6 Important Things to Know about Pool Safety

Spend enough time at the pool or beach and you may see a lifeguard save someone. A child who witnesses a rescue may think that it’s dramatic, exciting or frightening.If your child watches a lifeguard help someone in distress, discuss water safety. Don’t scare them, but remind them about the importance of being careful.“Explain why water safety is important, but encourage them to have fun safely,” says David M. Walker, M.D., Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center. “Be sure that they respect lifeguards and only swim when adults are watching.”Pool safety rules that every child should knowYoung children who aren’t competent swimmers should stay close to trusted adults. Don’t let swim lessons give you a false sense of security for new swimmers.Once your child is an independent swimmer, be sure that they know that: The deep end is only for strong swimmers. At some pools, children must pass a swim test to ente...