It is my honor to introduce you to a special guest blogger today, Kaitlin Gardner from An Apple Per Day! This beautiful lady believes in simple healthy steps in life – she says “eating an apple a day really works!” She is so cute and fun, not to mention knowledgable and extremely helpful! Her blog is full of amazing tips on health, exercise, green living and family!
Kaitlin Gardner started AnApplePerDay.com to further her passion for a family friendly, green living lifestyle. She is married to her best friend and lives in Pennsylvania. In her spare time, she loves to go hiking, biking and enjoy nature. She just started her first book about living an eco-friendly, healthy, natural lifestyle.
We all are so excited for the warm weather and SUMMER – so today Kaitlin is talking to us a little about Protecting Your Kids At The Pool This Summer! Take it away Kaitlin…
Summer is coming, and the kids can’t wait to get in the pool. But as a Mom, I have to be concerned about safety, even when my kids forget about it. I want them to enjoy themselves, but not get hurt by that slippery spot on the deck, as they head to the diving board to try a belly flop. So I’ve had to set up some safety measures:
Constant supervision. The first key for me is to always be watching my kids. When they are young, a child can gulp some water, panic and be in trouble very quickly. We are blessed to have our own family pool – which doesn’t come with a lifeguard – and that means watching duty falls on me and my wonderful husband. We take that responsibility seriously and share the duty, so there will always be someone looking out for the kids. I’ve found some great resources about pool safety for kids:
- http://life.familyeducation.com/summer/safety/36361.html
- http://blog.poolproducts.com/swimming-pool-safety-building-layers-of-protection/
- http://kidshealth.org/teen/babysitting_center/tips_advice/babysit_pools.html
The pool has rules. We don’t just let our kids run wild in the house, so why should it be any different at the pool? We have a family meeting to go over the rules that we expect the kids to follow when we go out to the pool. We don’t just make it a finger shaking “no running at the pool” session for them. We explain why we have those rules, and what might happen – “you could slip and fall and hurt yourself.” The kids seem to receive it a lot better when we explain what we expect and why.
The rules have consequences. We all know kids will either forget or push the boundaries when you limit their behavior. We don’t want to punish them, but we do want to enforce a consequence when they ignore a safety rule. The first time one of our kids gets excited and starts running to the diving board, we give them a verbal reminder. If they repeat the behavior, we give them a 10 minute timeout. If it happens again, like with my little rebellious Eric – we send the child in to the house for a 30 minute loss of pool privileges. They get the message pretty quickly at that point.
Protect the pool. When we bought a house with a pool, it didn’t have a fence around it, and that was our first home improvement. We installed a fence of the recommended height of 4 feet (not chain link) which came with a gate with a locking mechanism and alarm. We also put alarms on the back door of the house, and the one window that opens onto the yard area.
Model good behavior. This one was mostly about my husband. He gets into “big splash” contests with the kids, and I noticed him one time begin to run to get to the diving board. What is that teaching the kids about our rules? I mentioned it to him, and he sheepishly agreed with me, and promised not to do it any more. When I smiled and asked “do you want a timeout?” we had a big laugh about it, but it’s never happened again.
Emergency measures. My husband installed a first aid kit on the wall of the pool, and we posted emergency numbers next to the phone. My husband and I became CPR certified. We hope never to use any of those measures, but the minutes before emergency personnel can arrive might be critical, so we wanted to be prepared.
I really enjoy my kids splashing and playing in our family pool, and I smile a lot, knowing we have provided them a safe pool for their fun.
Don’t forget to head on over to Kaitlin’s blog to read more of her great tips for Summer!
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Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day! 
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Jenn
May 15, 2014 at 11:39 pm (10 years ago)Also, don’t forget “basics” like sunscreen and staying hydrated! My kids seem boggled at the idea of becoming dehydrated when they’re literally immersed in water, but it can happen!
christi at sexymoxiemama
May 14, 2014 at 3:05 pm (10 years ago)Its great that you are CPR certified. Thanks for the post.
Danielle Davis
May 14, 2014 at 11:10 pm (10 years ago)Thanks for commenting Christi, I also think it’s great that Kaitlin is CPR certified. Always a great skill to have! I need to look into getting certified myself.
Aubrey
May 14, 2014 at 3:03 pm (10 years ago)Wow, these are great tips! This is right up our alley, as Smart Kids 101 emphasizes and cares about safety for kids. I’m totally sharing this on Pinterest right now! Thanks. 🙂
Danielle Davis
May 14, 2014 at 10:32 pm (10 years ago)Aubrey, Thank you so much for sharing this on Pinterest! So nice of you! I am excited to check out your website as well. What kinds of safety tips would you add to this post?
Chelle @ Oh Just Stop Already
May 14, 2014 at 2:49 pm (10 years ago)Very important info. Sadly I have gone from fear of the kids and pool to fear of the river with the kids. But as still water safety no matter where is vital to having safe fun and going home alive.
Danielle Davis
May 14, 2014 at 10:40 pm (10 years ago)Chelle, it’s good to hear you are still keen on water safety. We don’t have too many rivers here in Las Vegas but there sure are a lot of pools. What type of safety tips are good for those near rivers?
Emily
May 14, 2014 at 5:17 am (10 years ago)I love swimming but pools really are dangerous, the statstics for kids getting hurt or even dying while swimming is so high. It’s definitely important to have strict rules surrounding swimming and pools.
Danielle Davis
May 14, 2014 at 10:43 pm (10 years ago)I agree Emily. I have always heard that swimming pools are silent killers because when you look away for just 3 seconds it could be too late. Here’s to hoping for a safe and happy summer for you and your family.
Michelle F.
May 14, 2014 at 4:58 am (10 years ago)Great information and awesome picture! I love her swim cap.
Danielle Davis
May 14, 2014 at 10:44 pm (10 years ago)Thanks Michelle, she was not too much of a fan of the cap after a while but I was lucky to get the picture before her protest began!
Angie Agerter
May 13, 2014 at 9:03 pm (10 years ago)Supervision is the BIGGEST for me. While I don’t have kids, I used to watch kids in my home and had a mid size pool. I’d ALWAYS be out there with them if they were in it. Never ever would they be out there on their own.
Danielle Davis
May 13, 2014 at 10:51 pm (10 years ago)YES!! So so important, Angie! Someone ALWAYS has to be out there with them! So scary!
Jaime Nicole
May 13, 2014 at 8:41 pm (10 years ago)Adorable pics – and great tips – I always hate to see unfenced pools. Such a danger.
Danielle Davis
May 13, 2014 at 10:51 pm (10 years ago)I know! Unfenced pools are the worst! I always get so nervous!
Kristy - Savvy and Sassy
May 13, 2014 at 8:18 pm (10 years ago)Thank you for the great tips and reminders!!
Danielle Davis
May 13, 2014 at 10:51 pm (10 years ago)Thank you for stopping by Kristy!
Maggie C
May 13, 2014 at 8:08 pm (10 years ago)I know a fence is the law in some areas but the addition of alarms really adds another level of safety. I also like the idea of the first aid kits close by.
Danielle Davis
May 13, 2014 at 10:52 pm (10 years ago)I love the alarm idea too! So necessary!