Keeping Backyard Pools Safe
Hot weather and a backyard swimming pool: it sounds like a perfect combination. But you may be surprised to learn that more than 300 children under the age of 5 died from drowning last year.
Most of these deaths occurred in backyard swimming pools. CBS News Health Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay joined CBS This Morning from New City, 
N.Y., with some safety tips to keep your family safe in a backyard swimming pool.
The key phrase when it comes to pool safety is "multiple layers of protection." Simply put, there should be electronic, mechanical, or structural barriers in place. It is also vital to prevent young children from gaining access to the pool without parental or adult supervision.
First and foremost, there should a fence around the pool, which will prevent a child from easily climbing over and getting into the pool. The gate should be secured with a lock that is difficult for a child to open. That gives the adult time to stop a child from getting into the pool.
Pools should also be in open areas, with visual access from all areas. There shouldn't be any shrubs or trees that could prevent an adult from seeing a child in trouble in the water.
There are several electronic devices on the market designed to warn you that a child has headed off towards the backyard pool. All do their job by sending out a shrill alarm that alerts you to a child near the pool.
An infrared system shoots out a beam across the backyard, and if a child gets out of the house and heads towards the pool, the beam is broken and the alarm sounds. Another type of alarm hangs on the gate or on the back door. Only an adult can operate the sequence of buttons that permits the door to open without tripping the alarm.
Another important safety tip: teach your children how to protect themselves in the water. There is really no way to waterproof a child. Most parents are under the misconception that you can teach a young child to be self sufficient in the water, but in reality, they will not be comfortable in the water without their parents nearby.
Maintaining a loving and nurturing atmosphere is the best way to help a child get comfortable with the water. The child should be held close so he or she won't be afraid of the water, the sound of the water or anyone else who might be splashing about in the pool.
Special equipment like floats, toys, and masks should not be introduced until the child is completely comfortable in the water. If a swimming instructor is used, the parent should be there for the first several sessions, until the child is comfortable working with someone other than a parent.
Nothing ever take the place of parental supervision. Even after a young child learns to swim, there is another important consideration to keep in mind. Children learn to swim with bathing suts. But if a child happens to fall into the pool with regular clothes on, he or she may anic and not be able to stay afloat or even dog paddle. It's important that children be supervised at all times.