Pool Safety? How Do Moms "CLOSE" the Pool off Season?

There is no off season.
We have a fence up all the time I watch when it is open.
I have known of a few sad, sad situations and a few close calls.
Get a fence at once.
The net kind hardly show. Even with a fence you have to watch all the time.
B. v. O.

We don't have a pool, but do have an oversized in ground spa. (Large enough to teach kids to swim in it.)

We thought we did great by putting in a wrought iron gate at one side of the house, closing off the area with the spa. Well, when my daughter was small, she just crawled under it like she saw the cats do. When she was about 3-1/2, she climbed up it...yes, she's part monkey! It's just straight bars, but she can shimmy up it, then she opens the latch and wiggles her body back and forth to open the gate.

Certainly have to find out something else, as we've got twins on the way next spring.

We did have a cover that requires a special tool to get the cover on and off, put it was very difficult and I couldn't do it...there were large springs that held the straps to some metal pegs drilled into the ground. Let me say that my husband had me do the research and that was NOT what I thought would work. And I was right. Anyway, we don't keep a cover on it at this point. With only one child, we can keep an eye on her and know when she's outside. Next year at this time, no way. We will definitely have a new and easier cover on it...probably the first one I suggested! (A friend has one on her full-sized pool. It's a net with squares that are about 3-4" and it can be put on and taken off very easily.)

check out the IPSSA web sites for info www.ipssasandiego.com & www.waterwatcher.org or www.ipssa.com They have videos & brochures. This is a great organization of pool professionals who are serious about pool safety. The waterwatcher tag program is a good tool to use for backyard pools. Good Luck, V.

Hi M.,

You must have access to the internet, otherwise you wouldn't be posting messages on Mamasource.com. I say this because I'm surprised you haven't heard about Aqua Net pool nets.

We've had our pool net for 6 years now and now that I have a three year old boy (who happens to be very active), I'm appreciating it even more. We chose the net because we didn't want to obstruct our view - our pool sits between our house and a major portion of our backyard.

http://www.childsafepools.com/pool_nets_new.html

Here's a link to the specific net we chose. The one shown is black in color, and the one we have is bright blue. Everything you read on their website is true. Since I'm petite, with only a limited amount of upper body strength, I would say it takes me more like 15 minutes to install and about 5 minutes to remove.

I'm not a family member or employee of "Aqua Net", but I can tell you that it really works and is worth every penny.

We have the Gaurdian around our pool that has a locking gate. We keep it up year around(until our kids are older of course.) The gate stays closed all the time. Our 4 year old has become a pretty good swimmer, but our almost year old still needs to learn. We feel secure to let our kids play on our patio with our supervision and not worry to much about the pool.

Pool safety is year round for us. We have a 3 yr old and a 6 yr old, and our gate is up and locked year round. My 6 year old is an avid and strong swimmer, and our 3 yr old is pool safe, but we always have the gate locked and after we are done swimming in the summer, we also re-lock the automatic locking gate every time we leave the pool area. We hide the key on top of the fridge which is out of reach of the 6 year old even on the highest step stool and barstool. We have also sat down and had talks about pool safety with our kids. They know you never go swimming without a buddy and an adult! It is important what you are doing...

I am new here but not a new mom....we have had our pool for a few years and I am a firm believer in swimming lessons. All three of my daughters (ages 10, 8, and 6) have had multiple sessions of swimming lessons even before we had our own pool. My husband too, was a life guard and lesson instructor for many years, although, he did not act as a swimming instructor for our daughters. Lessons, lessons, lessons...we even signed our oldest up after she was a "swimmer" because she just needed the refresher. As for the winter months, we have an alarm on the doors leading to the backyard (it beeps loudly so I know the doors are opening...so I am aware) and we also have a net (catchakid). We have taught our daughters that the net is NOT a toy and NOT to be played with. It is safe and we do use it even during the summer/swim months, but most importantly WE are always aware of where the kids are (all the kids who are at our home. Good luck with your presentation...you are pool safe and you are the most qualified person to talk about pool safety!

