with the advice she posted a short clip which showed two different baby grows at the bottom of a pool.
The white garment is harder to detect and it blends in with the tiles of the pool.
But the dark one was easy to see - making it easy for parents to spot baby if the unthinkable happens.
Nikki added: "I wanted to demonstrate why the colour of your little one's swimwear is so important, look how easily this could be missed - got for bright or contrasting colours."
Next you need to start CPR and the experts explained: "Place the child on a firm surface and open their airway. To do this, place one hand on their forehead to tilt their head back and use two fingers from the other hand to gently lift the chin.
"Only pick out any visible obstructions from the mouth and nose."
Then you need to give five initial rescue breaths.
To do this, take the hand from the forehead and pinch the soft part of the nose closed and allow their mouth to fall open.
With their head tilted, take a breath and put your mouth around the child's making a seal.
Steadily, blow into their mouth for up to one second until their chest rises.
Then remove your mouth and watch their chest fall - this is classed as one rescue breath.
If their chest doesn't rise then check their airway is open before moving on to 30 chest compressions.
To do this, the experts say you should kneel by the child and place one hand in the centre of their chest.
Then push down a third of the depth of the chest and release the presurre.
Repeat 30 times at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
You can use popular songs to help you gauge the tempos.
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After you have done the compressions, do two rescue breaths and continue to perform CPR until emergency help arrives and takes over.
You should also stop if the child starts to show signs of life and is breathing normally again.