It’s important to teach your kids proper pool and spa behavior and for parents to take the proper precautions as well. Listed here are some suggestions from Katchakid pool fences for keeping your children safe around water so everyone can enjoy time in and around the water.
Supervise Your Kids
Supervise your kids at all times, just because they have taken swimming lessons or use a flotation device don’t assume there is no risk of drowning.
Have a no running or pushing around the pool rule and they should never dive in areas not marked for diving.
If you’re at a party it’s especially easy to get distracted so designate an adult to be responsible for keeping an eye on the kids.
When leaving your children with a babysitter make sure he/she knows your safety rules around the pool.
Seconds count in an emergency so have a cordless phone with you when supervising children near water, and program emergency 911 number into
your phone.
Teach kids to never swim alone, by using the buddy system someone is always looking out for you.
Educate Your Kids
Educate your kids on the differences between swimming in a pool compared to a lake or the ocean, each has different hazards.
At lakes, creeks or ponds it goes without saying that kids should always be under the watchful eye of an adult, the water in these places can be shallow then drop off quickly.
There could be hidden glass, jagged rocks or trash so children should wear protective foot gear like aqua socks or water shoes in the water.
Watch for weeds or grass that could entangle arms or legs.
Visiting the beach can be an enjoyable experience and your children should be taught to only get into the water when there is a lifeguard on duty.
Unlike the calm waters of a swimming pool the beach has special dangers like tides and currents. Check with the lifeguard to find out special conditions.
Don’t allow children to swim in large waves or undertows and teach them to never stand with their back to the water as a sudden big wave could knock them over.
If they happen to get caught in an undertow or current teach them to swim parallel to the shore or tread water and call a lifeguard for help.
When around any body of water or swimming pool make sure they know to get out of the water due to bad weather, especially lightning.
Being the owner of a backyard Swimming Pool or spa is a tremendous responsibility when it comes to safety. A pool fence installed around your home spa or pool requires a fence of a certain height and adequate gates to prevent unsupervised access. For further security and safety consider a pool safety net like the ones at Katchakid to keep kids safe around water.