“Daddy I got a bo-bo!” she cried, showing me her hand. Upon closer inspection, and as in most cses with my 3 year old daughter, her bobo turned out to be nothing more than a false alarm. Big deal to her, routine daddy-saves-the-day moment for me.

Bobos come in lots of shapes and forms, but today we will focus on the most common pool-related bobos, and how to prevent them. Why does my opinion on this matter carry weight, you might ask? This analysis is based on my 20+ years of swim lesson experience, in indoor and outdoor pools of all shapes and sizes, countless birthday parties, experiences as a parent to young kids and passionate swimmers.

It is important to note that the pool is a high-risk place to begin with. It doesn’t matter if you have an in-ground, above-ground, or those cool new hybrid semi-inground versions. It doesn’t matter because enjoying pools often necessitates high-speeds, running, jumping, ipso-facto a high risk of bobos. Spoiler here: Surprise-surprise, drowning is not the most common injury.

*Disclaimer: While I obviously do not promote or condone running or other high intensity dangerous behavior around pools, I am just as guilty as the next guy of doing this often in the pools

#3 Sunburns. Yes, sunburns rank #3 on this list. Simply put, we often are having too much fun and forget to re-apply as needed. As recommended by the skincancer.org sunscreen should be applied 30min before going out into the sun, and re-applied every 2 hours. During swimming, re-application can be needed as often as every 30 minutes! Who actually has time for all that? Well we should MAKE time.

#2 Slipping on Deck. You know it. Kids LOVE swimming, they get excited. And when they get excited, it’s pedal-to-the-metal all the way baby. Now for outdoor pools with typical concrete decks, running, while still dangerous, is not as a prominent a factor in injuries. But for indoor pools?! My oh my. Those slippery ceramic-tile or linoleum or rubber decks are a disaster waiting to happen unless you are walking at granny speed. Thus, always encourage walking around the pool and call (YELL) out immediately if you see your child – or any child for that matter – travelling over the speed limit. Signage helps too.

#1 Jumping into the Pool. The scariest one of the bunch. There are so many opportunities for injury here, from jumping on top of someone else, to not jumping in far enough and hitting the side of the pool, to jumping into water too shallow and not landing right. Preventing jumping injuries requires serious diligence on behalf of the parents. Train your kids to enter by slipping in and using ladder/stairs whenever possible. Actively supervise at all times and warn them if there is a jumping risk. Always remind them to jump feet first and far out into the middle of the pool when jumping.

Swimming pools do present a higher risk of injury, and often severe injury. Ultimately, it is up to parents to recognize and be aware of the risks, and to educate their kids from young ages how to prevent them. Safe swimming everyone!