Pool safety help! | Imamother

amother

Seagreen

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 8:09 am

Can they close the pool before succos? Takes less than an hour
And make sure they have “elephant” safety cover that can technically be walked on
Otherwise I would never go
Speaking as someone with an inground pool, little kids, and a super secure fence and is still constantly on guard
You don’t realize how the kids have no rational when comes to pool....they don’t think of it as dangerous, just exciting
Hatzlacha and stay safe!

Rappel

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 8:25 am

What would you like us to tell you, OP? I don't think there's a magic trick for this. Just keep your eyes on your kids.

A pool is not a dangerous monster that will reach up and grab your children unless fenced. But its innocent attraction will absolutely draw them to want to play with it, and their inexperience puts them at high risk.

If you're not able to keep your eyes on them at any given time, then they need to be locked in the house. That's it.

amother

Rainbow

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 9:10 am

We stayed at a house with an unfenced pool for a weekend.
we have a little mischievous 3 year old who we were concerned about.
We put up safety locks on the porch doors (which lead to the pool) and we blocked the main door with a big couch so that my child could not leave the house without us.
When we did go out we supervised him the entire time obviously.

amother

Snow

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 9:15 am

Locks at top of the doors, with beeping alarms to signal if someone opens it and children not allowed outside.

You'll need one door without an alarm so you can exit yomtov (probably front) and I hope this doesn't have access to the back.

Notsobusy

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 9:22 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

That’s definitely something I can ask. I know they have a company hired to shut the pool at the end of the season but have no idea if it’s in the plans for before succos. I found another option as well it’s a 4’ orange plastic gardening fence that can be stapled into wooden sticks put into the ground so working on this as well.

This does not sound safe. Kids can probably crawl right under it or push it down if they try hard enough.

Blessing1

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 9:44 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

No way, this is NOT an option. It's a gardening fence, not a pool fence. It takes nothing for a child to get over such a fence. Oy I can't believe you don't get how serious this is.

mommy2x

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 11:00 am

Just ask then to close the pool. Most people are closing or already closed their pools for the season say you won't come if the pool is open. Most people have strong pool covers. Make sure hers is very durable and won't break if a kid accidentally walks on it. Otherwise, it's very unsafe as a bigger kid/adult may accidentally knock into a kid while running around and kid can fall in. Even if you are on high alert all Yom tov.

pause

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 11:24 am

This sounds to me like a tragedy waiting to happen. DO NOT GO!

Your host is making himself vulnerable legally and halachically. There are halachos against having dangers on your property. V'lo sasim damim b'vaysecha... Therefore, I wouldn't trust a person like this who has no compunctions of inviting over someone with two little kids when the sukka is right near an unfenced pool. It would make me question this person's kashrus, IQ level, food prep safety, and morality so that I wouldn't feel comfortable staying at their house ever again.

momsrus

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 11:28 am

pause wrote:

I woulnt say that. I know quite a few people that have very little safety awareness. Doesnt mean they are lax in other areas. OP doesnt seem to have too much awareness herself

amother

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 11:34 am

momsrus wrote:

I woulnt say that. I know quite a few people that have very little safety awareness. Doesnt mean they are lax in other areas. OP doesnt seem to have too much awareness herself

I already said a gate was ordered but it won’t be installed before succos. It’s a relatively new pool.

amother

Gardenia

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 11:41 am

I once rented a bungalow in a place that didn't have a proper lock for the pool area. I didn't know this before I rented. I was there fore one day and I found my 4 year old in the pool area, because all she needed to do was unlatch the gate and she was in. I gave up my bungalow after I paid $10K for it.

amother

Almond

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 12:01 pm

OP,
You need a real pool hate from the companies that make them, or the special roll-on covers that can hold thousands of pounds, or the net type that is keyed into the ground.

Of those will take time, measurement, supplies coming, installation.

Let me tell you a very sad but true story that took place about twenty years ago.
A.young couple came into town with their children, visiting their parents.
Parents had a pool, and it was gated..
They were having a great time at bubby and story's house,cousins, young aunts and uncles running around.
Eventually, mother realized she hasn't seen her 2-3 yr old, let's call him chaim, for a while.
Chaim! Chaim!
They're all looking for him, and find him dead in bubby and zeidys pool.
There was another entrance to the gated pool area, directly from a room in the house, and that's how chaim died.

My mother went to be menachem avel. She said it was so terrible, so tragic.

Please, OP, go there after a PROPER pool gate is installed.

pause

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 12:59 pm

momsrus wrote:

I woulnt say that. I know quite a few people that have very little safety awareness. Doesnt mean they are lax in other areas. OP doesnt seem to have too much awareness herself

OP doesn't own the pool. People who own a pool have the responsibility of anything that CH'V happens - whether it's financial (being sued by the injured's health insurance), halachic, or moral.

momsrus

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 1:06 pm

pause wrote:

OP doesn't own the pool. People who own a pool have the responsibility of anything that CH'V happens - whether it's financial (being sued by the injured's health insurance), halachic, or moral.

By accepting an invite to such a place shows a lack of awareness.

Many people that don’t have little kids “think” it’s just a matter of teaching your kids.

amother

Antiquewhite

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 1:07 pm

What do people do when they go to hotels for a Pesach/sukkos program? Most hotels have no fence and a lot of these places have outdoor BBQs or sukkahs out doors. The place is full of kids … she said it’s not an option to not go. Make it an option is obviously not working so how about
- hiring a babysitter/nanny $$$$$
Or
-Whenever they step foot out doors they put on puddle jumpers over their Shabbos clothes $$

Yup. Super weird but if I were you and I couldn’t get out of it , I would be the weird mom putting puddle jumpers on my kids. Maybe attach an alarm that rings when it gets wet if someone where to fall in … could be muktza but ask a rav. Also best option of course is to NOT go. But it sounds like your really stuck so those are the two options I can come up with.