Q: [Infants & Toddlers] My husband surprised our family by announcing we were getting a backyard pool. The kids are thrilled, but with a toddler in the house and two often distracted or forgetful older kids running in and out, how do I keep my little one safe?
A: Keeping a toddler safe around a body of water is difficult. Throw in a couple of older siblings and it becomes a much tougher task. There is hope though. Although you can never fully substitute for good adult supervision, you can offer yourself peace of mind by enrolling your toddler in swim lessons. Since you may anticipate the pool buildout to take a few months, now is the best time to act on this safety precaution. Did you know that having your child participate in swim lessons reduces the risk of drowning by 88%? So why wait? A great option for learn-to-swim lessons is Evolution Swim Academy in Mission Viejo. If that location is not geographically desirable enough for you, there are other year-round providers that may be closer to your home.
Participating in swim lessons has many advantages. To start with, you create a culture of safer and smarter swimmers. Aside from the safety aspect of swim lessons, you also get an opportunity to formalize some of the major swim strokes which builds both confidence and the ability to participate in multiple water sports. Learning to swim opens up opportunities like participating in water polo, open water swimming, triathlons, surfing, diving and it allows your child to have a more pleasurable experience at pools, beaches and lakes.
Besides swim lessons, there are other ways to take precaution like purchasing ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) pool covers or fencing the pool area. But let me be clear, there is nothing that is 100% child proof when it comes to swimming pools so always keep an eye out for the little one!”
Felipe Delgado, Founder of Evolution Swim Academy, is a 2-time Olympian and Masters World Champion. He is a US National champion and US Open bronze medalist. ESA’s focus is to create safer swimmers and enable students to participate in a life of aquatic activities. www.evolutionswim.com
Andrew says
I agree with this article. Having a pool certainly comes with the responsibility of keeping children safe and while swimming lessons are a good step, having a safety pool cover (not all pool covers are safety covers) over the pool or a pool fence is essential – both would be even better.