Pool Safety Tips For Toddlers
What could be more fun for a family than to spend time together in the backyard family swimming pool? We certainly can’t think of many things that are more fun. We also know that swimming pools, while fun, can also be dangerous to toddlers and that’s why it’s important that parents or guardians — babysitters, other family members — are especially careful when there is a pool and a toddler. It can be a fun combination, but it can also be dangerous if you don’t have safety measures in place.
Swimming pool safety measures are important for everyone — not just toddlers. We don’t even recommend that an adult swim alone. When you have a pool party, you want to do a headcount of who is in the swimming pool and how many people are in the pool. You will also want to have a person in charge of those in the pool to assure no one is having any kind of health emergency and that everyone is being safe while having fun.
May was National Water Safety Month, but as a pool owner and the parent of a toddler, you know that water safety is a season-long event.
Did you know: The American Academy of Pediatrics supports swimming lessons for most children four years old and older? Enrolling your child in a water safe class can rduce the risk of drowning. Even though four-years-old is noted as an ideal time to begin swim lessons, you need to understand your child and whether he or she is ready to learn to swim. When you’re looking for a swim instructor you can either hire one to come to your home or you can sign up for group lessons at a local swimming pool — again, this is a personal decision and one which only you can make.
Pool Safety Tips For Toddlers
Most children have no inherent fear of water and love splashing around whether they are in a bathtub or a swimming pool. You may notice, though that your child will be a bit hesitant to get into the swimming pool, even if he loves the bathtub, simply because the pool is so large. You want to make sure you always make being in and around the water a fun and enjoyable experience. One or two bad or scary times in a pool can lead to a lifelong avoidance or fear of water.
Never. Ever. Leave a child alone in or around the pool
Just as you’d never leave a child alone in a bathtub or ask another of your children to watch a child in a tub, don’t ever leave your child alone in the pool. Don’t leave a child unattended poolside. Even a moment can lead to danger. Remember, too that kiddie pools, open toilet bowls and buckets can pose a drowning hazard to a curious toddler, and aren’t they all curious!
Close supervision is crucial to safety
Infants and toddlers and even those adults who are weak swimmers should always swim within arm’s length of another swimmer. When children are in the swimming pool, that needs to be your focus. Set your phone aside and pay attention to what’s going on in the swimming pool.
If you run an in-home daycare you need to be fully cognizant of the rules for having your charges in and around the swimming pool and what the recommended ratio of adults to children is. It might be best if children stayed out of the pool unless you’re certain you have enough adults to help tend to them.
Fencing and locking gates are crucial
Chances are, no matter which part of the country you live in, there are rules and regulations relating to the swimming pool fence and gate you need to have when you own a swimming pool. The fence must be one that a child cannot climb. The fence shouldn’t be of the chain link style as that offers foot and hand holds for a child to climb. the construction material needs to be hard to climb.
The gate should automatically lock and automatically close and be of a type that a curious child can not open it.
Adding pool alarms amps up the safety of your swiimming pool. You can invest in floating pool alarms, swimming pool safety covers, gates that sound an alarm if they are opened incorrectly. There are even arm safety bands that a child can wear so if he or she falls into the water the alarm will sound. You may even consider setting up motion-activated security cameras for added safety.
Life saving measures
When you own a swimming pool you should take the time to learn CPR. Have life vests and other pool safety equipment poolside and readily available in the event of an emergency. You should have a phone pool side for use in an emergency.
Don’t let your children swim with inflatables on their arms — they are not a safety item that provides any true safety. If your child is hesitant in the water and if you simply want to be as safe as possible, have him or her wear a life vest when swimming. Remember, even if your child is wearing a life vest, they should still never be left unattended, even for a second.
Above all have fun
A family swimming pool is all about fun and spending time together. When you have your own family swimming pool you and your family have a built in vacation spot, a place to host a party and an ideal space in which to build fun family memories.