Swimming Pool and 3 year Olds - how to childproof??

[DiannaQ]

Hi there All

Just wondering for those of you who have/had swimming pools with young children what was the best way to make the pool child friendly and safe.

The pool we have has a fence and a secure gate - but I'd like to know if there is anything else I can do to make it the safest it can be.

TIA

[Nadine216]

Yes .. teach your kids to swim (tread water) and teach them that they (or their friends) are NEVER allowed near the pool without adult supervision. That they have to come and ask you if they can swim.
No running around the pool, no diving (bit boring .. but safe), no eating and drinking in the pool

Other than a fence around the pool with a secure gate .. there is not much that would do a better job. There are these nets that you can pull over the pool, I am not a fan.

Make sure that the gate's catch is childproof. Make sure it's WAAAAAAYYYY out of reach (even if they get up on a chair) or bolt it with those clippy-bolts that needs a key or a code to open them

[Nicambhar]

swimming lessons are a must I reckon.

Besides the magna latch gates I think there is some sort of alarm that you can get that sits in the water and goes off when it senses something entering the water IYGWIM

We have a pool and have 3 entrances/gates to it and I am scared out of my mind cause DF and my older kids have a tendancy to prop the gates open sometimes. We do have keys to lock the gates but I'm too scared to JIC a kids scrambles over the fence and someone's moved the keys - which in our house is very likely.

[DiannaQ]

Thanks for the feedback ladies

Anyone else got any opinions??

[Lulu]

NOthing should be able to be dragged over to climb on (chairs tables etc). I've heard of kids unlatching the gate as easy as pie with a chair...

[HotI]

We have a pool and have 3 entrances/gates to it and I am scared out of my mind cause DF and my older kids have a tendancy to prop the gates open sometimes. We do have keys to lock the gates but I'm too scared to JIC a kids scrambles over the fence and someone's moved the keys - which in our house is very likely.

Please please train your partner and older kids not to prop the gate. Not much point to a safety fence if the gate is open.

[Visitor7]

Keeping gates propped over is extremely dangerous, and a bad habit to get into. The first I would be suggesting is changing that habit.

Like it's already been said, make sure the kids can't climb up on anything and open the gate. And teach your kids to swim, that's a must.

If you're not sure that you have the best fencing, speak with a fencing place and see what they suggest.

[vbacwantingmum]

Im not sure if they are still around or if i just imagined them one night.

you can get an alarm for the gate so if it gets open it will sound so you can go check.

and if they arnt a real thing they should be

[Nadine216]

I rememberd something over the weekend ... I had a magazine were they show you how to build a wooden-sliding deck for your swimming pool. Now this will work only if you have enough space for the deck to slide AND you have a rather smallish pool, otherwise it could get expensive. But IMO it's safer than those nets/tarps that you pull over the pool. AND there is extra playspace for kiddies AND LESS LEAVES IN THE POOL (which is a pretty good deal )

So if you're interested ... PM me. I'll have a look to see if I can find it and then I won't mind posting it to you Or if you would just like to see it first ... I'll scan it and e-mail it to you

[misty]

A warning about the nets and tarps - these can actually cause problems. If a child falls in a pool with a net or tarp on they can get tangled and drown simply because they cannot free themselves.