How to Keep Your Kids and Pets Safe Around Swimming Pools

Having a pool in your yard brings so many benefits, happy memories, exercise, family bonding, stress relief, and other health benefits. As with most things in life, there are also many responsibilities that come with a pool that go beyond maintenance.

Safety is a critical and responsible part of owning a pool. Keeping children and pets safe around a pool is a major concern and one that deserves much intentional thought and attention. Proper security protects your loved ones from tragic accidents. Helping your children understand the reasons for safety precautions as well as helping them to be prepared for water activities can save lives. When it comes to your pets, cats don’t really jump into water willingly, but dogs may. Both dogs and cats may accidentally tip over and fall in, so you need to be ready!

To be as prepared as you can be to keep your loved ones safe, read on to evaluate the level of safety that your pool area is.

Protecting Your Kids

Tip #1: Set up barriers around the perimeter of the pool area.

Barriers, such as 4-foot fencing, provide a layer of security between free space and the dangers of the water. Barriers can prevent accidental falling or drowning and can beessential to the safety of your loved ones, especially when no one is watching.  Motion alarms may also help bring awareness and quick responses, should someone fall into the pool.

Take Action: by researching fences and barriers suitable for your pool area and also by adding motion sensors to detect and prevent potential problems.

Tip #2: Make sure your family knows how to swim.

When you live near water, everyone needs to know how to swim. It really is a critical skill. Accidents happen but dangerous situations can be prevented and avoided. Knowing how to swim is a necessary life skill.

Take Action: Find a swim class or private instructor in your area to bring skills to your loved ones who are not as confident or capable in the water.

Tip #3: Always supervise!

No one swims alone! There should always be someone watching the pool, even if all swimmers feel confident in their abilities. Young children and non-swimmers need constant supervision along with proximity. Always stay within arm’s length and even have a pool noodle or flotation device to provide assistance in an emergency situation.

Take Action: Hold a family meeting and reinforce the importance of pool safety and proper, responsible supervision.

Tip #4: No horseplay!

There is a time and a place for being silly. Rough housing and horseplay in and around pools can cause serious injuries. For example, being pushed into a pool unexpectedly can cause spinal injuries and slipping and falling can cause cuts and scrapes as well as more serious injuries. Make it a rule that the pool is not the place for such behaviors.

Take Action: Post your rules around the swimming pool so that everyone swimming can read and adhere to the safety expectations.

Tip #5: No glass allowed!

Glass near your pool can present a multitude of problems for both your people and your pool. This is something that you just do not need to deal with. Even one shard of glass can require meticulous cleaning and clearing around and, in the pool, not to mention all of those bare feet running around and being in danger! Easy enough- ban glass from your pool area! Using plastic will create a safer environment with less stress!

Take Action:  Get rid of the glass!

Tip #6: All adults should know CPR

Having your CPR certification can save lives. You never know when this life-saving skill may come in handy! When becoming certified, there is no age limit on CPR training and many instructors will welcome children as young as 9 years and up. If everyone in your house knows how to perform CPR, then chances of survival significantly increase. Approximately 70% of cardiac arrest emergencies happen at home.

Take Action: Be sure that everyone in your home is CPR certified and/ or trained so that help is always nearby.

Tip #7: Hire professionals to install your pool! Additionally, make sure that they adequately meet safety requirements and protocols. The risks of injury, including suction and electrocution, are far too great to risk the lives and safety of your loved ones.

Take Action: Make sure that you are ONLY hiring a licensed professional to install and, possibly even maintain your pool.

Protecting Your Pets

In addition to keeping your human loved ones safe, your pets also deserve for their safety to be considered and planned for.  While not all dogs are water dogs and cats don’t typically voluntarily swim, it could easily happen that your pet is found in the pool. Here are 8 tips to keeping your pets safe near your pool.  Sadly, over 5,000 family pets drown in family swimming pools each year. This tragedy can be prevented so, lets look at ways to keep our loved ones safe!

1. Keep unsupervised pets away from the pool. This is rule number one because it can prevent dangers from
2. Keep an eye on paw pads because wet, hot concrete can irritate and damage the skin.
3. Puppy life jackets are more than just a trend. Pets invited into the pool or really any water body, need protection as well.
4. If there is no fence or barrier around the pool, purchase a water sensor alarm that will go off if the sensor meets water.
5. Use a hard cover, rather than a vinyl or soft cover, over your pool so that it is more stable should a pet try getting in the water.
6. Add a detachable ramp to your pool’s entrance/ exit for ease in getting in or, in this situation, out of the pool safely.
7. Provide lots of shade and water for your pet so that they won’t be as tempted to go near the pool to quench their thirst.
8. If pets swim, be sure to rinse them well when they get out of the pool water. A nice rinse with the hose. This simple act will reduce the amount of chemical exposure to your pet’s fur and skin which will prevent them from experiencing discomfort.

Aaron Pools and Spa

If you’ve got a pool, we hope these safety precautions and tips were helpful! Use this article to help you think through the safety of your pool area so that you can create the perfect space for maximum fun and minimal accidents, injuries, or traumas. If you don’t have a pool in your back yard, what are you waiting for? When you’re ready for a pool or spa, call Aaron Pools And Spas. Established in 1972, this family-owned-and-operated business has a dedicated, award-winning team with over 400 years of combined experience. We love to help improve the quality time that families spend together at home, and that’s why we’ve installed more than 2,000 swimming pools and hot tubs, from Cape Cod to Connecticut. For the best possible service from our highly experienced installation team, call 508.784.1160 or contact us today.