Swimming Pool Safety Tips: The Guide For Kids

Having your own private swimming pool is not something that everyone gets to experience. Many people who have the opportunity of having one built think only of the status that it affords them, paying very little attention to the safety aspects of having a swimming pool in their back garden.

While it may be the utmost in opulence and something of a status symbol, owning one requires you to have a good sense of responsibility towards those around you, including the animals that may wander into your garden. An open swimming pool is for all intents and purposes an accident waiting to happen so you need to do your best to make both the pool and the area around it as safe as possible.

Child Safety

You may feel pretty confident that your child knows how to be safe around the pool, but even so accidents by their very nature can still happen to the most safety-conscious of people. Kids are naturally drawn to water so it is only natural for them to want to be around the pool as much as possible. The thing is that you cannot possibly be there to supervise them all of the time. Unless you are able to employ a twenty-four-hour lifeguard or pool attendant you are going to have to look into suitable safety measures.

• Securing your Pool: Basically, you need a way of closing your pool off so that the children cannot get into it unsupervised. One of the first steps that you should take when you get the pool installed is to have a fence erected around it, one with a good locking mechanism on the gate so that little people can’t make their own way in. There are also a number of pool alarms on the market that you should look into. Alarms can be installed onto all of the windows and doors that open out onto the pool area, and others that will sound an alarm if something disturbs the surface of the water. You could also look into installing chimes or bells onto the gates and fences that surround the pool.
• Life Preservers: Kids love having inflatable toys in the pool, so invest in some that actually serve a purpose. There are a number of novelty flotation devices on the market that you could use. Of course, the best safety device that you can employ is yourself, adult supervision. Depending upon the age of the children you may not have to give them your undivided attention, just remain in the vicinity of the pool should they get into difficulty. Small children should not be allowed to enter the pool unaccompanied.
• Education: make sure that your children know how to swim, check with the parents of your children’s friends to make sure you are aware of their swimming ability before you agree to let them play in the pool. Teach your children to be confident in and around the water. As well as teaching the kids to make sure that you brush up on your own water safety and lifesaving skills too.