Mommy in Freak-Out Mode

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Ljbwilk

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Mar 12, 2018
9
Saint Louis MO
As a preface, my sister sent me this news: Authorities Release 911 Call of Bode Millers Daughter Drowning | PEOPLE.com this morning which I mentioned to a friend who lives in the Southwest and she told me that she knows two people who lost children last year in pools. I have three children under the age of six including a 23-month old who looooooooooves the water ("Poo-oh!" "Wah-oh!!") and we bought a house last year with a privacy fence but no pool fence.

So I paid a company in April $10,000 to install a permanent "wrought iron" (aka black aluminum) 60" tall fence around the pool deck but they have not yet done it SO I AM REALLY IN FREAK OUT MODE NOW.

Despite the resistance of every single person on the face of the earth (except for those on this forum, thank you TFP), our permanent pool fence is, I am promised, going to be installed in the next week. It does *not* appear that the fence company ordered the latches that I wanted which are the Magna-latches with Alarms and so I may have a brief window of time to re-think that decision. It occurs to me that the alarm is not a lot of help since the gates are self-close, right? So it chirps for a second while my child crawls through, closes behind him and never makes another peep? Ummmmm.

Yeah. So I've Googled and don't see anything but I figure it's worth checking here-- anyone know of a latch device that has wifi? Everything has wifi and an app. How could there not be a latch with wifi and an app...?

Thanks in advance. I am really really really freaking out right now.
 
Oh that’s awful. I just now read about it.

I agree with the above. You want to prevent the kids from getting outside at all without you knowing about it. And I would go so far as to put safety alarms on ALL your external doors.
 
That has been our reasoning as to why we are just now doing a pool. Our youngest of our seven kids is now 6.5 yo and swims like a fish, so we feel comfortable getting one now. When we moved in this house, we put slide locks vertically on the tops of all our doors. So the slide part is on the door and slides up into the metal hook at the top of the door casing. Why? Because she was only 2yo when we moved here and fearless! The neighbors behind us have a pool with NO fence! I was paranoid about her getting out and going to their pool. It will be a bit easier for you b/c you can keep it locked. We have teenagers and kids who go in and out, so we had to train them all to lock it at the top when coming in and to let us know they were leaving so we could lock it behind them. Much easier now that she is older and can be trusted.
 
We are in the process of putting in our pool. I ordered one of those outdoor security camera that can be mounted outside and will send notifications to your phone when there is movement outside. I’m thinking this can be another layer of safety.
 
Check into Mighty Mule Bulldog gate locks. They have a number of options that would probably get you where you want to be. Off the cuff I’’d say look at the FM-145 pedestrian gate lock and pair it with the FM-136 WiFi gate keypad and intercom system. The FM-136 allows you to control gate access remotely from within your home at the touch of a button and provides intercom alerting whenever anyone requests gate access. The gate will remain locked unless someone enters a proper code on the keypad or when you grant access from the remote intercom. Not a perfect system but for under 500 dollars all-in you’’’ have a decent solution in hand. All available on Amazon for your shopping and shipping convenience. [emoji1]

Mighty Mule Bulldog Pedestrian Gate Lock (FM145) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015RY468/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dcCiBbVZGY7C7
 

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In addition to solid fencing and lock hardware, as an additional layer of protection, any semi-decent camera will have motion detection software. You could point it towards the pool, make it a "hot zone" and get alerts and images sent to/view live video on your phone any time there is motion detected.
 
I don't trust technology. I trust old school manual locks. Pool safety starts at the back door. Install a double deadbolt so the door can't be opened from the inside without a key then keep it locked 24/7. Also, install child proof locks on the windows that lead into the back yard and keep them locked 24/7. I also had a screened in back porch that had a child proof lock that was locked 24/7. I had padlocks on all fence gates, you guessed it, locked 24/7.

If they got through all of that then they would be at my pool fence, that was padlocked, 24/7.

Also, go to the YMCA and get your children swim qualified.
 
Do you have an alarm system with sensors that chime every time any door or window is opened? We have that and it’s great. In addition to locks, having that chime is a must. Don’t freak out, it will be ok. You are watching them. When we bought or home with pool our son had just turned 5 and knew how to swim but wasn’t a strong swimmer. We had no safety fence so I made sure to put him in swim lessons so he could have no problems getting out of the pool. They have special swim lessons for toddlers where they teach them how to float in the water to prevent drowning. Gives you a little more peace of mind. Put those kiddos in swim class! Good luck :)
 
You could look into pairing outdoor-rated door sensors with a loud interior alarm (120dB). The sensors would be placed on your pool gates and connected to a smart system like Alexa or Smarthings. Upon activation the software could be programmed to set off the very loud alarm in the house. This is dependent on your wifi working properly, and no other software glitches.

I agree with other posters that your safest bet with children this young is to place interior latches high up on all exit doors. You could also put number combination padlocks on the gates to the pool fence. Yes, these measures are a daily inconvenience, but well worth it and time passes very quickly. Before you know if your youngest will be in middle school!
 
kimkats said:
One thing I found that looks promising: Amazon.com : Dakota Alert BBA-2500 Break Beam Alert Kit, One BBT-2500 One DCR-2500 : Security Alarms And Sirens : Electronics

If something or someone breaks the beam it sends a signal to the base in the house. I would put it at toddler crawl height if he is still prone to crawling. Pairing that with the door alarms should help you relax some. You can even keep it up after the fence is put in as a double back up!

Kim (who loves moms who care so much!)
Click to expand...

This is PERFECT! Thank you, Kim!
 
Yes, the five year old twins are learning the butterfly at swim camp as we speak (write?) and the baby has been in swimming lessons since we moved in last year. However, I have been really concerned about ISR... the swimming teacher told me that it's not just the parental trauma-- it's that it can backfire and make children absolutely terrified of the water...
 
Ljbwilk said:
Yes, the five year old twins are learning the butterfly at swim camp as we speak (write?) and the baby has been in swimming lessons since we moved in last year. However, I have been really concerned about ISR... the swimming teacher told me that it's not just the parental trauma-- it's that it can backfire and make children absolutely terrified of the water...
Click to expand...

I urge you to talk to other parents who have gone thru the process succesfully. Your kid will cry the first few days... but that's because they don't like new things. They are never in any danger and after a few days my 18 month old was crying when I took her out of the pool after lessons! There are a few people who don't like the fact that their kids are scared at first so they like to blast things like "they throw your kid in the pool ect." It is just not true. Our ISR instructor lost her 3 year old to drowning 5 years ago and has been a huge part of the "not one more child drowns movement". A lot of non ISR swim instructors like to say bad things about it, when in reality they probably just don't want to take the certification (that cost $8-$12,000) to be able to teach ISR. Anyway, that is just my two sense. My daughter took the program and now at 2 years old can swim float swim and I have peace of mind that if she were to fall into anyone's pool or lake she could save her self until help arrived.
 

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