Water and Sun Safety for Your Back Yard Pool

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.

We live in the water during the summer. Our backyard pool has become our haven from the summer sun and most days we spend the entire day playing games in the water and having fun. It can be a lot of stress to keep little ones safe and happy in the water all day, so I have compiled all of my summer time water tips in one place. From how to play all of our favorite water games to keeping your little ones safe in the water and the sun, these are the tips that I swear by for our backyard pool. You will find everything from easy to hard games to play in the water.  As well as everything from basic sun and water to safety to our favorite snack (Yoplait Mix-ins! Try the Berry Crisp. You won’t regret it!) to keep the kids full of energy and ready to swim.

Eat Good Food.  I can’t tell you how many times my little ones have gotten sick from eating junk by the side of the pool all day. Now I make sure to have good but delicious food on hand to keep their little bodies going when they want to swim all day long!

We love the new Yoplait Mix Ins. They are a delicious treat with the nutrition the kids need to keep them going. Each Mix-Ins Combines creamy traditional Yoplait yogurt with crunchy mix-ins. There are six delicious flavors that each come with their own container of pieces to mix in.

-Yoplait Yogurt Mix-Ins Very Berry Crisp

-Yoplait Yogurt Mix-Ins Salted Caramel Pretzel

-Yoplait Yogurt Mix-Ins Mint Chocolate Delight

-Yoplait Yogurt Mix-Ins Key Lime Crunch

-Yoplait Yogurt Mix-Ins Coconut Chocolate Almond

-Yoplait Yogurt Mix-Ins Cherry Chocolate Almond

These delicious new combinations are the perfect pool side snack. They Very Berry Crisp is Blackberry Yogurt with Cinnamon Crunch, Pie Crust Pieces and Oat Clusters. The Key Lime Crunch is Key Lime Yogurt with Graham Crackers and White Chocolate Chips while the Mint Chocolate Delight is Mint Flavored Yogurt with Chocolate Cookie pieces and White Chocolate Chips. They are fantastic way to get the taste of a snack and the energy you need to keep swimming all in one place.

Water Fun-

Some of our favorite games take place in the water. The water adds a fun extra element to any game. Here are some of our favorites.

Marco Polo– This game is best played in the shallow end or with strong swimmers. One swimmer closes his eyes and tries to catch the other swimmers. They shout “Marco” to which the other swimmers reply “Polo” so that they have a chance of finding them.

Sharks and Minnows– One swimmer stays in the middle of the pool. All of the other swimmers start on one end of the pool and try to get to the other end without getting touched by the shark. If they get caught by the shark then they become the shark.

Cannon Ball Splashing Contest- Everyone takes turns jumping into the pool and judges says who made the biggest splash.

Glow in the Dark Swim- We love throwing glow sticks into the pool after dark and having a ball.

Find the bottle- Throw a clear bottle full of water into the pool. When the bottle hits the water and makes a splash it is the signal to start finding the bottle. The first person to grab the bottle wins. It is actually much harder than it sounds! The clear bottle of water pretty much disappears in the pool water.

Whirlpool- Gather everyone into the shallow end of the pool. Everyone walks in a circle in the same direction. After a few minutes, of walking everyone will be able to pick up their feet and enjoy the ride around the whirlpool.

Pool Noodle Horse Race- Everyone sits on a pool noodle and then races from one end of the pool to the other. Basically using the pool noodle as a horse.

Octopus- Very similar to sharks and minnows but instead of becoming the shark when tagged, tagged swimmer join hands with the Octopus and the Octopus becomes longer and longer until everyone is captured.

 

Water Safety-

When we first started looking at our current house, my kids were thrilled! There was a pool in the backyard. All of their childhood dreams were coming true. I on the other hand was a little terrified. A backyard pool is a big responsibility. My kids are pretty young 8 and 3 and I wanted to make sure that they were always going to be safe in our backyard so I came up with a list of Pool and Water Rules that I have stuck by for the last two years. They have made both my husband and I feel better as well as kept our kids safe while having lots of a fun.

Play in the water from a young age. Expose your kids to water as early as possible. Make learning to hold your breath in the water a natural thing. The easiest way to do this with a toddler is to blow in their face before they go under the water. Your body naturally wants to hold its breath when it happens and it is a good first step in teaching that. One of the most important things you can teach your child is to turn to their back and float. It is a skill that can absolutely save their life.

Nobody swims alone. Ever. The kids don’t swim alone, the grown ups don’t swim alone. Everybody always needs a buddy. Never expect a child or teenager to look after another child. My rule of thumb is that I only allow someone to watch my kids in the pool that will be as diligent at watching them as I am.