Children are naturally adventurous, and it’s their curiosity that often gets them into trouble. As fun and enticing as swimming pools are for children, they can also be very dangerous! If you have a pool, and you use a pool safety fence to restrict access to the water, your child climbing the pool fence is a real possibility. But there are several measures you can take to keep it from happening.
If you need to prevent a toddler from climbing a pool fence, or a child who is a bit older, here are eight helpful tips:
Some fence types like chain link can be easy for a child to climb. You’ll want to select a material without easy handholds and footholds to make it more difficult for your child to climb the pool fence. A mesh pool fence doesn’t give children this opportunity. The mesh material is ultra-strong and difficult to grab on to. When suspended with aircraft-grade aluminum poles, like those provided by All-Safe, your mesh fence will have an incredibly high bending and breaking strength.
Another measure that helps prevent a child from climbing a pool fence is implementing a pool safety fence that is several feet high. A fence with a lower height may be sufficient to ensure that a baby won’t climb a pool fence, but if you need to prevent a toddler from climbing a pool fence, it’s best to implement a fence that has a top bar that’s too high for the child to reach. This helps prevent the child from grabbing the bar and pulling themselves over the fence.
A third deterrent for keeping a child from climbing a pool fence is to remove outdoor furniture and other objects from the fence perimeter. Objects such as patio tables and chairs, and even large toys, can give children the boost in height that they need to grab the top bar of the fence. You don’t need to remove these items from the pool area; simply keep them inside of the fence.
For many children, having fun in a swimming pool is associated with using toys that are meant for the pool, such as floating basketball hoops, inflatable items of various sorts, and small toys that float. If your child sees these items on the other side of the pool fence, it could increase the temptation to climb the fence. When the fence is in place, try to keep these items stored out of sight, preferably in a location that is inside of the safety fence barrier.
Another strategy for keeping a child from climbing a pool fence is the simplest of all: set rules for when your child can enter the pool area. In addition to making it clear that your child shouldn’t enter the pool area without the company of an adult, be specific about which adults can attend your child to the pool. For example, an older sibling who is a strong swimmer may be a good attendant, while an elderly loved one who experiences mobility issues is not.
In addition to establishing rules for not entering the pool area alone, consider setting rewards that your child will receive for complying with the rules. You may offer them longer stints of playtime in the pool or offer to buy them a new pool toy, for example. The rules you set provide a deterrent, but the rewards can offer more incentive to obey them.
Another helpful strategy for preventing a child from climbing a pool fence is to explain the dangers involved with climbing the fence. Mention to your child that they could easily fall and receive a serious injury, and explain that climbing over the fence and entering the pool alone could result in loss of life. One reason children try to climb pool fences is that they don’t understand the associated risks. As a parent, you can make your child aware of these hazards.
Using a pool safety net adds an extra layer of protection and can provide further deterrence against a child climbing a pool fence. Because these nets are designed to be applied or removed in just minutes, taking the extra measure doesn’t require much time.
When you take the measures to prevent a toddler from climbing a pool fence, or a child who is a bit older, you help deter two types of risks: injuries that could occur from the child trying to scale the fence, and a drowning accident that could happen if the child makes it over the top.
In addition to protecting your own child, taking these measures helps protect against the same outcomes that could result from other children attempting to climb the fence, such as the friends of your child. In doing so, the measures help reduce your liability for accidents that could occur in the pool area, which could result in lawsuits if the injured child is not yours.
Is your backyard swimming pool protected by a removable pool fence that features durable, mesh sections? If not, your local All-Safe Pool Fence & Covers dealer can supply a customized fence that increases the safety of your child, when properly installed.
Connect with your local dealer today to schedule a free, on-site consultation.
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