I recently moved to Hua Hin and the first thing I did was have a fence built around my swimming pool as I have a 18 month old boy!!
The fence is great yet it lacks self closing hinges and a really good childproof latch.
So I ordered a Magna latch with self closing hinges from eBay Australia. I will fit this ASAP.
Also I will make it my mission to teach my son how to Swim as he loves the water.
Today i saw a video of a toddler who fell into a pond and nearly drowned after being left unsupervised for just a few minutes. Luckily someone found him in time and he survived.
Please think about pool fences with young children and get a good child-proof lock. Google Magna Latch.
We have just ordered a sub mounted water pool Alarm for our new house, we currently have the Terrance fenced off so the kids cannot get to the pool but when we move in the new year the terrace will be open.
Our young children can swim, not great but can certainly get to the side if they fell in and also can float on their backs if need be. This however does not help if they fall and hit there heads before hitting the water, god forbid, but the Alarm is only a backup.
I have never used a pool alarm and have no idea if they are a good thing/ work or are just a gimmick, it will just give us some piece of mind.
A gate can just as easily be left open by a visitor so a self closing hinge is a good idea, but none of the above can beat supervision of children as even older children should be supervised around water.
Once we install the alarm i will be able to give an update, but would love to hear from anyone who has had experience with them.
I read a story only the other day of a baby that sadly drowned after the father failed to close the door properly when he left to go shopping, with the mother asleep inside the house.
You might also want to consider something like this. I'm not endorsing it, and DYOR, etc, but it looks like a good technique to me.
It is better to allow your kids to swim almost from birth. They're natural born swimmers and have an automatic gag reflex until they're six months or older so they instinctively hold their breath. That means that they will be competent swimmers at a very young age. Better to know your kids are safe in the water rather than worry that they'll fall in and drown.
HHTel wrote:It is better to allow your kids to swim almost from birth. They're natural born swimmers and have an automatic gag reflex until they're six months or older so they instinctively hold their breath. That means that they will be competent swimmers at a very young age. Better to know your kids are safe in the water rather than worry that they'll fall in and drown.
100% - personally, I cannot remember ever not being able to swim. I was brought up in Zambia and SA and was around swimming pools from day 1. By all accounts I was "swimming" at 2 years old...... and driving my peddle cars and go-carts into the deep end shortly afterwards.
Obviously, protection/fencing of the pool is important - getting your kids to swim (and know the dangers) at an early age is vital if you are in the type of climate where swimming pools are common place.
"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things" - Yma o Hyd.
Our boy is getting Swimming lessons from Hua Hin Swim starting monday. Looking forward to it! I've been trying to teach him myself but he just plays around.
100% - personally, I cannot remember ever not being able to swim. I was brought up in Zambia and SA and was around swimming pools from day 1. By all accounts I was "swimming" at 2 years old...... and driving my peddle cars and go-carts into the deep end shortly afterwards. 