I always loved summer time as a kid, it meant spending time at the pool and hanging out with my friends on the weekends. While I was growing up, my mom would often invest in a small wading pool for us so that we could swim in the backyard. A wading pool is a small pool that is usually a few feet deep and can fill it up with water so that you can swim in the convenience of your own backyard. Even though the pool wasn’t very deep, it still posed several dangers that come along with any type of swimming pool. In fact, I remember that my mom wouldn’t sit outside in the yard to watch us. In fact, most of the time I remember that she would spend her time in the house. She was usually working around the house or watching television in the living room.
Disclosure: This post is for informational purposes only. The opinions reflected in this post are my own and based upon my own experiences.
Always Use Caution and Watch Your Child Closely When Swimming or Playing in the Water Outside
I haven’t bought my own children a swimming pool in a very long time but my youngest got a sprinkler toy for the backyard for his birthday. A young child should be watched closely while playing in a swimming pool or any type of water activity such as a water sprinkler, slip n slide. It only takes a matter of a few minutes for something to go wrong. In fact, it only takes a few inches of water for a young child to drown in, especially, toddlers. According to the US Centers of Disease Control (CDC), swimming pools account for the number one cause of deaths for children ages 1 to 4 years old.
Swimming Lessons Can Prevent Most Drownings
If you plan on purchasing a swimming pool of any type, it is important for you to get all of your children including toddlers swimming lessons. Swimming lessons might not prevent a drowning but it gives your child the best opportunity for survival if they accidentally fall in. Children who don’t know how to swim often panic if they can’t touch the pool floor or accidentally fall in. A child who panics is less likely to be able to swim to the edge of the pool to safety. According to the CDC, swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88%.
Swimming Pools are a Great Way to Cool Off During the Summer
Swimming pools are a lot of fun and are a great way to cool off during the summer months. If you plan on purchasing a swimming pool, including a wading pool, it is best to explain pool safety to your children. Many parents often buy their children flotation devices, such as floaties or pool rings. Flotation devices can give parents a false sense security because it only takes a moment for your child to take them off, for the device to deflate, or for your child to place their face in the water. If your child is unable to swim and they venture into deep water or can’t swim, they could possibly drown.
Comments
20 responses to “Swimming Pool Safety Tips to Keep You and Your Family Safe This Summer”
A lot of accidents happen at the pool, so we should definitely do all we can to exercise caution. I had a cousin who once slipped and fell into the deep end of the pool. Luckily the lifeguard was quick to come to his rescue.
Yes, accidents do happen just like what happened to your cousin. I am always afraid of unmanned pools and watching young kids at the pool without any parents around.
Great tips, Christy! Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye so it’s very important to be vigilant and mindful of the kids at all times.
Yes, I agree Rebel.
Great tips, as always, Christy!
Thank you April, glad you enjoyed my tips. 🙂
Great tips! I’d also like to add, if you have a small child and lose track of him/her even for just a moment, check the pool first! My son fell in my mom’s pool when someone forgot to lock the top lock of the sliding door, and we thought he was in his uncle’s bedroom playing. He was fine! Thankfully! But only because my dad had the presence of mind to check the pool first when we noticed he was being “too quiet”
Great idea Nicole, thank you for sharing this important piece of information.
we are always safe in our pool.. when we have parties with allot of kids, we hire lifeguards.
That is an awesome idea, thank you for sharing. Especially, if alcohol is involved at the party.
We got an above-ground pool for enjoying with our grandkids this summer. An adult always accompanies them. And, we put a lock on the back gate. Safety first.
Thank you for sharing your safety tips Deborah.
This is a great article, as a contractor I also post articles regarding swimming pool safety codes.
Awesome, you are welcome to share my post as well with your readers.
Having a pool when my kids were little was fun, yet stressful. I remember calling the cops when one of the friends visiting during the winter was missing and I thought he might have fallen into the green pool. Thankfully he was only playing hide and seek and thought we were all playing, too!
I am thankful that he was safe and didn’t fall in the pool. But you are correct, even in the winter time you need to safeguard the pool too.
Great suggestions and your personal story helps to set-up the stage of what not to do! Thank you for your great suggestions and for telling your story!
Your welcome. 🙂
Such great ideas! It’s never too early to start teaching kids about their world!
Water safety is so important, you don’t even need to have a pool for kids to drown or “secondary drown”. It can be hard to get these messages across to kids but they need to know when it’s really important to take things seriously. The most important element is supervision – keep your eyes firmly trained on the little rascals!