My pool safety plan is the same year around. I believe the most important safety plan is to watch your children! Know where they are and what they are doing! But since they can drown in a literally a minute and our attention can be distracted for that long, you must have safety layers. Hopefully in that distracted moment, your child never gets past your first layer. First safety layer: I have an alarm on all our house doors that will "chirp" any time someone opens a door. This lets me know the second a child has decided to go outside. (and they are never to go outside without an adult) Second layer: a fence separates all house doors from direct access to the pool. Third layer: The gates to the pool "yard" have locks. The key is kept up high in my china cabinet. Layer four: Set Expectation and Limits. My children have been told since the first time they set foot in the water that they can never go in the water without an adult. They are not even allowed to go into the pool when we are all going until an adult is actually in the pool first. Layer five: Swimming lessions.

I would consider a cover or alarm but our pool does not work with the systems that are available. If I were to build a pool, I'd keep that in mind while designing the pool.

We have 2 small children, 2 and 4.

We have the guardian pool fence that you can take off in the summer. It has a lock but my daughter can't reach the top to open it anyhow. Once my kids are great swimmers and older, I will leave the pool fence off. My daughter is 18 months old (has been in swimming lessons since 3 months), and the second she falls into a pool, she flips over and floats on her back (as taught). She's learning to kick to the side now. I'm also pregnant with #2.

My MIL built a pool for the grandkids a few years back. It has a wrought iron fence around the pool that she keeps padlocked at 2 gate entrances. My kids are 6 and 9 now but were 3 and 6 when it was built.

as far as i know when you have children under 14 you are supposed to have alarms on the doors so you know when they exit the house. also you are to have a fence blocking off the pool (5 ft i think). they have a thing called an aquanet (i think thats what its called) thats a net that goes over the pool to prevent drowning. i dont know how well it works. good luck with your presentation i hope it turns out well :)

I know this may sound like I'm a horrible mother (I'm not!) I don't have any safety devices outside. No fence or safety net or anything of the sort. We normally keep a solar cover over the pool but during winters the pool stays uncovered. We have a 2ft wide border around the pool filled with pebbles and rocks and my son has learned that he is absolutely not supposed to go anywhere near them unless I pick him up and carry him over (he's 2) I can let him out in the yard (of course I'm out there with him) and he could care less about the pool. He's more interested in the dirt on the side of the house! lol
I do have all doors and gates that lead into the backyard rigged with alarms and double locked. So there's no way my son (or anyone else for that matter!) could get into the yard without me knowing. Once he gets a little older I know I'll have no choice and I'll have to put a fence up, but for right now what I have going on is working for us.

We have 5 foot high iron fence that totally encloses the whole pool area and stays latched and bolted with a keyed lock year round. I have two children, 4yrs in January and 6months old.

I work in the injury prevention field and work along side of a wonderful lady whose son died due to drowning in an unprotected pool. We work out of a large children's hopsital and see drowings year-round unfortunately. While summer is the official "drowning season," we still see this issue every month of the year. Prevention should not differ during winter season months. The number one suggestion is that people have an isolation fence that is self-closing and self-latching. Pool covers, door alarms and other devices should be layered along with the isolation fence in case there is a failure of one barrier. I invite you to look at the National Drowning Prevention Alliance website (google it since I don't have the web address with me currently). You could find a lot of info on it :) Best of luck!

Good luck on your presentation. We have a 3 year old. There is a gate and fence surrounding our pool - the gate is only open when we are swimming, otherwise it is closed. We don't lock it because the latch is at about 5 ft. and on the other side of the fence. My daughter also knows she is not allowed to go near the pool or touch the water without her floaties on. She has used them since she was about 18 months, and now she knows.

Listen so very carefully M....

