Hey there! You’re listening to the Mighty Mommy with some Quick and Dirty Tips for Practical Parenting. Today’s Topic: Swimming Pool Safety
Tips for Keeping Children Safe In and Around Swimming Pools
The summer season is always exciting for kids. It brings vacations, longer days, and more fun-in-the-sun activities. One of our favorite pastimes is swimming. Whether you fill up the little plastic pool, go to a public pool, or have a full-size swimming pool in your backyard, the most important thing to remember around pools is that safety comes first.
If you are going to have a full-size swimming pool installed in your yard, it’s best to wait until your children are at least five years old. If you already have a pool, you need to put a fence around it to separate it from the house and the play area of the back yard. The pool fence needs to be a minimum of four feet tall and should have a self-closing and self-latching gate. Make sure all gate latches are completely out of children’s reach. You will also need to remove any climbable items from the non-pool side of the fence. Children should never be left unsupervised, but removing small chairs and toys that would allow them to climb over the fence is still recommended. There are automatic pool covers and pool nets available, but these items should never be used as a substitute for a fence.
When you are using a small inflatable or plastic pool, please empty it when you are done using it for the day. Standing water is dangerous for little kids and it provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects. If you have a larger pool, you will need to remove all toys from the pool when you are done swimming. Children can fall into a pool if they are tempted to reach in and grab a toy they’ve left behind.
When visiting a public pool, there is often a lifeguard on duty. Public pools will also have rescue supplies either with the lifeguard or hanging near the pool. Your pool at home should also have rescue aids, such as a life preserver nearby. Since you are not likely to have a lifeguard on duty at home or in a community pool area, at least one adult present should know CPR. You should have a telephone with you and keep it poolside for emergencies.
It’s always better to have at least one other adult or teenager present when swimming with children. If only one adult is swimming with children it can become a very dangerous situation if the adult becomes incapacitated in any way. The buddy system is extremely important for all ages of swimmers. When swimming with a small child, you should remain within arm’s reach of the child at all times.
Whatever type of pool you will be visiting, it is very important to go over the rules of the pool with children before the visit. Let your children know that there is to be no running or playing around the pool area, and that they are required to ask for permission to enter the pool. Teaching your children early that they should never enter a pool without first obtaining permission can help prevent them from entering the pool without an adult present. Let your children know that splashing and dunking other people is not only unfriendly, but dangerous. Children should be advised that throwing any type of object in the pool is not permitted. They should also not be allowed to jump or dive into the pool except in designated diving areas. Even if they are diving in a designated area, please ask your child to make sure the area is clear of people prior to each jump. This is not only courteous, but also much safer for everyone involved.
Many parents, myself included, enroll their children in swim lessons starting as early as six months old. This is a wonderful way to spend time with your child, but please don’t assume that your child will be safe in the pool simply because they’ve had lessons. Even if they can float on their back, swim to the side and pull themselves out, you must supervise your child at all times. Inflatable swim-wings or “swimmies” are also no substitute for supervision.
My final tip for this episode is to remember the sunscreen. Unless your swimming pool is indoors, your children are going to be exposed to the sun. Sunburns can occur quickly when the sun’s rays are not only directly on your child, but also reflecting off the water around him. Please be sure to use an SPF 30 or higher to protect your child’s skin.
That’s it for now. Hope you enjoyed listening. If you have a question for the Mighty Mommy, or if you’d like to share a wonderful tip of your own, you can e-mail mommy@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a voice mail at 206-222-9148. Also, if you enjoy the show, please take a moment to post a review at iTunes. I’d really appreciate it.
The Mighty Mommy’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Practical Parenting is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips network at quickanddirtytips.com. This week Grammar Girl is talking about the use of the word “however,” so be sure to check out her podcast!
This is your friend, the Mighty Mommy wishing you happy and fun parenting!
Music – “Golly Gee” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons "Attribution 2.0" http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/