A municipal or home swimming pool can be source of fun for the entire family. Unfortunately, having your children in close proximity to a pool increases their chances of drowning or sustaining injuries from an extended submersion. According to Ruth A. Brenner, MD, MPH, and the Committee on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention, drowning and nearly drowning are principal causes of childhood morbidity and death from injury.
Supervision
Never leave kids alone in or near water. Inadequate supervision was the most common factor associated with water submersions in a 10-year span in King County, Washington, according to a 1989 issue of the journal "Pediatrics." A submersion, when the child enters the water, can result in death or neurological and psychological damage. Insist your kids swim only when an adult or approved supervisor, such as an older sibling or babysitter, is present. Young children and weak swimmers should receive "touch supervision" in the swimming pool. This means an adult is within the swimmers reach.
Toys
Toys in the pool and in the pool area can compromise kid's safety. The University of Michigan Health System discourages parents from allowing children to use floating toys in water above their waist. Remove toys from the pool area when your daughter finishes playing to prevent her from entering the area unsupervised later to retrieve them. Toys scattered by the poolside present a tripping hazard. Do not allow toys with wheels into the pool area.
Injury Prevention
In 2007, emergency rooms, doctors' offices and medical clinics saw almost 172,000 swimming-related injuries, according to statistics provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Do not allow kids to swim in the pool if they are cold, tired or overheated, recommends the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Instruct them not to dive into shallow water. Teach them to dive off the end of the diving board and swim away from the area immediately upon entering the pool. Kids should not run on the diving board or bounce more than once.
Fencing
Fencing the entire circumference of the pool, separating it from the house may decrease the number of immersion injuries by more than 50 percent, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Chain link fencing is the easiest to breach via climbing. Fencing should be at least 4 feet high. The gates for the fence should self-close and latch. Set latches at a height too high for young children to reach.
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