Swimming Pool Safety Tips for You and Your Family

As the summer heat is spiking, the pool is the perfect place to relax, catch some rays, or cool off in the water. However, it’s possible for some to get caught up in the fun and forget that the pool can also be a dangerous place. Especially when you don’t take the proper precautions and pay attention. Here are some summer safety tips to keep in mind while spending the day at the pool including staying hydrated, making sure not to dive in a shallow pool, and bringing the Silent Beacon wearable panic button with you. Sit back, relax and enjoy the summer sun, while also following our 6 pool safety tips!

The smartest pool safety tips for toddlers is to learn how to swim. Teaching a child how to swim is the best way to avoid fatal injuries and possible drowning. Most kids begin to learn to swim around the ages of four and five. But children should start learning how to swim as early as possible. Teaching children to swim at a very young age will teach them self-rescue techniques and decrease the chances of drowning. Learning how to swim can be difficult and it may take time to perfect. While teaching children to swim, use pool safety products, like floaties. So that inexperienced swimmers have something to rely on in the deep ends of the pool.

The summer heat is boiling up fast and sun protection is critical. If you don’t take the right precautions, it is likely you will end up with a sunburn. Sunburns are extremely painful and can increase the risk of skin cancer. To avoid sunburns, make sure you apply sunscreen that has an SPF (sun protection factor) of 100. Sunscreens that have SPF 100 will block 99 percent of ultraviolet rays from the sun. To ensure the best protection, apply sunscreen 30 minutes before exposing your skin. This will allow the sunscreen to settle into your skin and dry as a protective layer. Sunscreen application should be reapplied every two hours spent in the sun. You should also reapply sunscreen layers immediately after swimming in the water.

Kids love going to the pool during the summertime to play with all their friends. Lifeguards are there to protect the kids and make sure none of them get hurt. However, some people look at lifeguards as babysitters and leave the children unattended. Even if your child knows how to swim, it’s important not to leave them unattended at a pool. Lifeguards are supposed to be watching all the swimmers, but could possibly overlook a swimmer in need of help if the pool is crowded. Parents should always stay at the pool with their children in case of an emergency. Especially with babies and young toddlers, parents should have eyes on their children at all times. Dangerous situations could arise at any second when water is involved. A child could accidentally fall into the pool without knowing how to swim, dive into the shallow end and hit their head or even slip and fall on the pool deck. Lifeguards will of course do their best to protect swimmers, but parents should never leave their child unattended in case an emergency were ever to occur.

Many people forget to drink water and keep themselves hydrated while spending the day at the pool. Swimming in the water does not count as hydration. You need to bring clean water to consistently drink throughout the day. It is necessary to stay hydrated when exposed to direct sunlight and heat for countless hours at a time. If you do not drink enough water during the day, there is a possibility of heat exhaustion or even a heat stroke. It is recommended to drink an average of eight glasses of water every day to maintain healthy hydration levels. Drinking water will also produce other benefits like regulating body temperature, maximizing physical performance. It also improves the brain function, increasing weight loss, and maintaining blood pressure.

The pool is all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Many hazards lie in and around a pool that could cause an accident. It is important that you take the time to prepare yourself for an emergency with a pool safety device, like Silent Beacon. 

Silent Beacon is a personal alert safety system that calls any number including 911 while sending multiple people your live GPS location. Different emergencies require different responses. Silent Beacon allows you to customize who you call for help, whether that’s 911, emergency services, a family member or friend, even phone numbers overseas. Water-resistant, UL-certified fire-retardant plastic with a reinforced keychain area keeps the device sturdy and safe, while curved indented buttons help reduce false alerts. Blue lights illuminate to let you know the Beacon is connected and large alert buttons allow you to easily trigger alerts with just one touch.

Silent Beacon can fit in your pool bag or fanny pack, attach to a keychain/lanyard or even hook onto your bathing suit waistband. If someone is drowning or has fallen on the pool deck, Silent Beacon has the potential to save their life with just one push of a button. 

For many, playing different games and sports in the water is the best part of going to the pool with friends and family. But it’s important to be careful at all times as sometimes these activities can get out of hand and people get hurt. To avoid any injuries, pay attention to the different depths of the pool before you jump or dive into the water. The American Red Cross’ swimming safety tips recommend a minimum of nine feet of water depth in order to dive headfirst from the pool deck or diving board. Diving into shallow water could result in devastating injuries to the limbs, spinal cord and skull, and even death. People start to play too rough and aggressive, which can lead to bad injuries.

If you decide to play games, like basketball, with your friends in the pool, make sure to be careful about how rough you are playing. The last thing anyone would want is for someone to accidentally hit their head against the wall from playing too aggressively. Another tip to always remember at the pool is to walk, not run, on the pool deck. The water from the pool can create a slippery surface on the pool deck and can cause people to fall easily.

Summer is in full effect and everyone is eager to spend the weekends at the pool. However, precautions need to be taken in order to stay safe. Sit back and relax with the Silent Beacon panic button and follow our seven pool safety tips for summer! You can finally enjoy the summer sun while keeping your family safe at the same time.