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Pool safety devices for young child

Kay

Kay

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 20, 2003
Messages
2,573
We are in escrow on a new house that has a pool in the back yard. DD is 18 months old and very attracted to the pool. We want to make advance arrangements to have a fence or other safety device installed ASAP after close of escrow (before we move in).

I am considering the Katchakid pool safety net. Do you have any experience with this product? Any other recommendations?


http://www.katchakid.com/pool-safety-nets.htm?gclid=CKSHjKXxu6ECFRgsawodpFVXAA
 
Is the pool in ground or above ground?
 
The pool is in ground. It is a large rectangular pool surrounded by flagstone. The house has a great view, which makes the net more appealing than a fence, but I want to be sure it is safe.

CH Pool.jpg
 
Wow, gorgeous!! I only know about above ground safety devices. (I live in IL) Obviously the net is more aesthetically pleasing and you''ll be watching your daughter when you''re outdoors, but I''d be very concerned in not having an actual fence. My neighbors run a daycare and have an above ground pool that they have 3 safety devices for. (2 locking fences and a cover, although not the one you posted)
 
It''s a tough call. A fence is more what I''m used to, and you can access the pool faster with a gate than removing and reattaching the net each time you want to swim. The people who sell the nets claim they are better than a fence alone because a kid could get through the gate and then there is no barrier. We do not plan to let DD be outside alone for many years, but she is getting better at working doorknobs. Friends suggested a security alarm on the house so we know if she manages to open a door.

I foresee DD will want to spend a lot of time in the pool with us. Every time we toured a house with a pool, she would pull me or DH (whoever was holding her hand) over to the pool and would crouch down to put her arms in the water (while we held her tightly). Any time she sees a pond or fountain or just a bucket of water, she wants to put her hands in it and splash. We have to watch her like hawks.
 
I think the combo of fence and cover would be good. On the neighbors pool, the first locking fence has a buzzer on it, the second locking fence is just with a padlock and then there''s the cover thing. Their goal was that if the first fence got opened, they''d have enough time to get over to the pool before the padlocked fence could be manipulated or scaled and then still have the barrier of the cover. It probably takes them 5 minutes to "open" the pool when they want to swim, but they have lots of babies and little kids.

Sounds like you have a little water baby! She''ll have a great time playing in the pool.
 
I would suggest having fence with BUZZER and also having the net. I don''t think you can have overkill here. A friend''s 20 month old drowned a couple of years ago and is still in vegetative state and this is not where you want to be. You think you can watch them enough, but it doesn''t take long and also there are some things that I was unaware of before this tragic incident, such as that a toddler who falls into the water doesn''t know to scream and doesn''t know to struggle, but just sinks like a stone and you don''t even know they are drowning until they have. Kids can drown with lots of people present if you take your eye off them literally for a second and you DEFINITELY don''t want it to be possible that they can get anywhere near the pool with no one there. In the case of my friend, they were all outside, the kid walked over to the pool and opened the gate, they knew the kid was not there but wasted precious time running in the other direction (assuming that he could not get into the pool because of the fence) and heard no screaming or struggle from that direction.

I don''t say all this to scare you, but please be very very careful with this. Many kids have pools in the backyard and it is a nice family thing with no issues, but there are more cases of drowning than people realize--not just in swimming pools but also in wading pools, buckets--You just can''t be too careful. I like this buzzer idea, and also having another net over the pool beyond the gate, for the next few years.
 
I saw on hgtv once, remember that show they used to have "I Want That"? It was some sort of alarm system on the pool so that if it was engaged, if something fell in, it would screech-not like for leaves falling in, something substantial. I also saw an ad for some sort of pool cover that had an elephant standing on it to show how strong it was.

My gramma has an in ground pool and a fence around the back yard. Not anything specifically on/around only the pool. We watch the kids like hawks when we''re there. When I was little I fell in. I don''t remember falling in, but I remember sitting on the bottom looking up. Mom and a cousin and her friend (young teenagers) were there and mom said she heard a "bloop" sound and was looking around and I''d *just* been right beside her, and then my cousin saw me sitting on the bottom of the pool and jumped in. Just seconds, not long enough for anything to happen but she said it was the weirdest thing, the silence.

I would go for the Fort Knox protection if it were our pool, regardless of the view!
 
