Swimming Pool Safety

Today Jolie Perara, Marketing Manager of Washington FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now sharing some pool safety tips.

So what are some things you can do to keep your kids safer at the pool?

The most important tip we can give you is if your child is missing always check the pool first. – not the bathroom or the snack bar!


General Pool Area Safety
Fencing
Locks
Remove Hot Tub Covers

Most of us know about having locked fences around pools and completely removing pool and hot tub covers so kids don’t become trapped under them. But there are a number of other measures that make summer even safer.

Additional Pool Safety
Vigilance – NEVER OUT OF SITE
Touch Supervision
Informed Babysitter
Stay Away from Drains

Vigilance is the number one way to keep your kids safe. Most young children who drown in pools or hot tubs have been out of sight for less than five minutes. It can’t be said often enough, you have to watch your kids around water.

With infants and toddlers, use “touch supervision” meaning you are always within an arm’s length.

If a babysitter takes your child to the pool, make sure he or she knows about pool safety and the need for constant supervision.

Drains can be an issue. Because of the danger of kids being trapped underwater by the pool drain suction, federal legislation was enacted to help ensure all public pools and spas have safety-compliant drain covers and anti-entrapment systems. Make sure your pool is safe in this way.

To keep safe, kids should tie back long hair, remove jewelry, make sure their arms, legs and heads stay clear of the drains and not sit on drains. This goes for public as well as private pools and hot tubs.



Home Water Safety
Caution with Inflatable Pools
Keep the Phone Handy
Remove Toys from Pools
Keep Chairs/Table Clear of Pool
Locate the Circuit Breaker
Missing Child? Check the pool first!

Keep in mind that you don’t have to have an in ground pool to practice pool safety. Children can drown in as little as one inch of water. So think about inflatable and baby pools. Either fence or drain them when you are not using them.

With any size pool or hot tub, keep a phone nearby so you don’t leave your child unsupervised while running inside to answer it and so it’s right there for emergencies.

What if you are lucky enough to have a pool at home? Make sure toys are out of the pool after playtime to lessen the chance of a child falling in while reaching for a toy.

Keep chairs and tables away from the pool fence so that kids can’t climb the fence to get in to the pool.

If you do have a pool or hot tub, clearly label the circuit breaker in case it needs to be turned off in an emergency.

And if your child is missing, always check the pool first.


And remember, these tips apply to any pool from community pools to hot tubs in the backyard. Even if you don’t own a pool, your child may play with kids who do or their camp or daycare may take them to the pool. Be sure to teach them about the dangers of pool drains and pool safety.

Happy Parenting, Brenda



Good links

Water Parks and Spray Parks
http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Water-Parks-or-Water-Play

Build a WaterPark at Home
http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Homemade-free-water-fun-Make-a-slip-n-slide_

Cool Ice Rinks
http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Ice-Skating-Rinks