Families all over the country look forward to summertime because it means time in the family pool.  Pools are great when the weather turns warm, but they can also be a safety hazard.  If you have a pool, you’ll want to be aware of swimming pool safety for toddlers.

Toddlers and young children aren’t always able to see hidden dangers like a pool that beckons them with fun.  They don’t realize how quickly they can slip and fall in, especially if no one is around.  As parents, it is our responsibility to ensure that our children are safe when playing in the pool with us, but also when no one is in the pool.

The best way to ensure that your child is not the victim of an accidental drowning is to know where they are at all times. Supervision is your first and best defense, not only to keep children from drowning but also to help keep them from other accidents and injuries.

If you’re having a pool party, select one person to do nothing more than watching any children that are young.  You may even want to pay a responsible teenager to keep your youngest family members safe.  Set up a smaller pool for them to play in, especially if there are a number of people attending.

Other than supervision, the next best way to prevent an accidental drowning in your swimming pool is to put a fence with a locked gate around the pool.  Not only will this keep your child from making their way to the pool, it will also keep neighborhood kids from gaining access.

Having a fenced-in pool is a great idea; however, if the gate is left open on a regular basis the benefit of having it fenced does no good.  Make it a rule that the pool gate be closed at all times.  Doing so will make the possibility of injury much smaller.

Teach your toddler to swim, or have your child take swimming lessons.  This will give them some basic knowledge, although you still want to keep them under supervision.  Even though they are learning how to swim, they should wear swim floaters to keep them buoyant and keep them from drowning.

Be sure to learn infant and child cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).  No one wants to have to give CPR to a child, but it’s one of those cases where it’s better to know something and not need it, than to need it and not know it.  Knowing CPR and first aid is important anyhow, so this is a good reason to learn it.

Summertime water fun is almost upon us.  Swimming pool safety for toddlers is nothing to be lax about.  Take the above steps to keep your children from being a statistic and keep the fun in summer.