Your sure bet, the most safe thing there is for having a pool is to waterproof your babies. TEACH THEM HOW TO SWIM and I mean swim entirely on their own. There are a hundred ways to make the pool more inaccessable but nothing is 100%.
I have a three yr old and she learned to swim, completely on her own, the summer she was barely 2. I then put her tennis shoes on and told her to try and be able to go straight for the side, just to be able to get to the side. They then can hand over hand get to the steps. It worked. I stayed right with her when I had the pants and shoes on and it took a while but she learned the feel, and what could happen, and we practiced over and over until she could get out.
It is so important for them to anticipate and feel what's going to happen. Please do as I suggest. Our babies are our life as you well know and heaven forbid a drowning happen. We would never get over it and never forgive ourselves and live in endless guilt even if it were not all our fault, but we would in a sense have died too. These are morbid things but all too well true and I felt it necessary to openly say it as it is, to prompt all mommies to do as I say!

Much love and happiness,

Wendy

Hi there, I have 3 kids ranging from 7 - 13. We have lived in this houes their entire lives, and the rules have always been the same. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES may they enter the locked and gated pool area without an adult present. Our pool fence is metal, the ugliest home improvement I've ever made, is 6 feel tall and has very closely spaced bars. There is a combo lock on it and not even my 13 year old has the combo. The gate is self closing. Please remind those at the convention to keep the hinges of a self closing gate DW 40'd or it does not stay self closing.

All of them started swim lessons at 3 and are now super swimmers. I still will not allow any off them in the pool without an adult.

Having said that, even with the protection, the minute you unlock the gate all bets are off. When my son was 3 we were having a BBQ to which 8 kids were coming with their families. We ALWAYS have a life guard but at the last minute she called saying she had bronchitis. I figured I'd be fine, and was until a child dropped a glass ketchup bottle. While I was cleaning it up another child (he was 8) asked me if my son could swim. When I said no he asked me why my son was floating in the pool. I grabbed him out just as he was starting to go under. The ambulance driver told me another minute and that would have been the end of my son. Thankfully he is fine. I tell this story to everyone who will listen. I am a responsbile person and there were several adults there. Clearly that's not enough. You MUST have a licensed lifeguard whose only job is to watch the pool.

Hi M.,

So important that you are doing this...good for you! Our kids are 7, 5, 3, 15 mo. and another arriving in April. The oldest 3 are water safe and the youngest has NO FEAR! We have a gate that goes all the way around our pool. It has automatic closing doors which we keep locked when the pool in not in use (after a swim day in the summer and all winter). Good luck on your presentation!

Hi M.

I have a 4, 6 and 9 year old who ALL know how to swim. They have been in private swimming lessons for 3 years. We have an iron gate that goes around our pool and is locked at all times.

Hope that helps.

J.

My parents installed a "mesh" pool fence between the house and the swimming pool in their back yard. The pool contains three gates. Whenever I bring the kids over, about twice a week, I go into the back yard to make sure all the gates are closed. Sometimes my parents don't get around to it. They tell me not to worry because, according to them, they constantly watch the kids. I've learned from experience that this is not always true. (My elder son once bit my younger son in front of my dad and my dad did not even notice although I noticed after I heard my younger son scream and saw bite marks on his forehead!) The pool fence was not cheap, but I insisted that my parents install one if they were going to let the kids spend time there.

My parents' winter strategy is the same as their summer strategy.

By the way, I was a competitive swimmer, lifeguard and swimming instructor for several years. I am trying to teach my kids (ages 29 months and 15 months) to swim, but I don't believe that the vast majority of kids under the age of three years, even after having taken a substantial number of lessons, can swim well enough to be "water safe."

Lynne E

I don't own a pool, but I just wanted to say that I think what you're doing is wonderful, and wish you good luck gathering much helpful information to pass on to others.
Thank you for doing a wonderful service.

When we had our pool built we also had a 5 foot wrough iron fence put up to block access to the pool. It is self closing and it remains locked with a combo lock at all times. Intitial we had it done to protect our dogs from drowning, but now that we have a one year old I am so glad we did it. : )