Welcome to summer and swim time. We all look forward to cooling off on those hot days poolside or in the pool with our kids. We all know the major dangers and swimming pool safety tips to be watchful for.
Swimming pool safety tips:
- Watch your children around the water or be in the water with them
- Use swim gear like life vests, swim vests, infant safety floats
- Do not run or dive into pools
- Use sunscreen
What about swim classes, have you thought of signing your children up for those? Swim classes are a highly recommended swimming pool safety tip and many people overlook it. Swim classes can help your child get over a fear of water, understand how to behave in and around water, and how to safely get themselves out of the water.
Nashville has some great options for swim classes.
- YMCA offers a variety of lessons at their facilities.
- Guppies & Dolphins and Brendan Swim School are popular options in the Mt. Juliet area.
- An option in the Hendersonville area is the Sea Star Swim School.
- Sweetman Swim School is in the La Vergne/Smyrna area.
- In the Williamson County area, there is the British Swim school.
- If you have an infant around a pool, look into an Infant Swim class.
Have you talked to your older child about pool safety? Do they know the following safety rules?
- They shouldn’t run around or dive into the pool.
- Do not ride on toys or bikes around the pool.
- Keep all toys out of the pool when the pool is closed.
- Keep their hands out of the drains and filters
- Don’t use any electrical devices in or around the pool
You can share more about swimming pool safety with your kids through the Pool Kids Corner Safety. There are videos, coloring pages, and other activities they can do to learn about pool safety.
Finally, as a parent, the best safety step for you is to be prepared.
You can learn CPR from your local Red Cross office. You may never use the skills but it is better to have learned them and never need them. Also be aware of what drowning looks like. It is not what is often characterized on TV. Refer to this informative article from Mario Vittone, a leading expert on safety at sea.
Following these swimming pool safety tips should lead to a summer full of family fun at the pool.