Pool Safety For Younger Children

Design the Rules

The first thing that’s important to do is get your kids participating in swim classes. It’s never too early to get your children used to the water, and learning the basics (such as keeping afloat, getting used to swimming with their floaties on, and understanding ‘rules’ like never being allowed to approach the pool without you being there, no running near the pool, etc.)

It’s important to remember that if your child is between the ages of one and four years old, swimming lessons won’t do much to teach them to swim, but it will help to create consistency, routine and ‘rules’ about pool safety. Just make sure that to continue keeping your little ones safe, you need to continually reinforce the ‘rules’, which should include always having “an adult with you, even when you’re in the shallow end and can stand up by yourself.”

These rules should be reinforced with any part of your backyard as well. For example, any area of water they could get into, such as a hot tub, an inflatable ‘kiddie’ pool, even a large bucket they could still their head in (this happens) are all safety hazards. Make them know what the rules are each and every day so you reduce your risk for danger.

Safety For Your Above Ground Pool

Some pool owners mistakenly think that above ground pools are ‘safer’ than traditional, concrete pools --- but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In your kids eyes, an above ground pool is a fantastic place to explore—and climbing up the stairs to the pool can lead to falling in and drowning (within seconds). For peace of mind, invest in a four-foot fence so you’re fence fully surrounded and protects your children from getting into it without your permission. There are many variations of fences available; just be sure to invest in one that has a child safety latch for closing and opening.

Your pool is a great way to unwind (and frankly, you don’t know what you’d do without it!), but nothing is more important than your child’s health and safety.

Create a solid list of ‘rules’ your kids can stick to, and invest in a fence or other safety measures that work well for your family. That way, you can have peace of mind year round!