A Guide To Making Your Pool A Kid-Safe Zone
If you have children at home, then they are probably even more excited about the upcoming pool season than you are. Kids love swimming pools, and swimming can be great physical exercise for them. However, there are certain dangers associated with children and swimming pools. Drowning can happen without warning, and kids can drown in as little as 2 inches of water.
Drowning is a major cause of accidental deaths among children, with hundreds of children succumbing each year. It's not just drowning that you need to worry about. Children get into accidents in everything from lakes and ponds to the ocean. But it's been seen that swimming pools in their homes are where accidents usually happen.
But is there anything you can do to turn your fibreglass pool into a kid-friendly environment? The answer is yes, there is. The first thing you'll need to do is have a pool fence installed around your pool. Know that children aren't always aware of the dangers that being around a swimming pool creates. This is why you should be vigilant and near your pool anytime your children want to use your fibreglass pool. So what can you do to make your pool more kid-friendly?
Install a pool fence
You are legally required to have a pool fence around your pool. A pool fence is the most effective way of keeping children from accidentally falling into the pool. Even pets are safe from falling into a pool. Your pool fence can be made of any material, such as wood. Ensure that the fence is tall enough to prevent kids from trying to climb over it.
Having a pool fence is essential, should you have a pool at home. Without a pool fence, you may end up facing legal trouble, as all pools are required to have one. What kind of pool fence you get is up to you. With a large variety of pool fences available on the market, you’re very likely to find something that matches the aesthetic of your home.
Add a pool cover
Another way to make your pool kid-friendly is to keep it covered when it’s not being used. Pool covers can be just a simple cover that can keep foreign contaminants from falling into the pool, or more sturdy. You can even get a pool cover made entirely out of wood, that keeps the pool completely covered when it’s not being used.
The benefit of getting a sturdier pool cover is that it can prevent even adults who may accidentally trip near the pool, from falling in. You can even get simple netting for your fibreglass pool. But no matter what you get, ensure that the pool cover can take the weight of a child without breaking. Finding such a pool cover isn’t hard, and your nearest pool accessory store will be able to help you find one. You can also check out our guide to pool covers and rollers.
Floaties and life jackets
Whenever you allow your child to use the pool, they should have a life jacket on. Buy some floaties and leave them in the pool as well. That way, your child will always have access to some means of staying above the water.
Note that you should never allow your children to swim in the deep end of the pool. Even if they are good at swimming, children should never wade into the deeper part of your pool. You should also be present at all times when your child is using the pool. Leaving them unsupervised, even for a minute, can end up leading to a disaster. You should also consider enrolling your children in swimming classes. The more comfortable they feel swimming in the water, the less likely they are to encounter an accident.
Even if your child doesn’t want to wear a life jacket when they go swimming, insist that they have to wear one anytime they use the fibreglass pool.
Keep pool chemicals away
A lot of people store their pool chemicals near their pool. Maybe you have a small shed in your backyard, which is perfect for storing your pool chemicals. Since pool chemicals can be extremely dangerous, you should ensure that there’s no way your children can reach the pool chemicals. If you’re keeping the chemicals in your shed, then your shed needs to be locked at all times to prevent kids from entering it.
Place your pool chemicals in a high-up place, where your kids won’t be able to reach them. Ensure that your pool equipment is covered as well, such as the pool pump. You can have a small wooden fence built around it to prevent children from getting too close to it.
Be vigilant
The most important thing that you can do to prevent your children from getting into accidents around your fibreglass pool, is to stay vigilant. Don’t use your phone while your children are swimming, and definitely don’t leave the pool area. An adult should always be monitoring what a child does in the backyard.
Even if your child is simply going out to play in the backyard, you should still monitor them. This is to prevent a situation where the child falls into the pool, while you’re not watching. A pool fence and a pool cover can go a long way towards preventing this from happening. But accidents come without warning. So the biggest factor that can contribute towards keeping your children safe around the pool, is whether you’re monitoring them or not.
You should also talk to your children about the dangers associated with the pool. Even if it’s a difficult conversation to have, talk to them about why it’s dangerous to go swimming in the pool alone. Let them know why they should always ask an adult to watch over them.
Conclusion
If you have a fibreglass pool at home, then your children probably love using it. However, a pool can be a dangerous place for a child, especially if they are alone. The good news is that you can have a pool fence installed, get a pool cover, and do several other things to ensure that your children are safe around the pool. This guide will help you learn what you can do to make your pool area more kid-friendly, and why it’s necessary.
While we always recommend you remain vigilant around the pool, we do have child safety ledges on the majority of our fibreglass pools, excluding our spa ranges.
We always recommend speaking to your pool installer as they are the ones who installed your pool and would have the best advice on what would suit your pool best. We also have a blog post on the topic here!
