Child Safety in Hot Tubs

There is nothing more enjoyable than watching a child play in water.  Hot tubs are especially attractive to children because of their depth, which is usually not as deep as the swimming pool and because of the warm temperature.  But there are dangers when children and hot tubs are mixed and there isn't a clue as to what may happen if precautions are not followed.

First child safety tip in regards to a hot tub is to not allow access to any child to the water, especially in the absence of adult supervision.  How is that achieved?  That safety precaution is kept by having a lockable hot tub cover that will not allow a child access to the water.  

No matter what, under any circumstances, should a child be left alone near a hot tub, if a phone rings and you need to answer it, take the child, too.  There isn't any reason for a child to be near a hot tub without adult supervision and many potentially fatal accidents have been prevented by the attention of an adult.

It is important to keep the temperature of a hot tub in mind if child safety is an issue.  While most adults can tolerate high temperatures, children are less likely to because among other things, their skin is thinner than that of an adult.  With thinner skin, a child is more likely to become over-heated, which can cause dizziness and light-headedness, which can lead to drowning.  Children should not stay in a hot tub, with a temperature more than 104 degrees than five minutes or so.  Again, this is where adult supervision comes in because a child will not know what is happening to them if they become disoriented as a result of prolonged time in a hot tub; and they may not be able to communicate that they are feeling over-heated or nauseous.  As an adult, the monitoring of a child is entirely up to you, no excuses.  

The environment in which we enjoy hot tubs can also be a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria and if not treated, can cause serious illness.  If there is any child with an open wound, they should not enter the hot tub, in their own best interest.  If a child is too young to tell someone that they need to go to the bathroom, or if they are still in a diaper, they should not, under any circumstances be allowed in a hot tub.  Any fecal matter in the moist, warm environment of a hot tub is a dangerous mixture and can cause many, many illnesses.  Be safe with this one by keeping the pH levels balanced and having the proper chemicals on hand, if they are needed.  

Because children are more susceptible to germs and have not been around long enough to have produced the antibodies it takes to fight some infections, it is imperative that their safety and the safety of those around them, not be compromised by not adhering to the point that children not yet able to express the need to use the bathroom be put in a hot tub, where they may cause fecal matter to be introduced to the atmosphere.