Top 10 Pool Safety Tips

By Bridget Coila

July 14, 2024

Cooling off in the pool is a time-honored way to make summer more fun. That sparkling blue water comes with risk, though, especially for young children.

This May Also Interest You: Child Drownings are On the Rise: How Parents and Pool Owners Can Keep Kids Swimming Safely

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 4. Keep these pool safety tips in mind to ensure everyone has a great time.

General Pool Safety

Keep your swimming pool safe for use by performing regular water testing and having an annual inspection for any potential safety issues. Some of the things a pool inspector might look for include checking the entire pool for cracks and making sure all pumps, lights and filters are working properly.

Pool drains suck ... no, literally! The excessive suction caused by pool drains can pull in a swimmer — especially a small one — who gets too close. Installing anti-vortex pool drain covers can prevent accidents from happening.

As far as water quality goes, check the chemical levels daily and keep an eye out for cloudiness or other signs that the water might be contaminated. Skim any debris out of the pool to keep decomposing leaf litter or insects from affecting the water.

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How to Make Your Backyard Pool Safe: Play by the Pool Rules

At your home pool, there aren't any lifeguards. That means you're the lifeguard.

Pool safety for young children and toddlers includes some specific considerations that aren't always a factor when only adults use the pool.

Here are the top 10 pool safety tips for parents:

1. Make Sure Everyone Knows the Pool Rules

Ensure everyone is educated about pool safety before entering the pool area. This means instructing small children not to go near the pool without an adult present and having teens and adults trained in CPR and basic emergency procedures before using the pool.

2. Designate a Water Watcher

Have a designated adult or older teen in charge of safety during pool use. Designating a specific person to watch children in the pool ensures someone is always alert and paying attention. Accidents could occur if everyone presumes someone else is watching the kids.

3. Don't Get Distracted

Avoid digital distractions, including phone use, while at the swimming pool. Even if you aren't the designated watcher, there may be situations that require you to remain alert during family pool time. Keeping your phone in your bag instead of your hand while at the pool lets you respond quickly if a child is in distress. It takes less than a few minutes for something to go south. It's always a good idea to have your head on a swivel in the pool area.

4. Secure Your Pool

Secure the pool when not in use. This means keeping doors that access the pool area locked and installing a fence around the perimeter to prevent kids from sneaking off to swim on their own. Self-closing and self-latching gates ensure the pool area isn't accidentally left accessible. Pool covers reduce the chances of someone accessing the pool even if they get inside the fence, and pool alarms can alert you if someone attempts to reach the pool by circumventing your existing barriers. These few minutes afforded by safety devices can buy you time to get to your child before something happens.

5. Learn to Swim Safely — and Teach the Rest of the Family

Schedule swimming lessons for the whole family. Even very young children can learn the basics of swimming, which can help keep them safe if they accidentally fall into a pool or other body of water.

6. Educate Yourself About Drowning

Understand the signs of drowning and water distress. Watch videos showing what drowning actually looks like, because the real thing doesn't resemble what most people have seen in movies or TV shows.

7. Reduce Enticements Near the Pool

Pack away pool toys after use, and keep other toys away from the pool area. Curious kids playing near a pool could accidentally fall in, so keep anything that resembles a toy away from the pool deck.

8. Wear the Right Swim Attire

Make sure kids are dressed and outfitted properly for pool use before entering the water. Loose swimsuit straps or ties could get caught on something underwater and prevent a child from surfacing. Tying long hair back or using a bathing cap can also help prevent entrapment.

Also, know that not all swimsuit colors are created equal. Blue, white and gray swimsuits tend to blend in with pool water, making your kids harder to spot. Opt for neons like pink, orange and yellow for high visibility.

Remember that for those who aren't strong swimmers, life jackets should be part of regular swim attire.

9. Get In the Pool With Your Kids

It's not enough to simply zip a life jacket on your child. You should always swim with children who don't know how to swim. Kids shouldn't be left alone, even in the shallow end where they can typically stand. Floaties and inflatable pool toys aren't reliable flotation devices, so don't send a non-swimmer into the water with only these as a safety precaution. Children without swimming skills should wear a life jacket when in or near a pool. Even good swimmers can get tired, and children may not want to stop the fun. Having an adult close by can prevent an accident from exhaustion.

10. Post the Pool Rules

Establish pool safety rules and post them in a visible location near the pool. These should include things like prohibiting running in the pool area, using a buddy system when swimming and not diving in the shallow end of the pool.

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