Babies and toddlers enjoy spending time in the water. Nowadays, many parents take their children to swimming pools for recreation and even for learning swimming. However, the safety of children should never be ignored whether they are playing around the pool or swimming in the water. The parents need to be aware of what to watch out for in order to protect the kids. Negligence in a single moment can be life-threatening for a child. Let’s take a look at the swimming pool safety rules for children, especially infants and toddlers.
10 Swimming Pool Safety Guidelines for Parents of Infants and Toddlers
Check Body-temperature of the Child
Before you bring your child into the pool, you should always take a few seconds to feel the temperature of the water. The ideal range for the temperature of the water is between 85 to 87 degrees of Fahrenheit. This is the case in most situations.
You should never put your baby in a pool that is either excessively cold or too hot, especially if the water temperature is fluctuating wildly. This can trigger a sudden increase or decrease in your infant's temperature, which will ultimately end in either hypothermia or a fever.
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Check Chemicals in Pool Water
Before you and your child enter the pool together, the levels of certain chemicals, such as cyanuric acid, should first be tested and adjusted as necessary. Anything with an acid concentration of more than 90 ppm is harmful.
The presence of germs and algae in your pool is a common consequence of having overall chemical levels that are too low. This is dangerous for your baby as well, and it may lead to a variety of health issues for them. When the overall chemical level in the pool is too high, it might irritate the skin of both newborns and adults, which can be uncomfortable.
Because they contain fewer chemicals, saltwater pools provide less of a risk of skin irritation and other health complications for babies and toddlers.
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Use Floatabale Objects
In the swimming pool water, you can have a fun, cheerful, and relaxed time with your baby. It’s safe to use flotation devices. A floatation device allows motion while the baby sits on it. It gives the baby a sensation of being weightless. Thus, fun activities like floating in the pool water can bestow a toddler or infant with a happy feeling which will help its healthy mental and physical development.
Be Conscious of Sunscreen
Sunscreen is beneficial for children, but did you know that you shouldn't apply it to a baby’s skin who is less than six months old? The proportion of a baby's skin's surface area to its body weight is much higher than that of an adult. Because of this, kids are also at a greater risk of absorbing the chemicals that are included in the sunscreen
If you are planning to take your infant into the pool, try to do it when the sun is not at its peak, such as early in the morning or after the afternoon. This will help reduce the risk of sunburn. As an alternative to applying sunscreen, you might have your baby wear wide hats while they are floating over the pool water. For your toddler, you can look for swimming suits that are resistant to UV rays.
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Use Swim Diapers
When swimming with your baby, another important piece of advice is to use swim diapers. You are aware that babies are not yet capable of controlling their bowel and bladder movements.
If you have any reason to believe that your child may have introduced harmful bacteria into the pool, you must immediately remove all of the swimmers from the water. After that, the pool's chlorine concentration should be increased. In this manner, the pool cleans itself of any contaminants.
Put Away Phones
Lifeguards see this on a regular basis. Parents arrive at the pool, instruct the children to remain in the shallow end, and then start checking their phones. Unsupervised children are eventually babysat by swimmers or other adults.
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However, youngsters especially infants and toddlers may quietly submerge and die in the time it takes to upload an Instagram photo. You don't need to leave your cell phone at home; in fact, you should keep it recharged and within reach in the event of a disaster.
Learn CPR
When an adult or a baby is drowning in the pool water, his/her heart may suddenly stop beating. In such events, fundamental knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can make the difference between life and death, rather than waiting for an ambulance or medical help. If you regularly visit the swimming pool with children, it is safer to learn the process of CPR.
Hire a Water Watcher
Don't forget that drowning happens quietly and swiftly. Drowning often occurs without struggling, splashing, or other sounds, and it may occur in less than a minute. Never rely on the ability to hear a drowning to avoid it.
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When there are several people around and everyone believes that someone else is minding the children, drownings often occur. While you are attaining a pool party with young kids, especially babies and toddlers appoint one or more "water monitor" people. They are supposed to stay aware of the youngsters they are monitoring.
Invest in Life Jacket
Many parents purchase water wings or other floating toys, such as rafts for their kids. These objects may not be effective in preventing drowning in every situation and might offer parents a false sense of security.
Especially when kids come close to large swimming pools or natural water bodies, such as a lake or river, they should wear a properly fitting standard life jacket. However, remember that just because your youngster is wearing a life vest does not imply you can ignore their safety.
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Make the Pool More Secured
You can use a kiddie pool or other objects that can contain a safe portion of water. You can also install a self-latching, and four-foot-tall fence around the perimeter of the pool. The fence should be free of holes and should divide the pool from both the home and the yard.
Conclusion
Your child's safety is as important as its enjoyment in the swimming pool. Children aged between one to nine have the greatest drowning rates. Training your kid to swim does not give complete accident immunity, it can provide an additional layer of safety. So far, we have shared 10 swimming pool safety rules for babies. These suggestions will reduce the risk of drowning and related accidents.