The following safety features will serve as guidelines for all homeowners:

A fence around the pool. The fence should be at least five feet high and the slats no more than four inches apart, the same standard as staircase railing.

Do not count the back of your house as a fourth side of the fence. Your child only needs to open the back door to get out of the pool.

The fence should not have a self-closing and latching gate that should be checked regularly to make sure it is always working properly.

If you're using a chain link fence, make sure the opening are 1 x 1-inch so children cannot use the openings to climb up and get access to the pool.

A gated alarm monitors entry into the pool area.

A closed-circuit camera monitors the pool area.

A fully automatic pool cover with a pump to remove rainwater that may collect on a sagging cover. (A young child drowned in a few inches of water that collected on the pool cover). When using the pool, always open the cover all the way and when finished, close it completely to avoid swimmers, young children and pets from being trapped underneath. The pool cover should extend to cover the Jacuzzi which should never be kept hotter than 120-130 degrees.

Lifesaving equipment such as a pole, rope, life ring and even an outside telephone should be installed next to the pool in case of an emergency.

Avoid jagged-rock designs, opt for bullnosed coping to reduce the possibility of cuts, scrapes and bruises. Handrails should be provided for added safety.

Teach your child with professional swim lessons at an early age. If you have a pool in your backyard, have a professional instructor come to your home and teach your child in his own environment.

Safety for Toddlers is familiar with several pool fence companies which have a fail-safe record. Before you have a pool fence installed, call Safety for Toddlers and we will refer you to an expert in the pool fence field who will help you design a safe enclosure.