We have had a pool for about 10 years, and I never thought much about extra safety beyond fencing – until our daughter became a water bug.
Since starting swim classes about a year ago, she got a lot more comfortable in a pool. Now she LOVES the water. And with a pool in the backyard, pool safety became a major concern.
We were concerned about having an open pool + a very active toddler + a new baby, so we did a lot of research on pool safety.
Here’s how we approach pool safety with a toddler
Fences: We have an exterior fence around the whole backyard, but we added a pool safety fence, too. It goes just around the pool and the latch is high enough that little ones can’t open it. At first I thought having an extra fence would be kind of annoying, but it’s nice to have the separation. When it’s dinner time and we eat on the patio, it’s easy to say that the pool is “closed”!
Doorknob covers: Every door to the outside has a toddler-proof (and sometimes mom-proof) doorknob cover. Doorknob covers are inexpensive and effective for keeping little ones from opening doors to the outside.
Interior door alerts: We got this idea from the house we stayed in during our Arizona adventure last year. Whenever you open a door to the outside, a short “ding ding” alarm goes off. It’s not startling at all- just a notification- and I find it to be comforting to know that anytime a door opens, we know! You can get the door alarms we use for $40 on Amazon!
Pool rules: Since opening the pool, we have been pretty strict about the rules around it. We repeat them constantly when we are outside. Here’s what we stick to:
- No kids in the pool unless an adult is in the water
- If you can’t swim the length of the pool on your own, you don’t leave the shallow end (we keep the rope up to show shallow vs deep ends)
- No kids inside the pool fence unless an adult is inside too
- Whichever parent is “on duty” does not pick up their cell phone in the pool area
If you have a pool or frequently go to a pool, what safety measures do you have in place?
Hi Alyssa another informative post from your side. We were also planning to make a pool in our backyard last year but due to children’s safety, we postponed this idea. I must say your post has given me confidence that we can have a pool too. And the Pool rules you guys have made are amazing. I think I can discuss your idea with my family. Thanks Alyssa.