Home swimming pools

[Nereus]

I will post this here for now, mods move it please if a more appropriate place. I would rather it does not conflict with the other post regarding the drowning.

Many of you in Thailand probably have a swimming pool, and usually they are of the inground type, but even above ground pools are accessible to a determined young kid.

As with a lot of things here, it appears that there are no regulations in place to ensure safety around these pools. In Australia all states have some form of regulation regarding access to private swimming pools, including a self closing gate that small kids cannot open. Even with these regulations there are still a small number of avoidable deaths every year.

Little kids are drawn to water like bees to pollen. It is incredible just how quickly they can escape your notice for just a few minutes. Being small, if you are not close by you will not even hear a splash as they enter the water. It can literally be just seconds after you turn your back away!

Although my house in Hua Hin is rented out, one of the things that I did when I first bought it was to have a kid proof fence erected around it, as my then 2 year old granddaughter was living there with me. It does not have a self closing gate, but it does have gates that a small kid cannot open. As a test at the time, I went inside the enclosed area and called to her to come to me. She quickly found a small space under one end of the fence, under which she was able to crawl! I subsequently had the space filled in, the point being that she was determined enough to quickly find the opening.

A couple of months ago I was there to visit with the tenant, whom has a young grandson around 4 years old. We were sat in the outdoor patio, which is no more than 3 metres from the pool fence. The little bloke was bumming around as little ones are inclined to do, back and forth, playing with various toys etc.

As it happened Somchai the pool cleaner was cleaning the pool, and as Somchai's are prone to do, he had left the gate open when he went in. The next thing there is a might yell from Somchai, and the little bloke is in the water, fully clothed as well!

The kid had been having swimming lessons, but was not yet far enough advanced to save himself. No harm done, but hopefully a good lesson to all concerned, and a clear demonstration of just how quickly the kid was able to get into the water.

The best insurance of course, is to teach young kids to swim from a young age. It is even possible to teach babies that cannot yet walk, to instinctively hold their breath if under water.

But if you have swimming pool, then to me you are liable to make it safe for whoever may be exposed to it.

[Dannie Boy]

I think from the example above, precautions are all well and done (and definitely worthwhile), but nothing beats visual awareness and the realisation that danger lurks just seconds away!!

[HHTel]

There are scores of videos showing babies swimming at just a few weeks old. Down to the parents to teach their young to swim.

Babies can go into water from birth. However, they can’t regulate their temperature like adults, so it’s very important to make sure they don’t get too cold. Babies can also pick up an infection from water.

Therefore, it’s generally best to wait until your baby is around 2 months old before you take them swimming.

[pharvey]

I think from the example above, precautions are all well and done (and definitely worthwhile), but nothing beats visual awareness and the realisation that danger lurks just seconds away!!

That's certainly true DB and as HHTel says, there are many precautions in Australia - I was quite suprised TBH on my first visit there 20+ years ago.

There are scores of videos showing babies swimming at just a few weeks old. Down to the parents to teach their young to swim.

Babies can go into water from birth. However, they can’t regulate their temperature like adults, so it’s very important to make sure they don’t get too cold. Babies can also pick up an infection from water.

Therefore, it’s generally best to wait until your baby is around 2 months old before you take them swimming.

I was brought up in Zambia and SA and lucky enough to be in an environment where pools were plentyfull, gardens large and bbq's aplenty (a fair few parties also, but not for my age group).

I was introduced to swimming at an early age and whilst not a baby, was comfortable in the water at 2 years old. Whilst the pool was not protected as such in any of the houses, I and my siblings were (unfortunately ) always kept under a very watchful eye!! As has been mention there would be many a ruse to try and get there....

[Nereus]

There are scores of videos showing babies swimming at just a few weeks old. Down to the parents to teach their young to swim.

Ah, thats all very well and dandy, but I guarantee that there are millions of Thais that cannot swimm themelves. Farm kids probably teach themslves in dams and rivers, but city kids do not have that option, and as on the other thread, the poor liitle bugger would not have known any better.