I would definitely do the fence and a cover or net. Water can pool up on a cover or net (from the pool or from rain, condensation...little kids can drown in such a small amount of water that I wouldn''t want to risk it by using just the net or cover on its own.
 
Date: 5/5/2010 7:32:07 PM
Author: packrat
I saw on hgtv once, remember that show they used to have ''I Want That''? It was some sort of alarm system on the pool so that if it was engaged, if something fell in, it would screech-not like for leaves falling in, something substantial. I also saw an ad for some sort of pool cover that had an elephant standing on it to show how strong it was.
Click to expand...

When my little sister was a toddler, we rented a summer house every year that had an indoor pool. My parents bought an alarm thing that you attach to the side and it senses water motion. It was really loud. My parents tested it by tossing different sized objects in the pool. I don''t remember what it''s called but I would suggest looking into that.
 
I would use the fence and the net. When there is no more danger (kids are older, everyone swims well) you can remove the fence.
 
Date: 5/5/2010 7:32:07 PM
and then my cousin saw me sitting on the bottom of the pool and jumped in. Just seconds, not long enough for anything to happen but she said it was the weirdest thing, the silence.
Click to expand...

I fell in our apartments pool when I was about 4. I vividly remember sinking to the bottom and staring up through the ripples. I was wearing a pink and yellow swimsuit. I saw an uncle and I reached up my arms to him and he dove it and scooped me out. It was very eerie. I wasn''t really afraid though. It was very strange. From then on my mom put those water wings on me if we were any where near the pool but I didn''t learn to swim until I was 10 or so because I wouldn''t go in the water deep enough.

I was actually popping back in to post about he possibility of water collecting on top of the cover or net sinking in a couple inches, but bella beat me to it!

Since you don''t want the obstructed view, can''t you do some sort of a plexiglass fence??
 
Date: 5/6/2010 1:35:55 AM
Author: swingirl
I would use the fence and the net. When there is no more danger (kids are older, everyone swims well) you can remove the fence.
Click to expand...

This. My only thought is that the pool looks very close to the house. Would you even be able to enclose the pool with a fence? The whole point of a fence would be to block your child''s access to it from the house.
 
Date: 5/6/2010 9:46:43 AM
Author: somethingshiny

Date: 5/5/2010 7:32:07 PM
and then my cousin saw me sitting on the bottom of the pool and jumped in. Just seconds, not long enough for anything to happen but she said it was the weirdest thing, the silence.
Click to expand...

I fell in our apartments pool when I was about 4. I vividly remember sinking to the bottom and staring up through the ripples. I was wearing a pink and yellow swimsuit. I saw an uncle and I reached up my arms to him and he dove it and scooped me out. It was very eerie. I wasn''t really afraid though. It was very strange. From then on my mom put those water wings on me if we were any where near the pool but I didn''t learn to swim until I was 10 or so because I wouldn''t go in the water deep enough.
Click to expand...
I have a similar memory, except I didn''t fall into the pool. Everyone was diving in and I decided to try it to! I vaguely remember being under water and a person swimming over to rescue me.

There is something about the net cover that doesn''t look safe to me. . .like a baby/toddler/child could get tangled up in it. Just my thought - if you''re going to have a pool, you should go the extra and get a cover AND a fence. Not just a cover. Trust me as there is always the chance your child will decide to climb onto the cover and jump up and down on it! My kids and their friends have done that with our hot tub cover!
 
Date: 5/5/2010 6:53:22 PM
Author: Black Jade
I would suggest having fence with BUZZER and also having the net. I don''t think you can have overkill here. A friend''s 20 month old drowned a couple of years ago and is still in vegetative state and this is not where you want to be. You think you can watch them enough, but it doesn''t take long and also there are some things that I was unaware of before this tragic incident, such as that a toddler who falls into the water doesn''t know to scream and doesn''t know to struggle, but just sinks like a stone and you don''t even know they are drowning until they have. Kids can drown with lots of people present if you take your eye off them literally for a second and you DEFINITELY don''t want it to be possible that they can get anywhere near the pool with no one there. In the case of my friend, they were all outside, the kid walked over to the pool and opened the gate, they knew the kid was not there but wasted precious time running in the other direction (assuming that he could not get into the pool because of the fence) and heard no screaming or struggle from that direction.

