Keeping Safe at the Beach or Pool

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council — Susan Masone, Siri Heinrichs, Cristina Fowler, Christine O'Brien and our intrepid columnist Lauren Kim — takes your questions, gives advice and shares their solutions to the problems vexing all of us.

Have a question you would like to share, or just want to provide your opinion on the question of the week? Head over to the comments section to do just that.

So grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today with the following question:

Water safety: What precautions do you take at the pool, ocean or lake?

Cristina Fowler: Prior to our beach vacation, I pulled together three books that I thought would suit our family trip very well. I gleefully packed them in my beach bag — and that is where they stayed until we returned home from the weeklong vacation. Needless to say, I am that mom who would very much like to send my children into the ocean and pool wearing a life jacket, arm swimmies and swimming tube attached to a rope that I could hold on to. This summer, my children have decided they are fearless water creatures and I have become Ursula (the villain in "The Little Mermaid") complete with gray hair and eight arms.

So this summer, we have new rules. When at the ocean, a parent must always be present in the water and alongside the children. By the end of our week-long trip, my husband and I were boogie board experts. We also set up our boisterous beach camp practically upon the laps of the lifeguards. When at the pool, again, a parent must be present in the water, and we swim near the lifeguard. My olive skin screams Guido tan and my fair husband should just buy stock in sunscreen considering the amount he has consumed thus far.

The children are well aware of the rules and for the most part have been very good about following them. They still have a great time and I think they also feel more comfortable to try new things knowing Ursula and Casper the Ghost are close at hand to help them in the water.

Susan Masone: There is no such thing as being too cautious when it comes to water safety. Even the most experienced swimmer can get hurt in the water. The one precaution that I think is the most important is to always have at least one adult watching the water at all times. Never leave the area until someone relieves you... not even for a second. The best defense is to have more than one set of eyes watching at the same time. With all the fooling around that goes on in a pool, it is easy to watch the excitement and enjoy the day but it is more important to make sure the entire pool is being watched at all times.

Siri Heinrichs: I watch my children like a hawk. I don’t ever bother to bring a book along to the pool or ocean. While I am usually there with either my husband or a grandparent, I still know that I am the only one who is 100 percent in tune with the kids (probably because I spend every waking moment with them). I think learning how to swim is one of the most important lessons I can teach my children. We take swim lessons at Mercer County Community College throughout the school year. My parents live nearby and have a pool, and we have a variety of rules in place. No running near the pool. If you don’t know how to swim, you must hold a grown-up’s hand to walk near the pool. No one is allowed down in the pool area at all unless a grown-up is present. If you aren’t comfortable swimming, then you aren’t allowed in the deep end. If you don’t know how to swim at all, then you are stuck with an adult at all times, either right at your side or holding you. And there are no exceptions to the rules, not even for visitors.

Lauren Kim: I am very vigilant when my kids are at the beach or at a pool. I make it a rule that at the beach, an adult must be in the water with them at all times. When we take my kids swimming at their grandfather’s house, I make sure that I am watching them at all times and can jump in if need be. The pool is quite small, so it’s relatively simple to keep an eye on them there, as long as I sit by the edge of the pool. I don’t allow running or rough-housing in the pool. My father’s pool doesn’t have a diving board, of which I am grateful, because many accidents can happen there. (Especially in a pool that has such a small deep end.)

My kids have taken swimming lessons, and have learned quite a bit on their own. (But they don’t know any formal strokes yet and mostly swim under water.) But I hope to get them more swimming lessons soon to strengthen their skills.

Christine O'Brien: Both kids are strong swimmers. However, it would be irresponsible to think that they can swim without supervision. Accidents can happen so easily and quickly in any type of water, no matter what the depth. It’s always a good idea to keep on eye on them or go with someone who can help. We always make sure a lifeguard is present whereever they swim. When at the beach, we check out the tide and talk to the kids about the conditions. We’ve also asked them to try to swim in front of the lifeguard stand. Not only are they directly in the view of the lifeguards, it’s also easier for us to find them if it’s crowded.