Every year, over 300 kids under the age of 5 drown in residential swimming pools. For a parent, those are frightening statistics. Toddler boys are at the greatest risk of drowning but any child could accidentally fall into a pool or become too comfortable and go into water that is too deep for their skill level. Teaching toddlers how to swim can help provide some security but all children need to be supervised near pools, regardless of their swimming abilities.
Supervise Toddlers around Pools
Toddlers are naturally curious and do not understand the potential dangers of swimming pools and other bodies of water. The National Center for Child Death Review and Policy says, “It is . . . believed that toddlers drown silently; not splashing or calling for help when they get into trouble in water.”
Supervising toddlers around pools is essential and should not be done casually. Toddlers can drown in a matter of minutes and while other safety measures are in place. Nothing is a substitute for parental supervision.
Use Life Jackets
There are many personal flotation devices on the market. Many of them have fun designs and are appealing to kids but most are not safe to use as a flotation device. Pool arm floats and blow up rings are wonderful tools to be used with immediate parental supervision but they will not keep a toddler afloat in an emergency. Arm floats can easily slide off tiny toddler arms and blow up rings can tip over and hold the child under water.
Parents of toddlers should purchase a toddler sized life jacket that is a coast guard approved flotation device. Toddlers under 30 pounds should wear a life jacket with a flotation collar to keep their head above water. Life jackets should worn by toddlers both in the pool and while playing out of the water near a pool in case they fall in. Life jackets are not a substitute for direct supervision but they can protect a child if the parent has a slight lapse in attention.
Pool Alarms
There are a variety of pool alarm systems that can help alert parents if a toddler falls in the pool. Quick action is essential to prevent drowning since toddlers can drown in a matter of minutes. Some pool alarms require wrist bands to be worn by the child and set off an alarm if the wrist band goes below a specified water depth. This type of pool alarm can be very effective but it does require that the parents put the wrist band on the child so it would not provide protection if the toddler sneaked out of the house.
Other types of pool alarms go off if any movement is detected around the perimeter of the pool or if the surface of the water is disturbed by something of at least 15 pounds. These types of pool alarms offer wider protection to a toddler and also protect neighboring children who may wander into the pool area unsupervised.
Pool Fences
Pool fences are law in most areas and should always be installed to protect toddlers and any neighboring children. It is important that parents are vigilant in keeping the pool gate shut and locked at all times and provide direct supervision anytime their toddler is inside the pool fence, even if they are not using the swimming pool.
Swimming is a wonderful activity for toddlers and can help teach them important life skills lessons and build a foundation for an active lifestyle but toddlers should never be left unsupervised near a pool. Parents should be in the pool with their toddler so they are quickly available if their toddler needs help and to demonstrate appropriate water safety techniques.
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