Some parents believe that in a public pool, lifeguards are responsible for the safety of their kids when they are in a public swimming pool. However, it is partially true.
You should be watchful on how your kids behave in the pubic pool to avoid accidents. As a parent/guardian, you are also accountable for your child’s safety in the pool.
With these, here is a blog post to give you some tips on how to keep your kids safe in public swimming pools.
1. Provide active supervision to children
Public pools are generally overcrowded especially during the summer season. You should pay close attention to your children while they are in the pool.
As part of the Keep Watch @ Public Pool Policy program, Royal Life Saving Society provided the 4 key elements of ‘active supervision’ at public pools.
(1) Be Prepared: Ensure you have everything you need before getting into the water, such as towels and dry clothes.
(2) Be Close: Always be within the arms' reach of your child.
(3) All of Your Attention: Focus all of your attention on your child, get into the pool, talk and play with them.
(4) All of the Time: You should never leave your child alone in the water, nor should they be left in the care of an older child or with the assumption that your responsibility diminishes due to the presence of lifeguards.
Keeping an eye on your kids in the public swimming pool is one of the effective ways to prevent accidents such as drowning from happening. Furthermore, you should teach your kids to be conscious on their own safety when they are in the pool.
2. Proper hygiene in the pool
Since it is a public swimming pool, it is expected that anyone can take a dip and swim. You should be aware that pools are prone to some health issues like skin infections and diarrhoea.
You may not know that some kids are not taking shower before swimming or even peeing in the pool. The dirt inside the pool can cause skin irritations for your children because it can be mixed with the chlorine and other chemicals in the pool.
Children should be reminded that they are not allowed to stay in the swimming pool for a long time. Also, to avoid skin infection and other illnesses, you should teach them to have good hygiene like, not peeing in the pool, not bringing animals/pet while swimming etc.
3. Teaching kids on public pool etiquette
Kids should understand that they are not the only people in the pool. There are also other families and children who want to enjoy swimming. For instance, splashing is a good way to express your excitiment and enjoyment when they are in the pool, but it may also annoy other people or cause other inconvenience to them. Teach your kids that while splashing, they should be mindful that they are not hurting or bothering other people.
Other pool etiquettes like wearing proper swimsuit, showering before entering the pool, and many more should also be taught to your children.
Conclusion & Taking Action
Kids can be very active and playful especially in public swimming pools where there are many people around. Thus, you should take adequate precautions to prevent accidents and injuries that may occur to them.
When it comes to privately owned swimming pools, the safety principle is similar but bit different.
A complete pool safety inspection can also help to ensure that kids are safe in your private swimming pool. It is usually done by an expert private certifier. They will guide and advise you on how to keep your own pool safe for everyone.