Sun’s out, fun’s out! With summer officially here, it’s pool party season, and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has teamed up with Huggies Little Swimmers to help everyone in and around the water stay safe and sound. Read on to get pro tips from the 33-year-old athlete.
How do you make sure guests — of all ages — get in the pool at a pool party?
When planning and hosting a pool party, we believe it’s important to understand that everyone comes with a different level of comfort and confidence with water, so you have to respect their various levels of comfort. And do not assume that just because someone is at a pool party means they know how to swim. We also think it is important to have a lifeguard on duty — or, at minimum, a designated water watcher that can perform CPR.
Are there any fun games you like to play?
Thinking back to games I played at the pool growing up, we played a lot of Sharks and Minnows, and Marco Polo — those were always fun. Another one that probably was my favorite — I used to do this when we were still training, and our coach hated it when we did this — was when we would throw the mini Toypedoes all over the place. It was an easy way for us to have fun during practice.
Are there any floatation devices you like — supervised of course! — for little ones who can’t yet swim?
We highly encourage and support physical contact between an adult and little ones the whole time they are in the water. For us, it’s all about comfort and confidence, and the best way to do that is to maintain contact with your little one the entire time you are in the water.
For pool guardians, any tips on making sure everyone’s play stays safe in the water?
A few tips to keep in mind in the water: Know your surroundings and pay attention to where the deep end starts and ends, always look before you leap, never swim alone, and there should always be water watchers. If there are a lot of people, designate areas for more than one person to watch.
Any other safety tips?
One safety tip we like to remind parents about is to remove any and all water toys from the water after pool time is over and be sure to put them away. Also, as we mentioned earlier, consider hiring a lifeguard to help ensure that someone always has their eyes on the water.
What’s your favorite part about hanging out in the pool with your kids and your wife?
The water has always been a special place for me. And to share that with Boomer and Beckett along with my wife, Nicole, has been amazing. It’s hot in Arizona, so we enjoy cooling off later in the day.
Phelps also shared the following water safety advice for parents:
- Get your kids enrolled in swim lessons as soon as possible; learning to swim is a process.
- Always make sure there is a guardian around the pool as a water watcher focused on supervising kids in the water without distractions.
- Teach your kids to stay away from drains in hot tubs and the pool.
- As a parent, make sure you know CPR. That’s a big must.
- Check out the Huggies Little Swimmers #WaterPlaybook for more tips.