The Condo complex in Bangkok where I am has two swimming pools + two wading pools. They are all
completely open, no protection at all, and no supervision. In fact, the footpath on the side of one of them is barely wide enough away from a building wall for an adult to walk past. A little kid running past in that area could easily fall in, but then, this is a Thai building: "look at me, we have two swimming pools"!

[HHTel]

You're absolutely right Nereus. I'd even say that the majority of adults here can't swim.
When I was teaching at university in Petchaburi, I asked the question of a class of around 40 (well a couple of classes) and despite being a stone's throw from the coast, there were around 90% of the students couldn't and had never tried to swim.

[Nereus]

Here is how it happens:
..................................................................................

Toddler's heroic act saves sister 'drowning' in pool: 'Didn't hear'

https://au.news.yahoo.com/toddlers-hero ... 31196.html

WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: Dramatic video has captured the moment a hero toddler saved her little sister from drowning in a swimming pool.

Kana Kanuengnit, 3, and two-year-old Kaning were walking around the yard while playing with inflatable rubber rings at the family home in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, when the accident happened last Friday.

Their father, 29-year-old Apisit, was watching the pair but as he turns his back for a moment to sweep up leaves, Kaning slips into the 1.2-metre deep pool.

CCTV footage shows her flailing as she swallows mouthfuls of water before sinking below the surface.

Little Kana sees what is happening and calls out to her dad before bounding over to get his attention.

Apisit then quickly plunges into the water to pull the drowning toddler to safety.

"I was sweeping near the pool and my wife was cooking in the kitchen behind the house," he said.

"We weren't planning for any pool activities so I didn't notice what was happening. But after a moment of me sweeping with my back to the pool, my younger daughter fell into the pool.

"I didn't hear anything. It is partly my mistake for being careless but luckily I have a little hero – my eldest daughter."

The father said his eldest daughter called out to him, saying Kaning had fallen into the pool.

Yahoo News Australia and agencies
Sun, 6 March 2022, 7:48 am·2-min read
WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: Dramatic video has captured the moment a hero toddler saved her little sister from drowning in a swimming pool.

Kana Kanuengnit, 3, and two-year-old Kaning were walking around the yard while playing with inflatable rubber rings at the family home in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, when the accident happened last Friday.

Their father, 29-year-old Apisit, was watching the pair but as he turns his back for a moment to sweep up leaves, Kaning slips into the 1.2-metre deep pool.

CCTV footage shows her flailing as she swallows mouthfuls of water before sinking below the surface.

A video still shows Kana Kanuengnit standing near the pool as her sister, Kaning, slips into the water.
Dramatic video shows the moment a toddler drowning in a pool before being saved by her older sister. Source: Viral Press/Australscope

Little Kana sees what is happening and calls out to her dad before bounding over to get his attention.

Apisit then quickly plunges into the water to pull the drowning toddler to safety.

"I was sweeping near the pool and my wife was cooking in the kitchen behind the house," he said.

"We weren't planning for any pool activities so I didn't notice what was happening. But after a moment of me sweeping with my back to the pool, my younger daughter fell into the pool.

"I didn't hear anything. It is partly my mistake for being careless but luckily I have a little hero – my eldest daughter."

The father said his eldest daughter called out to him, saying Kaning had fallen into the pool.

When he turned around, the toddler was "already drowning".

"I didn't know what to do, I forgot to think about my phone and things in my pocket. I threw it all and just jumped in the pool," Apisit, who runs a clothing business, said.

"The whole pool is 4ft-deep (1.2 metres deep). They don’t know how to swim but they are in the water often so they know a little bit."

The father hopes the video will be a warning to other parents to take care while their children are near pools.

"I think this is a great example to remind people that you cannot take your eyes off even for a split second when there are children and water," he said.

"I want to stress this to parents with small kids and a pool to put up a barrier around the pool if not, they should always be careful."

video at link

[Big Boy]

Scary