I don''t say all this to scare you, but please be very very careful with this. Many kids have pools in the backyard and it is a nice family thing with no issues, but there are more cases of drowning than people realize--not just in swimming pools but also in wading pools, buckets--You just can''t be too careful. I like this buzzer idea, and also having another net over the pool beyond the gate, for the next few years.
Click to expand...
I feel so terrible for your friends and their poor little one. I''m terrified of something like that happening -- having a pool makes me so nervous. We had one in the backyard when I was growing up in AZ, but I think I was over 5 when we moved into that house. I was a total water baby. My parents forbid to go into the pool without an adult present (boy did I beg a lot to get someone to come watch me swim when I wanted to go in), but they did not have a cover, fence or alarm. Kind of scary looking back.
 
Kay, we had a pool in the backyard when I was little, and it was unfenced. There were no alarms, just swimming lessons really early on! I could swim before I could walk. LOL. I'd suggest getting your LO into lessons as soon as possible, independent of whatever other safety precautions you take. Babies will instinctively float, but I think toddlers need a little more direction.

ETA: That net scares me. I see little hands and legs getting caught and twisted.
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Date: 5/6/2010 11:37:26 AM
Author: junebug17

Date: 5/6/2010 1:35:55 AM
Author: swingirl
I would use the fence and the net. When there is no more danger (kids are older, everyone swims well) you can remove the fence.
Click to expand...

This. My only thought is that the pool looks very close to the house. Would you even be able to enclose the pool with a fence? The whole point of a fence would be to block your child''s access to it from the house.
Click to expand...
The pool is pretty close to the house. The corner of the living room (the part of the house showing in the picture) is maybe 4'' from the corner of the pool. From that corner, the house goes back several feet, then turns 90 degrees and the master bedroom is parallell to the short end of the pool and 8.5'' away from the pool. It is hard to describe. The living room and master both face the back yard, but the living room juts out farther.

A fence would have to be placed around the perimeter of the pool about 1'' away from the edge of the pool to allow room to walk around the fence to access the rest of the yard. It would be much easier if the pool was at the far edge of the property and could be fenced off easily from the rest of the yard. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to move the pool!

I do not have any other photos that show how close the pool is to the house. This photo shows how it is situated in the middle of the "yard."

CH Pool 2.jpg
 
Date: 5/6/2010 2:15:56 PM
Author: geckodani
Kay, we had a pool in the backyard when I was little, and it was unfenced. There were no alarms, just swimming lessons really early on! I could swim before I could walk. LOL. I''d suggest getting your LO into lessons as soon as possible, independent of whatever other safety precautions you take. Babies will instinctively float, but I think toddlers need a little more direction.

ETA: That net scares me. I see little hands and legs getting caught and twisted.
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Click to expand...
My parents got me into swimming lessons quickly when they saw my attraction for the pool. (I believe I started as a toddler before we had that house because they saw my reaction to a friend''s pool.) I continued lessons every summer until I was 15 and completed the final course in lifesaving. DD will have lessons, along with pool safety devices.
 
The Katchakid is supposed to be different from other pool covers or nets. It is pulled very taut and suspended several inches above the water line, and the size of the openings are supposed to be too small for a head to go through, but too large to walk out on.

From the website:

"The Katchakid® Swimming Pool Safety Net is specifically designed as a barrier to help protect children from exposed, open water. Like a large tennis racket, the UV and winter-safe net is stretched over the pool and anchored to flush mounted fasteners.

The Katchakid net is secured to the swimming pool’s perimeter by attaching fasteners into a series of anchors placed approximately 30 inches apart around the pool’s border, about 10 inches from the water’s edge. Using a diamond-tipped core drill, a small three- quarter-inch hole is made into the pool’s surrounding surface and the counter sunk anchor is inserted.

Katchakid’s CEO, Blair Esson, pioneered and patented the initial Central Tensioning System (CTS) in 1988. The CTS today is a multifaceted system that uses a series of pulleys set in a circular fashion to open and close the tension ring of the net. The net can be adjusted from tight to very tight and is CTS – Central Tension System designed in such a way that most children under 12 years of age cannot remove it. The Katchakid uses an average of 12 to 16 pulleys per net. Larger pools, those over 43 feet, usually require two CTS systems allowing the Katchakid to be removed, replaced and tightened with relative ease.

