Five Star Safety - Pool Toys

Pool Toys

As if going to the pool isn't fun enough for kids, there are a variety of pool toys on the market now to make it even more fun! Just don't forget the rules of pool safety.

Pool Toys and Safety

Until the last 10 years or so, most pool toys were inflatible, whether they are rafts, boats or basketball goals. But these kinds of pool toys are not approved flotation devices and should not be used as a "babysitter" for your kids in the pool. All pool toys should be used under adult supervision so they don't become a drowning hazard. And before you buy any pool toys, why not check with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to see which ones have been recalled and why. The last thing you want to do is end up with a defective pool toy that you thought was safe, then having it cause an accident.

In addition, you have to really watch kids using dive sticks. Make sure they are good swimmers and know the rules of pool safety

before using these particular pool toys, especially the rule about not diving into shallow water or diving off pools that have underwater "ledges" that people can sit on. Kids get excited to jump in without noticing hazards that can cause them serious injury.

Other safe and fun pool toys include noodles, super soakers and games like pool basketball and pool volleyball. A pool game that doesn't require any toys is Marco Polo. However, that can get annoying to the ears of adults really fast!

Other Pool Safety Measures

Protecting you child or other people's children by installing pool fences is one of the most important home safety measures you can take. You don't want small children to have access to the pool when there are no adults around to supervise. Make sure you also have a list of pool safety rules posted (no running, no glass, etc.) and be sure to enforce them so everyone can have a safe pool experience.