Keeping your Family Safe by the Pool

We are soon off on our first holiday as a family of four. To say I am excited is an understatement!! This will be the first time that Neve has been away with us, and her first ever pool experience. Despite being 18 months old now – her skin and eczema has been so bad that it has prevented us from taking her to our local baths. As exciting as our family holiday is, there is also a little part of me that is terrified about keeping my eye on both children at the same time, especially as they are likely to be absolutely hyper. We have Neve’s new swimsuit ready, and Erin has been practising swimming without armbands, so now all I need to worry about is us keeping them safe.

Children, especially younger ones, can get very excited at the prospect of a pool on a family holiday. However, it is also highly important to be aware that while providing lots of fun and joy to the youngsters, swimming pools also pose a risk of potentially very serious – including life-threatening – accidents.

Here are some great pool safety tips to ensure that your kids stay safe while enjoying the pool:

• Never let your kids in or around the pool unsupervised. Even if there are trained lifeguards, children (especially young children!) should never be left in or around the pool without parental supervision – not even for one minute. This counts for kids who are relatively capable swimmers too
  because water tends to wear them out easily and they may start panicking if swallowing even just a little bit of water. It is recommended for children under 6 years of age to be always within their parents’ arms’ reach.
• Talk to your children about pool safety. Make sure your children understand that pools are fun and that there is no need to be afraid of the water as long as they are following a few basic safety rules. These should include no diving into shallow water, no running or pushing near the pool, not swallowing pool water, and not to hold their breath under water or similar children’s games which can be potentially very dangerous. Your children should also understand that swimming lilos and inflatables may help them swim but despite that, they still require a presence of an adult.
• Something that I didn’t realise is that swimming lessons for children under 4 years of age don’t actually reduce the risk of drowning. It’s a good idea to sign up your little ones to swimming lessons as soon as possible but keep in mind that before the age of 4 years, they simply aren’t developmentally ready. Even more, some studies suggest they may even increase the risk of drowning by giving parents a false sense of security.
• Ask about pool safety when booking your vacation. Above all, be sure to find out whether there are trained lifeguards at the resort’s pool. If not, you may want to reconsider your choice, as this should generally be a minimum safety standard. You are may want to ask your travel agent or the resort about water quality because if not maintained properly, your family is at increased risk of various infections, as bacteria thrive in poorly maintained pool waters.
• In villas and apartments, ensure that doors to the outside area are kept locked or secured so that children aren’t able to wonder out on their own. You’d be surprised how tempting it is for a child to go and have a look at the pool, and you only need to have your back turned for a second.

These tips aren’t meant to scaremonger so please enjoy your holidays this summer. I will be sitting the girls down before we go, especially Erin, to make sure she understands just how careful she needs to be.

What other water safety tips would you recommend?

*This is a collaborative post*