Schools are out, and the pools are open!
It’s time to pack up the cooler, the towels, and the sunblock, and head for the local public pool — a cool place to beat the heat. Before you go, though, please take a few minutes to review the safety rules and ensure you share them with your kids.
Every year, the U.S. loses more than 300 children to pool-related fatalities, and by planning and setting a few basic boundaries, you can help protect your children and keep summer fun and safe.
My adult daughter is a lifeguard, and the tips that follow are based on what I’ve learned from her!
Start With Swimsuit Shopping (Think Neon)
One of the first tasks of the summer is swimsuit shopping, and every year we are overwhelmed with variety. There are toddler tankinis, rashguard-style swimwear that covers the shoulders, suits covered in ruffles, and suits with every cartoon character your child has ever loved.
We choose suits for cuteness and accessibility (two-pieces make bathroom trips so much easier). Still, the top priority should be safety, and you may be surprised to learn that color is a significant factor.
Many shades of green, gray, and blue can be practically invisible under a few feet of water. You can check out the underwater color test results at Foss Swim School, but the simplest trick is to look for bright neon colors. If a glance at the color reminds you that you should pack your sunglasses, you’re probably on the right track.
Protect Your Child’s Skin
You know you should apply sunscreen to your child before a day at the pool, but it can be easy to forget that it needs to be reapplied frequently.
If your child is playing outside, the Cleveland Clinic recommends checking in every two hours as a minimum. However, on pool days, the minimum will not do. If your child is swimming, splashing or sweating, you’ll need to reapply a fresh coat every 45 minutes to an hour.
You should also reapply if your child gets out of the water and towels off.
For extra protection, consider choosing swimwear with UV protection and limiting your child’s time in direct sunlight. Adding a hat or umbrella for some shade can also help shield delicate skin.
We wrote an article about choosing the best sunscreen for kids.
Plan To Be On Supervision Duty
Y’all, we’ve been parenting all year, and we need a break, too. A day relaxing at the pool may sound great — but if the kids are with you, then you’re still on duty.
The pool can feel like a super safe place — it’s likely fenced in, lifeguards are watching over the swimmers, and it’s a relatively small and contained space. However, the hazard level is high, and the lifeguard is not a babysitter.
Unless you’ve enrolled your kid in a class or otherwise affirmed that another adult is explicitly responsible for their safety, you need to be on alert. Standards may vary, but it’s common for the lifeguard-to-swimmer ratio to be about 1:25, and your kid is going to be safer if the adult responsible for him is taking primary responsibility.
Have Your Kids Shower Before & After Swimming
Kids can be pretty gross. So can public pools (and adults).
So, start with a pre-swim shower. This way, you’re taking the least amount of bodily bacteria possible into the communal water.
Then, make sure your kids wash thoroughly after their swim. They need to remove the chlorine from their skin and hair, but also to wash away any nasty bacteria they may have picked up in the water (chlorine unfortunately doesn’t kill all of it).
Also, ensure that your kids take frequent bathroom breaks. An hourly break to use the bathroom and reapply sunscreen is a good plan.
Final note on pool bacteria: Don’t let your kids in the water with open wounds. The safety concerns for your child are threefold: water can soften, forming scabs; chlorine can set back healing; and bacteria can be particularly insidious to an open wound. Separately, an open wound can spread bacteria to the other swimmers.
For a minor wound that is already scabbed over, a waterproof bandage (replaced regularly) is a good plan.
Have A Conversation In Advance About Running
It seems like there’s something about being near the water that makes kids want to run. Unfortunately, the swimming pool is an incredibly unsafe place for running.
Remind your kid that a scraped knee will not add to the day’s enjoyment, and that many pools are very strict about walking. Running may result in your child being ordered to sit out for some time, or even in being kicked out of the facility.
Pool decks are likely to be wet and slippery, and a fall (especially on a concrete deck) could result in serious injury.
Please discuss this with your child before heading to the pool, and remind them as frequently as necessary.
Be Aware Of Your Child’s Skill Level
Ideally, every child should learn to swim.
It’s a skill that will protect them throughout their lives, and the rudiments can be taught pretty quickly. You can teach your child yourself, or enroll them in a swim class.
However, if your child does not yet know how to swim, plan accordingly. Keep your child within reach and in an area of the pool where they can stand.
Do not expect your child’s floatie to serve as a lifesaving device or a babysitter. Even if your child is wearing a life jacket or other flotation device, you need to always be aware of their ability and their location.
Teach Your Kids To Listen To Lifeguards
By now, your kids may know that not every adult is a safe and trusted authority figure.
However, at the pool, they need to know that the lifeguard is in charge and that they should listen and follow directions. Remember that the lifeguard is trained to see things that others might miss, including signs of struggle or fatigue that may not be obvious even to an observant and careful parent.
A lifeguard may tell your child that she is not allowed in the deep end, or that she needs to take a break, or that she must slow down on the deck. A lifeguard may enforce rules for swimming lanes, diving boards, or pool toys.
Even if these rules seem unfair to your child or you, if the lifeguard brings it up, it’s typically because they witnessed a safety concern, and your child should obey. (If you think your situation is an exception and a lifeguard is making the wrong call, you can always speak to a supervisor — after removing your child from the pool.)
No Rough Stuff, No Matter What
Being in a swimming pool tends to increase the temptation to play a little rough. Maybe it’s because the water can give a floaty, almost weightless feeling that makes jumping and flailing more tempting, and because falling off a raft doesn’t hurt the way that falling off the couch does, and because splashing is just plain fun.
Whatever the reason, rough play should be off-limits in the water, and is off-limits at a public pool.
Ensure your kids are aware in advance that dunking, pushing people in, and any play that could result in water inhalation are strictly prohibited. Your pool’s rules on mild, playful splashing may vary, but in general, if it’s wild enough to affect other swimmers, it’s probably too much.
Check Pool Rules For Floats & Dive Toys
Some public pools may not allow any rafts or other flotation devices, and may forbid dive toys or other objects in the pool.
If your pool allows these, discuss safe use with your kids in advance (and then enforce these rules in real-time).
Your child should not use rafts that might drift into the deep end if they cannot swim. (My lifeguard daughter asks me to emphasize that pool noodles are not lifesaving devices, or a substitute for supervision!) Dive toys should only be used by a swimmer who can safely go underwater to retrieve them, and should not be thrown or tossed in a way that risks hitting other swimmers.
Warn your child not to swim under rafts and other floats, where it is possible to be trapped and be out of sight of parents and lifeguards.
Know The Emergency Weather Plan
Before you (or your child) step into the water, you should know the rules for severe weather.
Typically, pools will have a specific protocol for lightning and thunder, which may be dictated by law and/or their insurance policy. The general rule is that when thunder is heard, even if it’s a few miles away, patrons are required to exit the pool and remain out until 30 minutes have passed with no thunder sound.
Summer thunderstorms are frequent, and may blow over quickly, but can pose an extreme danger even if you think they’re out of range. Lightning may strike several miles away from where the last strike hit, and can still come after the storm seems to have passed, so rules surrounding re-entry can be quite strict.
Knowing the exact protocol at your pool can save you money on entry fees, and hours sitting on deck waiting to be allowed back into the water — as well as keeping you and your children safe.