Children of all ages love swimming pools, so designing a pool area that can grow with your family is important to ensure you get a lifetime of enjoyment from your investment. When designing your pool with children in mind, the two main aspects you should consider are safety and design features.
Pool Safety
Supervision
Designing a swimming pool with children’s pool safety needs in mind, will help ensure everyone can enjoy a safe time while in the water. Perhaps the biggest pool safety feature for children around water is active adult supervision. Some great ways you can design supervision into your pool area is by ensuring you can clearly see the pool from your house, back deck, backyard and from any spot within the pool area. This can be done by removing obstacles such as trees, pot plants or objects that may hinder your clear view of the water. Designing a comfortable seated area around your pool is another great way to incorporate active adult supervision into your pool design. The design possibilities for these kinds of areas are endless! You could incorporate comfortable lounge chairs with padded and adjustable backs, large umbrellas and even add tables to ensure you can comfortably relax while supervising. Don’t forget to place your supervision area where you can clearly view and access the pool while also ensuring you are outside the splash zone.
X Trainer 10.2m in colour Pacific. Installed by Compass Pools Christchurch.
Sun Safety
Another great children’s pool safety design feature is sun safe areas. The sun in the hotter months can be strong, increasing the risk of sun burn and heatstroke- especially for children. These days there are a variety of shade options available that suit most pool areas and design styles- ranging from umbrellas, all the way through to permanent shade structures such as gazebos or cabanas. When incorporating these options into your pool area, ensure your shade cover doesn’t block or hinder your line of sight to the water. The way you style your sun safe areas can be endless- you could place the shade cover over the pool, beside the pool, or both. To find out more about the design possibilities for sun safe pool areas, contact your local pool installer. Another way you can incorporate sun safety into your pool design is by placing a tube of broad-spectrum sunscreen in an easily accessible place close to the pool. Don’t forget to encourage your kids to slip, slop, slap and reapply the sunscreen ever two hours, as the water can cause it to wear off quicker. Encouraging your kids to wear sun protective clothing such as hats, long sleeve rash shirts and sunglasses as well as reminding them to drink water is another great way you can incorporate sun safety into your pool area.
Vogue 10.2m in colour Pacific. Pool with umbrella and shaded seating area. Installed by Swan Hill Pool & Spa Centre
Fencing
A fantastic children’s pool safety feature is a legally compliant fence that has an outward opening and self-latching gate. These days swimming pool fences come in a variety of styles that suit most backyard designs. Make sure that there are no climbable objects near the pool fence, such as trees, pot plants etc. This will help ensure unsupervised children can’t gain access to the pool area. Contact your local council to find out more about the fencing regulations you need to adhere to in your local area.
Design Features
Customised Design
Custom design features allow you to build a pool that is great for children (and adults) of all ages, while helping you get the most out of your pool investment. By incorporating customised design features into your pool, you can create an area that will be child friendly, while also looking fantastic within your backyard. Children love playing and swimming within shallow water spaces as it allows them to gain confidence within the water. Customised design features, such as waders, beaches and benches are a great way to incorporate these water play areas into your pool. As your children grow, you can turn these shallow water areas into a place of relaxation by incorporating options such as in- built water lounge chairs, or simply leave them as the perfect place to rest on a hot day. Other child friendly pool customisation options include water features (such as bubblers), sunpods, and pool toys (such as water slides). These customisation options are popular with children, especially at pool parties. Water features and sunpods are fantastic as they provide hours of fun, while looking visually stunning in any backyard space. Water slides are great for children of all ages, and once your children get too old- they can be easily removed by a professional. When it comes to pool customisation options that provide hours of fun for families of all ages, the skies the limit! Contact your local pool builder to find out more today.
Vogue 8m in colour Quartz. Customised options such as sunpods and bubblers provide hours of fun for the kids. Pool installed By Compass Pools Newcastle.
Vogue 9.4m in colour Pearl with Sunpod and X Trainer Spa. Pool installed by Local Pools & Spas.
Toy Storage
When thinking of child friendly design features in your pool area, make sure you think about pool toy storage. Adequate pool toy storage allows your pool area to remain clean and clutter free, it also ensures that there are no tripping hazards around the water. These days toy storage can be as fancy or as simple as you like. From storage chests that look like bench chairs to simple bucket like containers, whatever type of toys you need to store, there is most probably a storage solution for it! Check out your local pool shop or hardware store to find the right storage solution for you.
X Trainer 10.2m in colour Pacific with pool toys. Pool installed by Compass Pools Christchurch.
Pool Cleaning
When designing with children in mind it is important to think about investing in a pool that is always ready to swim in when you and your family are. On a hot summer day, no one wants to have to stop and clean the debris and leaves out of the pool before swimming. Investing in a cleaning system that minimises the amount of time and energy it takes to keep you pool clean, ensures that your pool is ready to go every time you are. Systems such as The Vantage Self-Cleaning help take the hassle and stress out of cleaning your pool. Vantage works by ensuring adequate circulation is provided throughout the whole pool, allowing for proper water filtration and efficient debris removal. This keeps your pool ready to swim at all times without the need for you to manually clean the debris and leaves yourself! Contact your local pool builder to find out more about The Vantage system.