Shop Leyton’s SWIMZIP bathing suits. Currently 35% off with code Remember35.
While I was in Washington D.C. traveling for the 4th and visiting with my in-laws, we spent a lot of time in the pool. I did a few Instagram stories of Leyton playing with us in the pool and I’ve had several of you message me asking about pool safety tips for toddlers, what we do with Leyton and asking about sun safety and such.
In the past I’ve done these posts on Sun Safety, What to Look for if Your Baby Overheats , and today I’ll be covering a bit about how you can practice pool safety with your little one. This is a very important topic to me because when my little sister was about 3 and I was 8, we had a pool safety scare.
I was up on the diving board with my friend, looked down into the pool before I jumped and noticed my little sister had wandered too deep into the water without her swimmies on and was UNDER water. I yelled out to my mom who of course almost had a heart attack and grabbed her up out of the water. It was so scary but thank the Lord she was ok. Do you know the 8 warning signs of drowning?
Pool Safety Tips for Toddlers
- Use a puddle jumper or flotation device. Last year we used a shaded baby float for Leyton or he was in our arms if we were at the pool. This year if we are in the pool area, Leyton knows he has to have on his puddle jumper if he wants to get into the water. At first he hated it and would cry when we tried to put it on him, but after a few screaming sessions, now he know that it means he gets to swim so he’s happy to have us put it on him! We never let Leyton be more than arms’ distance away from us when he is in his puddle jumper and keep a constant eye on him. Please remember these are just the tips we use to keep Leyton safe but we are not experts. You can read more from other experts here.
- Designate an adult who is in charge of watching your toddler. Just because your child has on a floatation device doesn’t mean that they are all good. Especially when your kids are on the smaller end of the spectrum, the puddle jumper may not hold their mouth or nose above water and Leyton sometimes thinks it’s fun to try to drink the water. Womp womp. Eric and I would always check in with each other about who was watching Leyton at first. Eric may start watching him and then he’ll say something to me like, “Hey babe, I’m gonna grab a drink. You got him?” This constant communication helps us know who’s “in charge” at that moment.
- Don’t forget to keep your toddler hydrated! Even though you are in the pool, your body and your toddler’s body still sweats. Make sure you bring a sippy cup of water or keep an extra one in your pool bag to refill at the water fountain at your pool. Also KNOW the signs of infant overheating, you can read more details from this readers’ scary experience here.
- Sunscreen: We all know sunscreen is a must, but honestly between running into friends at the pool, playing with your baby and feeling the refreshing water it can be easy to forget to reapply. Some of you know Leyton had eczema as a baby, which he seems to have somewhat grown out of as he’s gotten older. He’ll sometimes still have dry skin but it’s not nearly as bad as it was. You can try Mustela sunstick or Babytime for your baby if they have eczema to see if that is better for their skin. If you have any other must try eczema friendly sunscreens to recommend for little ones, make sure to leave a comment for other mommas to try!
- Covered Skin: As I’ve mentioned in my sun safety post, we adore the brand Swimzip for Leyton. They have long rashguards that cover his legs and arms with sun protection built in so all we have to do is use sunscreen on his head, neck, feet and hands.
Thank you to Allstate for partnering with me on this post. You can see more of their swim safety tips on their blog here with a complete kids’ checklist!
What pool safety tips for toddlers do you have? What sunscreens, and floating devices do you love for your little ones? I’d love for you to share with me in the comments below.
This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. All opinions are mine. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day.
Pool safety is so important!
Love the post!! I recently bought Annabelle the puddle jumper based on your recommendation and we LOVE it!! Thanks so much for sharing!! ❤️
Author
Yay, Danielle! I am so glad to hear that. I loved your idea for this post and am so glad that we have happy pool babies. 🙂
Heather,
I am glad you wrote a post about sunscreen and hydration at the pool. The safety tip you have about a puddle jumper is not a safe pool item. Let me explain why-i lived in Birmingham for 4 years. I tried to get my son swim lessons at the Y. I too used the puddle jumper thinking it was the safe thing to do. When I moved to Florida I was quickly educated about swim safety. Swim safety is barrier protection. Pool fences, an alarm on doors leading to a pool, a parent in the pool with a child within arms length. Swim lessons!! That is swim safety. Puddle jumpers give a false sense of security. It actually changes the body position away from a natural float. The puddle jumper keeps a child upright not horizontal like a true floating position. I implore you to look up Infant Self rescue or ISR. Infantswim.com is the website. It teaches babies as young as 6 months to self rescue. My children did it and are able to rescue if they fell into the water alone. I am not writing to you in a malicious manner. I wanted you to know that there are real better options out there for swim safety.
Author
Hi Trish,
Thank you so much for your comment. Yes, I totally agree that those are by far better swim safety measures, and linked to Allstate posts about that so that others can see those in much more detail. I just had people specifically ask me how we use the puddle jumper so I wanted to share within this post. We do not leave Leyton unattended in the puddle jumper at all. He is always within arms distance or one of us has our hands on him. I’m glad you brought this to everyone’s attention as well and appreciate your time. I know it was not meant in a malicious manner and appreciate it! We are getting Leyton swim lessons ASAP but he can’t start till next year at our pool according to the age they allow. Enjoy your day and happy swimming! 🙂
Hi Heather! I just discovered your blog through a friend and came across this post. I know this is an older post, but I want to second everything Trish said about puddle jumpers regarding false sense of security and incorrect position in the water, and also add that almost 70% of drowning deaths in children occur during non-swim times….which is the biggest reason puddle jumpers are dangerous. You do not want your non-swimming child to be “comfortable” around water and jump in or fall in trying to get a toy not realizing they won’t float. I encourage you to please revise this post or make a new one because it is SO important. The AAP has updated their recommendations just in March 2019 and do not recommend puddle jumpers or floaties for these reasons. If you have not already, please follow Nicole Hughes on instagram or read Levi’s Legacy. The Hughes family used to live in Birmingham too as do I. You have an audience and can make a difference. This is so important because drowning is the number 1 cause of accidental death in children ages 1-4. I know you linked to another article but people are reading your blog to know what YOU think. I know puddle jumpers are so prevalent now, but I believe we need to change our perspective and spread knowledge of facts surrounding child drowning. Please feel free to reach out to me and I can send you a link to an interview with Nicole that I think would bring to light the dangers of puddle jumpers. I promise you would learn at least one more thing you had not thought of to keep your children safer.