Swimming pools and little kids - please be careful!

[5mins2disney]

I've just had one of the saddest weeks ever here at home...and I wanted to share the reasons why, since many of you have kids and they will be swimming in pools in one form or another in Florida.

A couple who is one of our best friends lost their 3 year old little boy, he drowned in a neighbor's swimming pool over the weekend. The neighbors were watching their kids for the weekend while they went out of town...the kids were in the house actually eating watermelon, the doorbell rang, the parents answered it...in that brief moment the little boy slipped out the back door and disappeared. They looked around the house for him when they returned...and when they went out back (minutes later) he was at the bottom of the pool. Just got back from the wake, everyone is very torn up by this.

We were reading in Parents magazine that this is very common for kids under 4...and it only takes a few seconds. You can't take your eyes off of little ones at a pool, even for a minute! The article went on to say in most cases it happened so quickly that the parents reported some distraction, the phone, the door, grabbing a towel, etc, and that was all it took.

We're a little freaked out ourselves now since our homes have pools, but they do have safety fences, alarms, locked doors, and I wanted to emphasize to everyone here, please use these safety features when you're not there, and watch your kids like a hawk!! It's very easy to get distracted, and it's just as easy to not put that fence back in place when you get out of the pool for a few minutes. We also felt though, that if any good can come out of a terrible tragedy, then we must spread the word and let others know so other families don't have to go through the same terrible experience.

- A very sad George

 

[Brian Noble]

Excellent advice. It is tempting to just remove the pool fence or disable the door alarm when visiting a pool home. Please please please don't! A little inconvenience is well worth it.

George, I'm so sorry to hear of this.

 

[sympatico]

We're going with 4 grandkids, two age 2 and two age 4 in Nov. and every once in a while I almost panic thinking of them around the pool at the house and how careful we're going to have to be to make sure that an adult knows where each one is every minute. I'm so happy for the door alarms and fencing but also know how easy it is to forget to make sure it's in place.
I'm so sorry to hear about this tragedy, my prayers are with all of you. I think I'll have to print this off and stick it to the patio door of the home we're renting. You can never be too protective when it comes to something like this.

Wanda

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I am so very sorry to hear about this. We had a friend's daughter drown in a swimming pool accident during her big brother's birthday party. Everybody's attention was elsewhere. She was only 20 months old. I guess she would have been 6 this year. Seems like it was only yesterday.

Thank you for bringing this message to the forum. Its so very important and people need to be reminded.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

It is very tragic that a little person's life be taken so early.

A friend of mine has a great alarm system at her parents home. The children wear a wrist band that triggers a pool alarm if they go in the pool unexpectly. The grandkids wear the wrist bands all year round when they visit the grand parents. They are in a basket in the front hall. The kids know that when they walk in the front door of Grandma's house that the wrist band is put on.

I have no idea who makes the system or what it is called. I just think it is fabulous, the best thing I have heard of.

 

[spiceycat]

oh how very sad. So sorry for your friend.

that is one thing I definitely admire about the life guards at Pop. they watch the little ones closely.

adults are expected to take care of themselves - the water is only 3' - so an adult can manage.

but they watch the little ones. Will stop the teens from interfering with the little ones. even if there are parents they still watch the little ones.

very impressed. there are 2 at the quiet pools - don't know about the main pool don't use it.

so if you are stupid enough not to watch where you are going and don't realize this pool has 4 entrances you might made a fool of yourself.... Several silly adults almost did. they were trying to blame the lifeguards - even then they were still watching the little ones.

very impressive!!!

 

[luv2crash]

Very sad.

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

Very sorry to hear about this tragic event - so, so sad. Our thoughts are with you and your friends.

 

[snowbunny]

I'm so sorry to hear that George. When we bought our house our kids were little and we looked at a house with a pool, I said no way, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, knowing how tragically common it is for kids under 5 to drown in backyard pools. How terrible for everyone concerned, I'm sorry.

 

[isla bonita]

George sorry for your loss.

 

[bellebud]

So sorry for your loss.

My heart and prayers go out to the family.

we got an inground pool 2 years ago, and have an electric cover on it. of course that doesn't prevent accidents while we're swimming, but i felt it was better than a fence (i felt there wasn't a fence tall enough to keep out my climbing ds, and i'd always be worried about neighborhood kids too). It's money well spent on an in-ground pool. (just wanted to add that in case anyone was considering putting in a new pool - something to consider).

 

[5mins2disney]

Thanks everyone, wasn't my kids, but it was a very close friend. The poor mom / neighbor who was watching them will probably never get over it...and the parents are torn up and feeling guilty they were out of town for the weekend, very sad situation, even though it was a tragic accident.

We felt the right thing to do is spread the word to other parents, so if anything, something like this won't happen again to someone else! Especially in Florida, most of us with vacation homes have pools, and I can't even imagine how horrible we'd all feel if it happened to someone we know, a guest, a family, or in one of our homes, resorts, etc., so I thought it was appropriate to share this story with you all.

Thanks again, I really appreciate everyone's kind words and support, George

 

[chrisann]

while you should definately always watch kids while they are even near water, here's a few other ideas. At our house, we have a gate to the deck that is always closed unless there is an adult on the deck, we deliberately made the deck not too big so only 2 chairs can fit on it so there really isn't major distractions on the deck. The other thing that makes me feel more comfortable and probably will as my boys get older as well, is make sure your kids know how to swim!!! So if for some reason they do fall in water, they can last a few minutes til someone notices they in trouble. My younger son is only four but is already swimming under water and treading on his own. Just some of my thoughts!

 

[Sunrisedream]

It is very tragic that a little person's life be taken so early.

A friend of mine has a great alarm system at her parents home. The children wear a wrist band that triggers a pool alarm if they go in the pool unexpectly. The grandkids wear the wrist bands all year round when they visit the grand parents. They are in a basket in the front hall. The kids know that when they walk in the front door of Grandma's house that the wrist band is put on.

I have no idea who makes the system or what it is called. I just think it is fabulous, the best thing I have heard of.

That sounds a great idea - I think I will try to find out more

 

[travelmaniac02]

It is really important to put safety measures like pool fences. This will save a lot of lives.

 

[momofdbsdc]

I am sooo sorry for your friends loss George! I will keep them and the poor neighbor in our prayers!

 

[Joel110]

That sounds a great idea - I think I will try to find out more

Such a sad tragedy and still too common. It's the one thing that concerned me the most with my parent's having a pool. They use the Safety Turtle Pool Alarm wristbands, they are an excellent backup to adult supervision because it can take just a momentary distraction.

http://www.safety-turtle-pool-alarm.com/

 

[Maria395712]

george
this is so sad my prayers are with that family. I lost my 5 year old son 24 years ago this sept and it is something that never goes away. I saw several children in a hospital that had drowned and were revied but they were not okay. my prayers for the family that was watching the child that is so horrible for them also.
maria

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

What a terrible tragedy. My condolences to everyone involved.

Also, it's important to remember when in the pool, little ones can be overlooked in the games and chaos of older children and adults.

There was a pool party underway near where I live. It doesn't matter, but it was a group of local medical doctors and their families. A three year old little girl drowned while they were all right there.

So, pool safety isn't limited to alarms and fences. It needs to include knowing where each non-swimmer is at all times.

 

[rae662000]

Thanks to all of you for your stories, it just reminds us of How Precious Life really is and the times we share with our little ones and What Really Is Important. God Bless each family touch by this sad event.