As a pool owner, you want to ensure your family is safe and protected when in and around the water. However, there are some misconceptions about pool safety that many people don’t know about.
The truth is that there are many things you can do to keep yourself and others safe from drowning or injury at the pool—but only if you understand what those things are. Let’s look at five common misconceptions about pool safety, so you know exactly what it means to be safe around water!
1. Kids Don’t Need to Learn to Swim Before They Go in a Pool
When it comes to swimming, you can learn at any age. All children need to be taught how to swim before entering a pool. Children who can’t swim are more likely to drown than those who can. Here’s how you can teach your child how to float on their back and swim backstroke:
- first, get out of the pool yourself and explain that floating on your back is important because if you fall into the water and don’t know how to swim well enough, this will allow you time for someone else (like an adult) to help save you from drowning!
- next, show them how to hold their arms above their head when floating (this helps keep them from sinking). Have fun with this one by having some fun bubbles ready so that when they’re done floating around for a while, it’ll feel like time has flown by!
If you are unsure how to teach your children to swim, look into infant swim classes near you for more information.
2. You Need to Keep Swimmers Out of the Pool After Drinking or Eating
While it’s recommended that you keep swimmers out of the pool after drinking or eating, many misconceptions exist. Many assume that a swimmer should not enter the water until at least one hour has passed since they ate or drank anything. But this is not true—swimming after eating or drinking puts swimmers at risk of swallowing water and contracting diseases like norovirus (which causes stomach pain and diarrhea).
Swimming with a high fever can also be dangerous because it increases your risk of developing seizures due to hyperthermia (excessive heat). Swimmers should wait until their temperatures drop before entering any body of water.
3. If a Child is Missing You Should Check the Pool Last
If you’ve ever been searching for a lost child in your home, then you understand how scary it can be. In this case, it’s important to remember that if a child is missing near or around a pool or body of water, look in those places first!
If you don’t find them there, check inside the house and other outdoor areas before calling 911. If they’re found after being lost for some time, make sure to call 911, so authorities know about their condition.
4. You Don’t Need to Watch Your Kids When They Are Swimming
This is one of the biggest misconceptions about pool safety of all, and it’s one that you should be aware of. While you may think that your children can swim independently, there are still many risks associated with pools and swimming.
You should always be present when your children are playing around in any water, whether it’s a pool or not. If you’re at home and have a pool outside or in your backyard, you need to keep an eye on what they’re doing at all times so that they don’t get into trouble while playing around the water.
To ensure their safety even further, provide a fence surrounding the pool area so that animals can’t sneak into the room without being seen or heard by anyone else who might be nearby (such as yourself). You should also take precautions by installing alarms on both sides of doors leading into this space. If someone does manage to break inside without permission, a notice will go off immediately, alerting everyone nearby about what happened.
5. Drowning Doesn’t Look Like What People Think It Does
Most people think drowning is a violent event, with splashing, screaming, and thrashing. But in reality, drowning is silent: It’s often impossible for someone to tell if you’re in trouble unless you’re calling for help or waving your arms around frantically. You can be drowning and make very minimal noise.
It’s also not particularly violent—you don’t go from being wonderful one moment to unconscious the next (unless there’s an underlying medical condition). Drowning can happen very quickly; it doesn’t take long for the brain to stop receiving oxygenated blood when submerged underwater. And because of this lack of rapid response time, many people who have drowned have been spotted by witnesses who didn’t realize what they were seeing until much later.
In short: If someone suddenly falls underwater and isn’t seen again by other swimmers within seconds, they may have drowned silently—so it’s best not to assume that everything is fine just because everyone seems calm on the surface!
Pool Owners and Parents Need to be Aware of all the Risks Associated with Pools and Swimming
One of the most important things parents can do to ensure their kids are safe around swimming pools is to learn how to swim. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids learn how to swim by age 5, and it’s never too late to start learning. You can also enroll your infant in swim lessons as well.
Swimming lessons are an excellent way for children and adults alike to master the basics of swimming and water safety, including staying afloat in deep water and jumping into the pool for the first time. Learning basic CPR will also help you save lives if someone gets into trouble in your pool or at any other location where water is present. You should also be familiar with how flotation devices work to know how they would benefit someone who falls into your pool or needs rescuing from another body of water (like a lake).
We hope this has helped you understand some of the misconceptions surrounding pool safety. It’s essential to be aware of all the risks involved with swimming, but also remember that these accidents can be prevented by following a few simple precautions. Here at Artesian Pools, we want you to enjoy your pool with these precautions in mind to keep everyone safe this upcoming pool season. To learn more about pool safety and other valuable information, check out our blogs!