OT: Pool fences, pool alarms?

[bjakmom]

Just opened the pool (inground) yesterday (late, I know, but just got home from WDW !) and am feeling a bit worried as DD has moved home with DGrD (2.5) for the summer. I am looking into both pool alarms and the pool fences that can be easily removed (and are see-through) to help me feel more secure about keeping her safe and secure no matter who is watching her. Anyone using these products and have any recommendations/experiences to share? TIA !

 

[vegasnative]

We don't have a pool now, but had one in our last house and we put up one of those baby barrier fences you are talking about. I liked it because we could take it down if we wanted to. They are really strong, kids can run over to them and lean on them and they stand still. I still wouldn't leave my kids outside alone by the pool EVEN with the fence in place, but yes the fence is a great safety precaution and well worth every penny, even if it is for a little piece of mind. As I mentioned I still wouldn't allow toddlers/young kids outside without parent supervision even with a fence...a few months ago here in Vegas a toddler was found in a pool that did have a fence up. So, I guess if the toddler is creative enough they could get over the fence if they really wanted to. My friend has a taller fence than we had and a almost parent proof locking system on the gate, I think I would get the taller fence if we did it again. Our last one was about 4 1/2 feet high, hers comes about 5 1/2 high.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Our pool is screened and we have the Baby Barrier Fence.
Just to let you know they are expensive to install and worth every penny!

I would definitely consider it though.

A Pool alarm could get deactivated (with no visual reminder that it is deactivated).

Also infant survival swimming--if you have that availalbe anywhere near you--I would totally recommend it. It is for children 6 months to about 5 years old.

So Our first barrier is the gate, Our second barrier is supervision, and our third barrier is the survival skills.

 

[princessamie]

Hi there! I've been a lurker on this board for a while but read your post about pool safety and had to respond. We just purchased a safety net for our pool to protect ds who just turned 1. We did a lot of research and decided that this was the best approach. It doesn't nearly cost what the fences do and I feel it protects even better. Basically, it is a net that streches over the pool and takes minutes to set up once it has been installed. When installed the net is tight like a tennis racket over the pool. Even if the child crawls or walks onto the net it is designed to stop them by allowing them to get caught in the net and not get further over the surface of the pool. Because the net is tight there is plenty of space between the net and the water itself. My husband had to get the self-installation kit since there are no dealers in our area but they are based in Texas and have installers in several other areas. It is called a Katchakid. Their website has a demonstration video. You can probably just enter katchakid in yahoo to find it. I can send it to you if you are interested.

 

[jessica52877]

I would love to know more about the katchakid. We just got a pool, no water yet, supposed to be today sometime but this sounds really great. Can you send me the website or any info you have on it!

 

[vegasnative]

I've seen ads for those nets across the pools, they show a picture of a tree laying across it some other rather large object to show the strength it can withstand. How difficult is it to remove and put back on? Can one person do this easily?

 

[vegasnative]

Here is a quick pic so you can see what they look like
http://www.aqua-safe.com/

 

[Stephres]

We have a screened in patio, but also a pool fence as well. I think when we researched it at the pool fence was the most reliable and safest option so that's what we did.

 

[barkley]

WOW! if people are talking about in-ground pools-around our neck of the woods a person can't get home-owners insurance coverage without a full blown security fence! we just started renting after many years of ownership, and our rental has an in-ground. when i called our agent to change from homeowners to renters and advised him about the pool he made sure the property had a fence around the pool separate from the yard fencing, but we still ended up upping our liability coverage because we've seen too many former neighbors get sued (with major security fences) under the "attractive nusance" concept.

when we had an above ground at our old place we drilled holes at the top (around 7 feet from the floor) of both the sliding class doors that went into the back yard (pool area) and installed pin type locks such that anyone entering or exiting had to first pull out the pin that extended through both portions of the slider (and they were hard for an adult to pull out-no way a kid would have the strength).

the ketchakid looks interesting, but my concern would be if a child got caught and tangled in it-the 4 inch squares are big enough for a toddler leg or arms to get through-all i could think when i saw the photos of the kids on the link was "lord what do you do if the kid gets tangled via buckles on their shoes or just by squirming around?"- it's not like you could cut a hole to get them out or pull the thing off.

 

[Stephres]

Barkley, we have those high pin locks at the top of our sliding glass doors too (we have two doors) and it does help the peace of mind factor.

 

[barkley]

Barkley, we have those high pin locks at the top of our sliding glass doors too (we have two doors) and it does help the peace of mind factor.

make a mental note though-if you ever go to sell your house, REMEMBER to unlock the pins before you leave for a showing. i did'nt even think about and came back to one family and a realtor that said "your sliders are realy jammed somehow-is that something you're going to fix?". when i showed them the pins and aplogized they thought it was hilarious so they are effective for keeping "big kids" out of the pool too

 

[Princess89]

Drowning is a huge fear of mine. I made it a point to teach both of my children what to do in case they fell in. My sister is a swim instructor and teaches various ways of dealing with children falling in the pool. However, I still have many precautions in place so they DONT fall in. I did find that the pool alarm did almost nothing. But I really love the fences and I have the pins in the sliding doors as well. Plus I have an alarm on the door (put that in before the pins), it goes off when the door opens. I have different settings to a complete alarm sounds to a dinging sound. I liked it but love the pins.