My in-laws baby sit my son and they have a built in pool in the back yard, with no fence .. I'm scared to death. My son is now 2 years old and wants to get into everything. I need some advice, who, what and where do i go.. I will have to pay for this myself and do not have a lot of money does anyone have some suggestion or have they had similiar expereince. I live in the Gilroy area. Any advice or suggestions are very much welcomed. Thanks
everything worked out...
How about teaching him to swim AND a pool alam. He is at a great age to learn and should catch on quickly.
I for sure have a fence around my pool, this is the exact one although I live in a different state than you http://www.poolfencedallas.com/ I live in TX and by law pool alarms have to be installed on every single back door that leads to a pool (whether or not you choose to keep them on your back door after they leave is up to you) but here are the door alarms http://www.amazon.com/PoolGuard-DAPT-WT-Poolguard-Wireles...
Definitely no matter what you choose, get SOMETHING!!!!
Simply teaching him to swim isn't enough to prevent a fatal accident. We have 3 kids and live in a rental home and paid $1800 to have a fence put in around the pool (the yard is already fenced in). We did this when the kids were 5, 8 and 11 and very good swimmers. Its costly to have it fenced but you can check into the alarms and make sure the grandparents have an extra lock at the very top of the back door as well. You can never be too safe. You don't hear anyone when they drown and it happens all the time unfortunately. I hope you find something that will work for you. Good luck.
I think teaching your kids to swim is a vital life saving tool. However, it is not enough. I have a 2 year old that will jump into the pool given the opportunity. Eventhough she can paddle and kick, I don't thinks he could get herself to safety if she goes in. A pool alarm is great, I would also get an alarm on the door that goes off everytime someone oppens the back door to the pool. But a pool fence is your best option and what I would do despite the cost. Either that, or not leave my kid alone at my in-laws home until the pool is fenced in. I would contact some of the local pool service companies in your area and see if they can put you in contact with a fencing company.
I knew someone with 2 kids who's backyard was like this.
Her rule was no one plays in the back yard without a life vest on - year round - even over winter jackets.
They had spare vests for friends to wear when they came over.
And she stuck with it, till they were > 10 years old.
Her rule saved them more than once (and they also had all kinds of pool alarms).
With a toddler, you/they are going to have to watch them like a hawk anyway, fence or no fence, because they are very clever at learning how to open practically everything.
A fence only slows them down a little bit.
The thought of anything happening to your child show outweigh the cost of a fence. I would put a fence in and have the peace of mind. A pool alarm could be a back up measure as well. Do your in laws keep the back door to the pool locked? Are there older kids around? Kids leave doors open all of the time and they may not notice.
2 Children in our local area have recently drowned in neighbor's pools in separate events. One was a 6 year old boy and one was a 3 year old boy. So sad. I can't believe your in-laws won't help with this expense. It is their responsibility as pool owners. I agree with the alarm on the door and possibly a lock at the top of the door. I can't give you advice on fence and alarm aspects but just wanted to reassure you that you can't be too careful.
Pool nets are great, and more secure than a fence. Probably cheaper too. Keep the child in a life jacket and an alarm in the pool until there is some type of barrier in place.
we have a cover over our in ground pool- the kind that rolls out of the ground and over the top. Out pool is covered unless there is an adult outside. My kids have always been swimmers but the rule is unless there is an adult ( no your 15 yr old brother does not count) the pool is covered. They cant fall in the cover is strong enough to walk across and can hold all the snow and Ice in winter. I would see if it is possible for them to get a cover and keep in on.
I am assuming they have a fence just around the whole yard...cause it is against the law not to. Well not the law but zoning rules and insurance.
All four of my kids grew up with access to their grandparents pool. I have found teaching them the pool is not safe when they cannot swim, along with this crazy concept of watching my kids, worked really well.
Kids are work and there isn't an easy way to deal with a pool. You need to accept that until he learns to swim you will not be relaxing at your in laws.
we fenced our pool off from the rest of the yard by only having to close off two sides- not sure if this would work in your situation but cuts down on cost- we also bought the fencing at Lowes and installed it ourselves- whole thing cost us less then $600. Installing it ourselves was not that hard and really saved on the cost. I would put the fence in- but totally agree that your inlaws should at least help with the cost- If anything should happen how would they deal with it? Too much of a liability- The thing I like about the fence from Lowes is that later we can take it out with almost no damage to the pool decking- a few holes in the ground is worth my peace of mind.
