Pool Safety Question

[Anonymous]

OP, it depends on where you live but most jurisdictions have laws that dictate fencing around permanent (i.e. inground) pools only.

[Anonymous]

18 inches. A foot and a half deep? Is this seriously a concern?

Any kid old enough to wander can walk, I.e., STAND, and therefore should be okay in a foot of water.

And here come the folks who will tell me a kid can drown in a tb of water. Get a grip folks. This is not a worry, no more than the cars on the street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of tragic stories about kids wondering off/being unsupervised for "just a second" and drowning. OP is right to be concerned.

nevermind the street with CARS driving on it but oh no for an 18" CHILDREN's wading pool 100s of feet away in the neighbor's yard.

Yes, exactly. I'm one of the PP's who say okay, fair enough, make the call and get them to fix the fence (easy solution) but anytime I'm out in my front yard (not fenced) with my son, I watch him like a HAWK. Not because neighbors have a pool, but because of other hazards, namely cars but also the fact that he could just wander off and get out of my eyesight really, really fast. Does that not make sense to you? That while the pool obviously adds marginally to the hazard of allowing a small toddler to wander off, really the parent has to be a bit of an idiot to let the kiddo wander so freely in the front yard. This, to me, does not seem like the "back turned for just a minute" that can happen with a pool in one's own home, etc. It takes a bit more haphazard parenting to allow your toddler to wander down a street unattended. Again, not saying this is a reason not to call, or that you shouldn't eliminate a hazard this easy to address, just in case, but I'm just challenging those who are saying how "easily" it could happen to rethink this specific scenario.

People who are saying they couldn't relax because of a pool in their parents back yard, etc, okay, understood and agreed if there's no fence. But we are talking about a situation where the child would have to wander off, go down the street, and into a neighbor's yard. In such a scenario, there are numerous hazards your small child could encounter - cars, getting lost, and the pool (probably in that order). I think there's really a group of people who are thinking "pool in the back yard" and not "18 inch baby pool in a neighbor's fenced but not fully locked back yard." What if there was a stream in your neighborhood? Do you worry about the sewers we all have? There seems to be a lack of common sense here. Neighborhoods are FULL of hazards for toddlers. That's why toddlers should not be unattended. And if you are "turning your back" in your front yard for long enough for your child to wander down the street to neighborhood "pool" you are an idiot.

So, sure, reduce the hazard, but c'mon people. It's also a good idea to watch the kids carefully because while you can babyproof the house with the wading pool to a degree, you're not going to babyproof the whole neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of tragic stories about kids wondering off/being unsupervised for "just a second" and drowning. OP is right to be concerned.

but the reality is, in the vast majority of these cases, "just a second" was not just a second. It was 5 minutes or more. Of course, the parents say in retrospect, "It was just a second" but if you are outside with an 18 month old (with traffic in front of the house) then you need to be 100% vigilant 100% of the time and a pool next should should be a non issue.

I'm about as laid back a parent as they come but when my kids are under 3, they never leave my vision outside. I don't chat to the mailman, don't stop to pull a weed, don't cross the street to my car, etc.

[Anonymous]

The caregivers are responsible for the safety of the children in their care.

If a kid can wander to a neighbor's yard, through a gate, and into a pool, it is NOT the fault of the tenants or the owners of the property. It is the responsibility of the caregiver that allowed a child to trespass into a neighbor's yard, where they might be danger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymously report them to the county.
Yes attractive nuisances need to be secured.
Plus the mosquitosare going to be a buzz kill for you... Hee Hee Hee buzz kill mosquito

[Anonymous]

Anonymously report them to the county.
Yes attractive nuisances need to be secured.
Plus the mosquitosare going to be a buzz kill for you... Hee Hee Hee buzz kill mosquito

[Anonymous]

Talking to tenants/ landlord will let them know it was you. Just be anonymous and keep it moving

[Anonymous]

I have friends who had a 4YO niece drown in the family pool in Florida. There was a major family event with lots of people coming and going. All of a sudden there was an awareness of where was the 4YO. The 1st thing the mom did was run to the pool and find the child. The kid knew how to swim, it was her house, knew the rules etc etc. It does not matter.

There is also the horrific story of the 15 month old twins drowning in their bathtub in VA a few years ago. They were put down for a nap and somehow decided they wanted to play in the bath. When they were found it was too late.

It does not matter that it is only 18 inches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:18 inches. A foot and a half deep? Is this seriously a concern?

Any kid old enough to wander can walk, I.e., STAND, and therefore should be okay in a foot of water.

And here come the folks who will tell me a kid can drown in a tb of water. Get a grip folks. This is not a worry, no more than the cars on the street.

By your logic, children would not drown in bath tubs. And yet it happens often enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The caregivers are responsible for the safety of the children in their care.

If a kid can wander to a neighbor's yard, through a gate, and into a pool, it is NOT the fault of the tenants or the owners of the property. It is the responsibility of the caregiver that allowed a child to trespass into a neighbor's yard, where they might be danger.

Actually if the child drowns on that property, it will be a legal problem for the owner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have friends who had a 4YO niece drown in the family pool in Florida. There was a major family event with lots of people coming and going. All of a sudden there was an awareness of where was the 4YO. The 1st thing the mom did was run to the pool and find the child. The kid knew how to swim, it was her house, knew the rules etc etc. It does not matter.

There is also the horrific story of the 15 month old twins drowning in their bathtub in VA a few years ago. They were put down for a nap and somehow decided they wanted to play in the bath. When they were found it was too late.

It does not matter that it is only 18 inches.

The water depth is not the point. Pool parties are the most dangerous, because everyone assumes someone else is watching. If everyone is watching, no one is watching. If a child is that small, it is the responsibility of the parent, no matter what. You cannot "toddler proof" the world. We live in waterfront house, and I watched my child like a hawk when he was little. We had dead bolts and little alarms on all the doors. DC is older, a great swimmer, and is still not allowed out on the dock without an adult.

[Anonymous]

Kids can drown in less than a few inches of water, how do parents not know this?! Kids can drown in a little bucket of water too, it's possible if they lean in the bucket head first and can upright themselves.
All wading pools and bathtubs should always be emptied after each use.
Basic parenting safety 101 here people

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:18 inches. A foot and a half deep? Is this seriously a concern?

Any kid old enough to wander can walk, I.e., STAND, and therefore should be okay in a foot of water.

And here come the folks who will tell me a kid can drown in a tb of water. Get a grip folks. This is not a worry, no more than the cars on the street.

By your logic, children would not drown in bath tubs. And yet it happens often enough.

Unattended Infants by and large make up the majority of the 100 per year bathtub drownings. 100 out of 40 million children. I don't think
That qualifies as "often enough." If an infant or a toddler under 18 months is wandering off to the neighbor's inflatable
Pool and drowning, I think we have other problems.