With spring break and Summer on the horizon, plans for warm and sunny vacations with refreshing swimming pools are making their way onto family calendars!

So, to help you plan for pool safety with your little ones, let’s break down three essentials to keep them safe, even in the most unexpected poolside situations.

• Assign a water watcher.

This one goes without saying… but here it is. There should always be an adult water watcher while children are in and around a pool or any body of water.

The water watcher should be within an arm’s length of young children and beginner swimmers. They should always keep their eyes on kids who are in the water, even older children who can swim.

The water watcher should not use a cellphone, socialize, drink alcohol, or do anything else that might be a distraction. At a party, have adults take turns as water watcher. Even if a lifeguard is on duty, a water watcher also should watch kids. (KidsHealth.org)

• Give your little ones the gift of swim lessons.

Even though there should always be an adult close by when little ones are swimming, learning to swim makes drowning less likely. It’s good for children to start learning as early as possible.

Goldfish Swim School offers lessons for babies as young as four months old. Whether your goal is to help your little one overcome their fears, learn to swim, respect the water or just have lots of fun while learning, they provide an inviting and safe place in their award-winning tropical environment and shiver-free pools.

While Goldfish Swim School is focused on the serious stuff, your family will be focused on the fun. It’s what they call The Science of SwimPlay®.

I signed Annabelle up for lessons at Goldfish Swim School in Portland last month and we absolutely love it. The smile on her face when she’s with her instructor is priceless; and I’m feeling a lot better about her being near pools- knowing that she’s learning this very essential life skill! Learn more.

• Use fences, alarms and covers.

I saw some pretty scary posts about pool safety in a mommy Facebook group recently. One of them was about a toddler who got out of bed and went to the pool at a vacation home that had a pool with no fence around it while all the adults were still sleeping. It was a very tragic story, and it’s one that I’ll never forget reading about.

With that said, all pools (including above-ground pools) and hot tubs should have a fence around them with a self-closing, locked gate. Add even more protection with door and window alarms that chime when opened to alert a parent that a child is going outside (you can find inexpensive, simple alarms online) and pool alarms that go off when someone enters the pool. If you can’t fence around a spa or hot tub, be sure they are securely covered when you aren’t using them. (KidsHealth.org)

For more information on swim lessons at a Goldfish Swim School click here. For a free first swim class at the Portland, Maine Goldfish Swim School Location, call to schedule and use Code: MAMAS2024

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