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The Basics of Keeping Children Safe Around Pools

backyard swimming pool
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Backyard swimming pools can be a wonderful highlight of summer and a great place for families with children to spend time together. Pools can also be dangerous when children aren’t educated about pool safety from an early age.

Adult Supervision
The swimming pool should always be closed off from the rest of the yard with a gate so that children cannot enter the pool area unsupervised. This is important for the safety of not only your children, but other neighborhood children who could wander through.

Children should be taught that swimming can take place only when a designated adult is available to supervise pool activities. Even sitting on the edge of the pool or playing near a pool without an adult should be off limits to children who have not yet learned to swim or who are not strong swimmers.

Behavior Guidelines
It is important for children to learn to follow special behavior rules when they are around a swimming pool. Rough and wild behavior is one of the leading causes of swimming pool accidents. There is no running around the pool area and this rule should be strictly enforced for both parents and children alike. Older children will need rules regarding swimming, jumping, and diving.

Restrictions Based on Skill Level
While some swimming pool rules will be the same for everyone-like avoiding wild behavior- other pool rules will vary based on skill levels. Young children can be taught that as they grow up and improve their swimming skills, they will be able to do more and more in the pool. It is a good idea to have a special area of the pool for children who are not yet swimming. This can be accomplished with a pool rope to section off an area in the shallowest area. If there is not an appropriate area, keep a children’s wading pool nearby for the littlest swimmers.

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Designing a Pool for Your Family

For families who are able to design the layout of their pool or choose a design, this can be a great chance to incorporate features to keep everyone safe at the pool.

Shallow Areas
If your pool will be used by younger children who are not yet swimming or who are still learning to swim, you will want to provide ample space for them in your pool. A shallow area with water that children can easily stand in as they learn to swim is a great solution and a good place for adults to teach children swimming skills. This area can be at the steps of your pool and roped off to provide a children’s area for supervised games and swimming practice. Be sure that the pool depth does not drop off suddenly where it could be a hazard to swimmers who don’t know the lay of the land.

Diving Areas
If swimmers at your pool intend to do diving, you will want to be certain that there is enough depth for this to be safe. Most above ground pools and some in ground pools are too shallow for safe diving. It has been shown that close to 60% of all diving accidents occur in water that is less than four feet deep. If diving is important to you, plan for added depth, preferably greater than eight feet, in a certain area of your pool to ensure divers’ safety.

Slipping Solutions
Many pool supply stores offer paints and finishes for the bottom pools that provides a rough textured surface. This can be a great option for pool steps or in some cases for the entire bottom of your pool. Textured surfaces may be more difficult to clean, but the right one will provide added traction that is especially important to children in the pool. Anyone can slip on a slick pool surface, but there are many solutions to help prevent these types of accidents.

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Pool Safety During Children’s Parties

A boy in a children's swimming pool.
Image via Wikipedia

When you have other young children over to your swimming pool for a pool party, it’s worth a little extra planning and attention to details to keep everyone safe for the duration of the party.

Find Out About Swimmers
Before anyone gets in the pool, find out if there are children at the party who don’t swim. If you are worried about embarrassing the child, check with parents beforehand. It’s too easy for non-swimmers to succumb to pressure to head to the deep end during parties. If it looks like it will be an issue, it may be wise to close off the deeper end of the pool and keep all of the children where they can touch the bottom of the pool.

Enlist Some Extra Eyes
Ask a couple friends or some other parents of children at the party to join you for the day and play lifeguard. Extra eyes are one of the surest ways to prevent risky behavior and be sure that you can handle any accidents that do occur. If one child has been a problem in the past and you want to invite him again, invite one of his parents to help you on the day of the party. This is a good way to keep behavior in check and give you a little extra help enforcing the pool rules. Be sure to go over your guidelines with your extra eyes before the party so they know what to watch for in the pool.

Monitor Games Carefully
Children’s games can be a great way to keep the party going, but they can also get out of control quickly. Keep an extra close eye on children who are racing or playing games that involve speed, a child having his or her eyes shut, or maneuvering around the edges of the pool quickly. “No running” is one of the important rules that you may find yourself repeating throughout the party.

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Putting Together an Emergency Kit for Your Pool

A few basic emergency items should always be kept at close reach when you and your family are spending time at your backyard swimming pool. Having a well stocked emergency kit in your pool house or shed will help keep everyone safe all summer long.

Rescue Gear
For swimming emergencies, a rescue rope and a life preserver ring should always be close at hand. Teach your children that these are tools and not toys. Floats and pool toys can go in the pool, but these things only go in the pool when someone needs help. It is important for all family members and guests to your pool to understand the rules about these devises. A CPR kit with a face shield and rescue breather is essential to have on hand by your swimming pool, especially if you have children swimming in your pool.

First Aid
A fully stocked first aid kit should include various types of bandages, gauze, cleansing wipes, and compresses. An antihistamine for allergic reactions and an itch fighter for bug bites are also good to have on hand. If any of your children have bee sting allergies or use an inhaler for breathing, always have the appropriate gear with you when spending time around the pool.

Helpful Additions
A few added pieces of your safety kit can help make swimming more pleasant for everyone. Sunscreen is very important and its worth keeping it with you for frequent reapplications, even waterproof sunscreen can come off in the pool and needs to be reapplied frequently to be effective. Goggles are a good thing for anyone who swims underwater, but especially for children with sensitive eyes. Ear plugs are another helpful thing to have on hand for children who may be very susceptible to swimmer’s ear and ear infections caused by water.

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