A Guide To Making Your Pool A Kid-Safe Zone
If you have children at home, then they are probably even more excited about the upcoming pool season than you are. Kids love swimming pools, and swimming can be great physical exercise for them. However, there are certain dangers associated with children and swimming pools. Drowning can happen without warning, and kids can drown in as little as 2 inches of water.
Drowning is a major cause of accidental deaths among children, with hundreds of children succumbing each year. It's not just drowning that you need to worry about. Children get into accidents in everything from lakes and ponds to the ocean. But it's been seen that swimming pools in their homes are where accidents usually happen.
But is there anything you can do to turn your fibreglass pool into a kid-friendly environment? The answer is yes, there is. The first thing you'll need to do is have a pool fence installed around your pool. Know that children aren't always aware of the dangers that being around a swimming pool creates. This is why you should be vigilant and near your pool anytime your children want to use your fibreglass pool. So what can you do to make your pool more kid-friendly?
Install a pool fence
You are legally required to have a pool fence around your pool. A pool fence is the most effective way of keeping children from accidentally falling into the pool. Even pets are safe from falling into a pool. Your pool fence can be made of any material, such as wood. Ensure that the fence is tall enough to prevent kids from trying to climb over it.
Having a pool fence is essential, should you have a pool at home. Without a pool fence, you may end up facing legal trouble, as all pools are required to have one. What kind of pool fence you get is up to you. With a large variety of pool fences available on the market, you’re very likely to find something that matches the aesthetic of your home.
Add a pool cover
Another way to make your pool kid-friendly is to keep it covered when it’s not being used. Pool covers can be just a simple cover that can keep foreign contaminants from falling into the pool, or more sturdy. You can even get a pool cover made entirely out of wood, that keeps the pool completely covered when it’s not being used.
The benefit of getting a sturdier pool cover is that it can prevent even adults who may accidentally trip near the pool, from falling in. You can even get simple netting for your fibreglass pool. But no matter what you get, ensure that the pool cover can take the weight of a child without breaking. Finding such a pool cover isn’t hard, and your nearest pool accessory store will be able to help you find one. You can also check out our guide to pool covers and rollers.
Floaties and life jackets
Whenever you allow your child to use the pool, they should have a life jacket on. Buy some floaties and leave them in the pool as well. That way, your child will always have access to some means of staying above the water.
Note that you should never allow your children to swim in the deep end of the pool. Even if they are good at swimming, children should never wade into the deeper part of your pool. You should also be present at all times when your child is using the pool. Leaving them unsupervised, even for a minute, can end up leading to a disaster. You should also consider enrolling your children in swimming classes. The more comfortable they feel swimming in the water, the less likely they are to encounter an accident.
Even if your child doesn’t want to wear a life jacket when they go swimming, insist that they have to wear one anytime they use the fibreglass pool.
Keep pool chemicals away
A lot of people store their pool chemicals near their pool. Maybe you have a small shed in your backyard, which is perfect for storing your pool chemicals. Since pool chemicals can be extremely dangerous, you should ensure that there’s no way your children can reach the pool chemicals. If you’re keeping the chemicals in your shed, then your shed needs to be locked at all times to prevent kids from entering it.
Place your pool chemicals in a high-up place, where your kids won’t be able to reach them. Ensure that your pool equipment is covered as well, such as the pool pump. You can have a small wooden fence built around it to prevent children from getting too close to it.
Be vigilant
The most important thing that you can do to prevent your children from getting into accidents around your fibreglass pool, is to stay vigilant. Don’t use your phone while your children are swimming, and definitely don’t leave the pool area. An adult should always be monitoring what a child does in the backyard.
Even if your child is simply going out to play in the backyard, you should still monitor them. This is to prevent a situation where the child falls into the pool, while you’re not watching. A pool fence and a pool cover can go a long way towards preventing this from happening. But accidents come without warning. So the biggest factor that can contribute towards keeping your children safe around the pool, is whether you’re monitoring them or not.
You should also talk to your children about the dangers associated with the pool. Even if it’s a difficult conversation to have, talk to them about why it’s dangerous to go swimming in the pool alone. Let them know why they should always ask an adult to watch over them.
Conclusion
If you have a fibreglass pool at home, then your children probably love using it. However, a pool can be a dangerous place for a child, especially if they are alone. The good news is that you can have a pool fence installed, get a pool cover, and do several other things to ensure that your children are safe around the pool. This guide will help you learn what you can do to make your pool area more kid-friendly, and why it’s necessary.
While we always recommend you remain vigilant around the pool, we do have child safety ledges on the majority of our fibreglass pools, excluding our spa ranges.
We always recommend speaking to your pool installer as they are the ones who installed your pool and would have the best advice on what would suit your pool best. We also have a blog post on the topic here!