The EZ-Off Roller makes removal of the safety net quick and easy. It generally takes three to five minutes to remove, and five to eight minutes to replace on an average swimming pool.


No child has ever drowned in a pool protected by a correctly installed Katchakid.

Nationally endorsed by American Lifeguard Association.

Patented KatchAlert® Wireless Alarm System available offering an additional layer of protection."
 
I didn't like the net..sorry, by the time you find your child tangled in the netting is probably too late
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We rented a 60' fencing with self latching gate for about 6 months [avail in many colors] until they learned how to swim....did keep inexpensive wireless alarms on all doors leading to the backyard for years. Good Luck!
 
In my work I deal with families who have lost loved ones (including children), and I see a lot of cases where children drown in a swimming pool, even if they''re old enough to swim. I would do a fence around the pool if I were you. In my state I''m pretty sure there''s actually a law that all pools must be surrounded by a fence at a certain height. I think a fence is a much safer option than just the net.

Also, your yard is just gorgeous!
 
I looked at the net cover and I don''t think I would go for that one. I did look up the one I remember seeing w/the elephant and it''s called Loop-Loc. That one I like.

My gramma had a cover that she used to use for the winter that the water and snow would pool up in it and it would sink down. I mentioned to her one time, what would happen when Charlie (her beloved dog that looks like a goat) ran across it? She said oh he knows not to do that-he''d fall in if it sunk too far under the melted and piled snow, and I said oh yeah, like he''s running across it right now? She got on the internet and found a new cover! She doesn''t have this Loop-Loc one specifically but she''s got one that is like it.
 
Great posts Thing2of2 & Rachel9
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Yes, where I live a fence must be 4' tall and high self- latching, they aren't pretty but you know, kids DO grow fast....also yard gates should open the 'wrong' way to avoid pets/small children surprise visits. .
Floating alarms DO scare me....they will alert you AFTER the child is in the water already in potential crisis
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Nets are on the water, plenty of room for error. Door alarms on the other hand, a must... JMO & congrats!
 
I''ll take a look at the Loop-Loc. DH really wants a solar cover to keep the pool warm. It would be great if we could find a solar cover with safety features to use in addition to a fence. I wonder how long a 4'' high fence will keep DD out of the pool area. The kid is tall for her age, and growing quickly.

We are very excited about the new house, but there is so much to do! I waste a lot of time each day dealing with the realtor and lender. Tonight, we have to finish filling out disclosure statements for the buyer of our current house. And we need to find movers and pack so we can move in mid-June. Our inspection of the new house is scheduled for Wednesday, and I am hoping there are no major problems. The house has circa 1961 kitchen and baths that we know will have to be updated eventually, but I hope there are no surprises.
 
I''d also highly recommend this infant safety program if you have someone in your area certified to teach..
my 2 year old is getting ready to go through it b/c we have a pool too. you can have every safety device made and accidents can still happen. equipping the child with the ability to know what to do if they end up in a pool is invaluable. check out the video of the 18 month old and how he is able to turn himself onto his back after he falls into the pool reaching for a toy...

http://www.infantswim.com/
 
Date: 5/6/2010 5:47:56 PM
Author: Kay
I'll take a look at the Loop-Loc. DH really wants a solar cover to keep the pool warm. It would be great if we could find a solar cover with safety features to use in addition to a fence. I wonder how long a 4' high fence will keep DD out of the pool area. The kid is tall for her age, and growing quickly.

We are very excited about the new house, but there is so much to do! I waste a lot of time each day dealing with the realtor and lender. Tonight, we have to finish filling out disclosure statements for the buyer of our current house. And we need to find movers and pack so we can move in mid-June. Our inspection of the new house is scheduled for Wednesday, and I am hoping there are no major problems. The house has circa 1961 kitchen and baths that we know will have to be updated eventually, but I hope there are no surprises.
Click to expand...
City's requirements differ, my mom's had to be 4' back in '86 no latch/alarm requirements. Ours built in '95 had to be 6' tall/54" self latching and door/large window alarms for the permit. Our kids are older now but I do remember when DS had this friend/neighbor who used to 'crawl' on the fence to enter the pool w/o permission
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we always made sure to keep chairs/tables away from the fence because we knew we could held financally responsable in case of an accident.
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