To those that have grown up with a pool...

Now that I'm a mom, I am scared to pieces of having a pool !!! It has just overcome me in the past few weeks that we've been talking about opening up the pool in just a few months...

Last summer, I wasnt a mom yet, so it really didnt HIT me... Friends or my sis would come over with kids, and I'd just say 'oh be careful, watch them' and of course every parent watches their own kids, but you really never know... One day last summer my girlfriend was over with her toddler. John and her DH were in the pool. We were inside chatting. then she started calling her daughters name and she was like 'where did she go ???' and we look out the window, and there was her 3 year old, WITH a little lifejacket on, and standing outside the pool, asking her dad if she can go in too...
It really hit me how FAST a child can be lured into that big fun pool, and how fast we can be distracted by stupid conversation...
Although I think that since our husbands were in the pool, maybe subconsciously we werent watching her every move, but when I saw her standing outside the pool, I just imagined what could have happened... GOD Forbid ! She had enough time to go and put the kiddie life vest/floatie on, and stand outside the pool all excited...

I just wanted to know what extra precautions your families have taken in cases of having company and not being able to watch everyones kids, and in every day situations. My sister is scared to come to my house in the summer because of my pool. She does come, but she watches her kids EVERY move, and she has heart failure if she doesnt see one of her kids for a split second...

Any words of advice ? I didnt grow up with a pool, so any words from the pros would be great !

We do plan to put a fence around the pool.

Thanks!

Anna, I worry about that too, and when we have kids we will CERTAINLY fence the pool.

I grew up with an above ground pool, and it's not the same as an in ground. I'm interested in hearing other people's tips for life with a pool.

I dont have any tips but i have the SAME fears. I always tell frank that if we bought a house and got a pool i would want one of those ten foot fences circling the pool with a bolt lock on it, he thinks i am crazy but it takes 2 seconds for something tragic to happen...

Lucky you! I grew up with a pool in the backyard . We'd love to find a house with enough property for one!!

Being concerned and aware of your worries is a good start. There are all sorts of safety gadgets out there but there's NO substitute for adult supervision. We were told that we were not allowed in the pool unless an adult was out with us. Period.

Ours was above ground so we had a ladder that would come apart. My parent would just take the steps leading up off until they were ready to come in with us.

Yes, you need a fence! You can buy alarms for the gate or for any doors of the home that lead to the pool. There are also mesh covers that you can buy to cover the pool when it's not in use.

Teach the kids how to swim! Very important!! I learned when I was 3 or 4. My sister takes her 2 1/2 year old to swim lessons, and there are kids younger than him.

Try to keep floats and toys out of the pool when no one's in it so the babies won't try to retrieve them.

Keep a life jacket on all of the little ones when they are in the pool area, not just when they're in the pool.

I'm sure you'll do fine! I always wondered how my mom found the patience to watch sometimes a dozen of us rug rats in the pool at a time. She told me she'd prefer to have us in her supervision because she watched us with eagle eyes and would not compromise any of her rules.

So, when's the POOL PARTY????????????????????

Our priority project as soon as the weather gets nice is to put up a new fence around the house. Its been breaking in several different sections. ITs time for a new one. for safety reasons, its our top priority right now.
THEN we worry about the fence around the pool. Last summer I would freak out if the landscaper guys would leave the gate unlocked, a few people told us 'you never know, a kid can be walking around and decide go into your open gate and jump into your pool-especially if they see those fun floaty toys in the water' Of course, slim odds of that happening, and im sure almost everyone nearby has their own pool, but that stuck with me..

I am also a strong believer of teaching kids to swim very young. Im taking John Anthony to the Y in the Spring just to take a 'mommy and me' water class. He will definately learn to swim asap.
I also worry about the lifejackets giving them a false sense of security and then they jump in whether they have it on or not...

I grew up around pools all my life. I don't remember if there was a fence around it though- I don't think so. I know my Mom taught me how to swim very early and I was a fish by the time I was about 4. Of course, I wasn't allowed to go by myself, but I don't remember my Mom ever really being on top of me, but then again, I've always been one to be in my own world.

My Brother & Sister (half) grew up with a pool too- my Dad put up a gate around the entire pool and it was a very complicated one to open.. I was 15 at the time and even I had a hard time with it. I think on LI you need to have a gate around your pool b/c if a kid walks into your backyard a jumps in and God Forbid your as# is grass.

I know my Dad also told my brother that if he went near the pool he would drown and die. I don't recommend this tactic because it took a lot to get my brother to swim!