Drowning and water safety education have no season off ! Here in the Houston area, we are entering the end of our swimming season. However, our family swimming
pools can be more dangerous during this time of the year due to their infrequent use. We often quit thinking about pool safety and that’s when tragic accidents frequently happen.
Life Saver Of Houston urges homeowners with swimming pools to be vigilant with their pools. Make sure that your doors and windows that have access to your swimming pools have locks that are not accessible by children. Keep these openings locked and further secure them with working alarms. Make sure that you have self-closing gates to your pool area and that they are safely locked. If you don’t have self-closing gates with child-proof locks… buy and install them!
This time of year is a good time to remove your removable fence and clean the deck sleeves and the fence itself. Check all your latches and make sure they all work. Take a moment to look around your backyard and picture what your child might use to climb over your pool fence. This might be your outdoor furniture or something left inside the pool area beyond the fence that may entice them to try and access. Remove these items!
This would also be a good time to introduce your little ones to kid-friendly aquatic swim stories such as Josh the Baby Otter (www.joshtheotter.org). This is an excellent source for your preschoolers and kindergarten kiddos with a “Read Along” on water safety.
And, it’s never too early to think about aquatic survival lessons for the new year. Typically, lessons begin for children around 8 months old. So, if your little one is getting close you may want to reserve your lessons in advance with my wife Bonnie Cannon at www.swimsproutoftexas.com… serving the Woodlands Springs and Conroe areas of Houston. Refresher courses are also recommended and available.
Please keep in mind that water safety education has no season off.
AND ALSO REMEMBER: Drowning is preventable and responsible pool ownership equals Family Fun For All!