Pool Party Concerns

Q: [All Ages] My first grader wants to have a birthday pool party at our house, but I am nervous. Is this a safe idea if we hire a lifeguard and have plenty of floaties on hand?

A: For young families, water represents a challenging paradox: It can provide hours of enjoyable, carefree fun, but it can also quickly lead to tragedy. You’re no doubt familiar with the public-service admonition about water and young children: “Children drown without a sound.” In California, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under age 5.

I’m not trying to ruin anyone’s water fun, but whether it’s at the beach, a backyard or community pool, a lake or even a bathtub or toilet, parents with infants, toddlers and children of all ages must remain vigilant when they are near water. Follow these important water safety tips.

• Never let a young child go near water unattended.
• Make sure young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets, but do not rely on life jackets alone. Keep a close eye on your young children anytime they are around a body of water, even with a lifeguard present.
• Never allow your children to use inflatable toys, floating noodles, or “water wings” as safety devices in lieu of a lifejacket. They can suddenly deflate or easily slip out of hands or arms.
• Small children and houses with pools are a dangerous mix: If your home has a pool, install barriers around its entire perimeter. The barrier should be at least four feet high and equipped with gates that open outward and self-latch. Make sure the latch is high enough to be out of reach of little hands.
• If you have an above-ground pool, keep ladders and other structures that kids could use to enter the pool away when it is not under adult supervision.
• If children have taken swimming lessons, that’s great. But never use swimming skills in lieu of close adult supervision.
• Establish rules around pools and other bodies of water — no running, pushing, diving in shallow water, etc. — and strictly enforce them.

These are just a few of the most important tips for water safety. You can learn more by visiting Safe Kids and the American Red Cross.

Jacqueline Leon, M.D., MPH, is a pediatrician with Hoag Medical Group. She finds it very rewarding to work with children, as she can make a positive impact on their lives and watch them grow and develop into healthy adults. www.hoagmedicalgroup.com