Imagine that you’re laying on a lounge chair, the warmth of the sun making you slightly drowsy. Your eyes are closed, and in the background you can hear children laughing and splashing in the pool.Your daughter is playing with some other children, who are playfully chasing each other and giggling. A sparrow chirps from a nearby tree, and a soft breeze whisks down to brush the hair from your face. Everything is peaceful and relaxed.
Suddenly, you hear a child crying, and you open your eyes. Your daughter is sitting on the ground, crying and cradling a scraped knee. The children she was playing with are standing nearby, confused. What did they do wrong?
This fictional situation demonstrates how many parents aren’t fully aware of the proper pool safety procedures. Having young children around a pool requires you to be constantly alert, and ready to correct any dangerous behavior. Each year, about 300 children under the age of five drown in pool accidents, and over 2,100 children are rushed to the emergency room for near-drowning accidents. In 2005, 17 children drowned in accidents involving home inflatable pools, which is up significantly from previous years. How can you protect your children from pool-related accidents?
Here are a few simple tips for summer pool safety.
Pool Safety Tips – 1. Cover Your Pool.
If you have a pool on your property, be sure that you completely cover it when it’s not being used. This prevents debris from affecting the filtration systems in the pool.
Pool Safety Tips – 2. Install a Fence and Gate.
The fencing around a pool is recommended to be at least 4 feet high. It’s also essential that your fence has a latching, locking gate. This gate is extremely important for preventing young children from having unsupervised access to the pool.
Pool Safety Tips – 3. Know CPR.
The American Red Cross offers regular CPR certification courses in most major cities. Knowing CPR could save your child’s life in the event of a near-drowning accident, and can be useful in other situations as well. As a responsible parent, it’s highly recommended that you look for opportunities to attend a CPR training course.
Pool Safety Tips – 4. Have Safety Flotation Devices.
No matter if you’re going to a public pool or your own backyard pool, it’s still important that you have a safety flotation device. This is especially important if you have very young children, who aren’t able to easily swim on their own. There are currently several different types of safety flotation devices, which are designed for children of all ages. An example would be a children’s float suit (Amazon Product Page), which has foam inserts designed to help children learn how to swim.
Pool Safety Tips – 5. No Running!
This is a rule that most parents are aware of, but may have difficulty enforcing. Children love to play around the pool, and young children love to run. However, the concrete or tile around the pool is often slippery from the water, which increases the risk of a fall-related injury. Falls near the pool are also particularly dangerous since it’s possible that your child could be knocked unconscious, then fall into the water. Explain to your children why running around the pool is dangerous, and be strict about enforcing this rule.
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