Pool Safety

We have a swimming pool in our backyard, and I worry about it a lot. My kids love the water and officially they know that they must never go into the pool area without an adult, but kids are kids and they have no concept of safety. They haven't been badly hurt and they haven't seen badly hurt, so they only have mum telling them about it. How do you explain to a 4 year old what drowning is, without either trivialising it, or frightening them? At this age, they assume they are invincible, they don't expect to be hurt, and they expect mum to keep them safe. They have not yet developed the sense enough to know what's safe and what's not. Also, they have that rebellious, independent streak that might just mean that one day, because they're not supposed to, they will.

Last year my neighbours' 6 and 7 year old girls took my then 3 year old inside the pool fence, and they saw the mummy monster come out in me for the first time. It was a first for me as well. I would not usually tell other people's children off, if their mums are there, as I think it's the mum's responsibility. But this was my child in danger, and it's my pool and my responsibility. And the rules are my rules. You do not go into the pool area, for any reason, without an adult.

I have admitted in the past to a certain level of paranoia, and it definitely comes out with the pool. We have the neighbours round for a swim on a regular basis, and the kids are now older, and able to swim quite well. Their mums are happy to relax, enjoy a cup of tea (or a glass of wine) and have a natter while the children swim. I need to have at least one eye on the pool. My two never go in without me, and although they're younger, I think this'll continue for a few years to come. It'd be nice if I could just sit on the side and watch, as they often want to go in when it's officially too cold for mummy. On those occasions, swimming is restricted to the shallow end where I can avoid getting my shoulders wet...

My parents were out from the UK over Christmas and mum was a regular pool user, even on days when the kids thought it was too cold. I'm a firm believer in never swimming alone, so I made sure I had an eye on mum whenever she was in the pool. Mum's reaction was not to worry, dad was out there with her. My 74 year old, rather deaf father, was snoozing at the table at this point, and bearing in mind the last time I saw him in a swimming pool was about 37 years ago, I couldn't quite see him diving in to rescue mum if the need arose.

So I chose to watch. It's not that I don't trust them. I feel responsible for the safety of anyone using our pool.

And actually, I don't trust the kids. I don't trust them not to have the sudden urge to see if they can climb the fence, or open the gate or follow the cat into the pool area. Someone told me recently that if a child can reach the top of the pool fence, they can climb over. And we have chairs and toys that could easily be moved if the desire was there.

I have a few rules I follow myself. When I go in or out of the pool gate, I always make a note to check that the latch has clicked shut. I turn round and ensure the gate is closed properly. We also have a key in the lock, which is turned on the way out (but left in the lock so you can always get in in a hurry, if needed).

Also, rather than stress on a daily basis, we've invested in a pool safety net, which I'd highly recommend to anyone who has a pool. I looked at all the options for making the pool safer, and it came down to two. A pool safety net, or a safety cover which completely blocks off the pool. I chose the safety net as it is something I can take on and off my myself in 5 or 10 minutes. The safety cover requires two people, and I could see it becoming too much of a hassle for day to day use. The manufacturers of these recommend them for closing off the pool over winter, as they make it safe and also eliminate any sunlight from the water, reducing algae growth to a minimum.

Anyway, we have gone with the pool safety net, and I take it off when we swim and put it back on after. The net is custom made to fit our pool, it hooks into the ground around the pool at regular intervals, and has two tension ropes to pull it tight. The squares in the net are about 10 centimetres across, so they are small enough that a child's head could not fit through. What it means is two things; the children cannot be tempted to go for a swim on their own, as they can't get into the water; and if they did fall onto the net, they would get stuck close to the edge so they could call for help. I have a slight urge to test the net for real, but I figure asking the kids to give it a go is slightly cruel and possibly self defeating. They might find it fun. So I have to trust the pictures and testimony of the supplier.

The safety net adds an extra 10 to 15 minutes to the whole swimming routine, but even if were never put to the test for real, it reduces my stress levels, and I plan to use it long after my children can officially swim.

For more information see the Child Safety page of my web site.