When summer comes around, it’s only natural to want to cool off by jumping into the cool waters of your backyard pool. Having a swimming pool in the backyard offers a great opportunity to cool off and spend some much needed family time.
While splashing about in pool waters is an enjoyable experience for kids and adults alike, it’s a very big cause of concern when you have small kids in the house. In such situations, your child’s safety becomes the top priority and you want to make sure there are no accidents in the house. Unintentional death among kids is on the rise and drowning is one of its biggest causes.
If you want to have a fun summer by the pool with your kids, it’s necessary to take some safety precautions to ensure that they’re protected despite your backyard having a pool. Here’s how you can prepare to have a safe summer by the swimming pool with your children.
Set clear rules
Having an open conversation with your kid and setting certain rules governing pool usage will help keep them on the same page as you and protect them. Rules can be relating to different behaviours like:
Making sure they ask you for permission before heading out into the fibreglass pool. This will keep you updated on exactly where they are and when they’re making use of the swimming pool so that you can free yourself up to supervise them better.
Ensuring they don’t push one another when in the pool or around it.
Ensuring that they don’t run on the deck of the pool.
Making sure they don’t dive into the swimming pool’s shallow end.
Making sure they don’t go for a swim without any adult being present.
Ensuring they don’t dunk or hold down anyone else’s head under water.
Don’t just give them a directive that they have to follow these rules. They need to understand why. Be open in your communication with them and explain to them why it’s necessary for them to follow these rules and what the potential dangers of breaking such rules could be.
Fence your pool
A pool fence will protect your kids when they’re playing in your backyard by the pool. Your kids won’t be able to enter the pool without you knowing and your backyard will also get some privacy from the neighbours. You must pick a fencing option that’s taller than your kids’ height so that it effectively keeps them out.
Make use of an alarm system
There are many types of alarm systems that can give you peace of mind knowing that your kids will be safe. Some are meant to alert you if the pool fence is opened while others make use of motion sensors inside the pool to detect the movement of waves in the pool. These will notify you whenever movement is detected in the pool and bring you out to your backyard to look into the matter.
Get some CPR training
You can never be too safe when it comes to your child’s safety. Sign up for classes on how to effectively give CPR in case of emergencies. There are several online tutorials for this as well but they don’t compare to actually attending a class and practising the right technique to do CPR. This powerful, immediate action taken in situations of an emergency can save your child’s life so it’s worth the effort.
Make swimming lessons necessary for your kid
The most effective step you can take to keep your kids safe in pool waters is to give them swimming lessons. Giving them an early start and providing them with positive associations with water can make it easier for them to learn to swim. You need to teach them how to enter and exit the pool safely using ladders or steps. They also need to practise breathing techniques when they’re in the water and can make use of floats and life jackets when they’re starting off with their swimming lessons.
They’ll benefit physically as well as psychologically from swimming lessons and have a great lifesaving skill. They’ll also have more confidence in the pool and will be able to swim safely without you having to worry about any risks associated with drowning.
Stay equipped with first aid and rescue devices
Having a rescue tube near your pool as well as a first aid kit stocked with necessary supplies will prepare you to deal with emergency situations that may arise. Positive thinking is good but you need to also have a plan for what you can do if something goes wrong to avoid having a panic attack.
Give the diving board a miss
A diving board can end up being a huge pain if someone slips on it and lands head first into the pool. Even good swimmers can have accidents and slip off the diving board so it becomes all the more necessary to protect your kids from it. Get rid of it to avoid such accidents and keep your kids safe.
Pool chemicals must be stored safely
Pool chemicals do a great job in maintaining the cleanliness and health of your pool but that doesn’t make them good for your kids. These effectively kill bacteria, algae, and other contaminants but they must be handled with a lot of care and through the use of protective equipment. Make sure your kids can’t access them easily and keep them in a well ventilated region. If you want to learn more about how to safely store pool chemicals and other handy pool care tips, you can visit the blog for more information!
Inspect drain covers
Faulty drain covers may have cracks that prevent proper functioning and kids can get caught in them. Drain cover inspection ensures proper functioning of the drain covers and checks for cracks so that such accidents may be avoided.
Monitor pool slip hazards
Kids tend to play outside by the pool and having tubes, toys, floats, and other pool materials around your swimming pool can cause someone to trip. Make sure these are put back in place so that there’s no risk of kids tripping on them when playing in the backyard.
Keep an eye on your kids
Even if you’ve taken all the other necessary precautions described above, you must still ensure you’re around when your kids are out playing by the pool. If you can’t physically be there, make sure there’s a trusted adult who can monitor them while they play.
