The start of summer vacation often means lots of time in the pool! Swimming is fantastic exercise for kids, and a wonderful way to stay active and keep cool on hot days. Read these pool safety tips to keep kids safe all summer long.
Summer Pool Safety Tips to Keep Kids Safe
What You'll Find on This Page
The ZAC Foundation (sponsoring this post) was founded to keep kids safe in the water after six-year-old Zachary Archer Cohn drowned in 2007. Any child’s death is devastating, and hundreds of children drown every year. The ZAC Foundation wants to change this statistic forever. Please read these tips before taking your kids to the pool!
The ZAC Foundation wants to ensure that children and their parents know how to be safer around water through education and advocacy programs. The ZAC Foundation provides a wealth of water safety tips and resources. They run ZAC Camps for parents and children of all ages (birth to teenagers). The Foundation targets children ages 5-9 with most of their safety programming.
ABC&D’s of water safety
Water safety is as simple as A, B, C, and D:
- ADULT: Never let children be alone near or in a pool, ocean, lake, or river. Children should be taught to never swim without an adult present.
- BARRIER: Have a four-sided fence that goes around your pool with a self-locking gate.
- CLASSES: Kids and adults should take safety classes like swim lessons and CPR.
- DRAINS: ALL swimmers should stay away from all pool and spa drains to avoid becoming trapped by the suction.
Drain entrapment can happen no matter how well a child swims. Make sure your pool has an anti-entrapment drain cover, and never let anyone swim in a pool with a loose drain cover or a drain cover that falls off. Have drains checked regularly by a licensed maintenance professional. Learn more in this video about drain entrapment.
How do keep your kids safe at the pool?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
This is such an important post. I never realized how dangerous drains could be.
It’s terrifying! I’m glad they have changed the design to make them safer.
I grew up in a pool in Vegas. I hardly ever swim anymore. We went swimming last weekend for the first time this year and had a blast. Our two year old LOVES the water and seems to have no fear. Hopefully, she’s a rule follower like her brother and knows we only go swimming when we have swimsuits and “swim jacket” on and mommy and daddy are in the water. It’s hard when the laundry facility is in the pool enclosure.
I am surprised that it is legal for the laundry facility to be inside the pool enclosure. That would really stress me out as a mom. I’m sorry!
Our local 4-H has a summer program.
I make sure the kids know the pool rules before we even enter the pool. We have the kids wear flotaties if we are having a pool party…we all know that adults get distracted easily at parties.
Very wise!
I nearly drowned when I was a toddler so this is a good and timely reminder!
Water risk is one of my biggest concerns as a parent. I have a friend who was at a party where a young child drowned in a shallow water feature. It can happen almost anywhere, anytime. Constant parental or other adult vigilance is a must around any water.
I have seen that nearly happen twice. You are right, adult vigilance is a must – no matter how shallow the water!
This tragedy can happen even to strong swimmers. My cousin’s 7 year old daughter drowned while swimming across lake with her brothers – something that she did many times before. This is why adult presence is so important. I admire this foundation for using the tragedy befalling on them to prevent other young lives being lost.
I am so sorry to hear about your cousin’s daughter, Natalie.
It is very easy for a child to drown – yes, even the strong swimmers. That is why adult supervision is so critical. Thank you for sharing your personal story. I really admire the ZAC Foundation for working to prevent this happening to other families.
Lots and lots of practice swimming. It’s a lot more relaxing now that they’re older and all pretty confident about swimming.
It is so nice when they become confident swimmers!