With the countdown to summer on, for many families that means a trip to a waterpark and making a splash in the pool. Whether you’re travelling abroad to sunny Siam Park, or staying in the UK for a more local dip, waterparks can be a fun and refreshing way to beat the heat. But there are certain precautions to take, especially for families with young children.
AttractionTickets.com spoke with Ali Beckman, Puddle Ducks Technical Director and Head Teacher MCIMSPA to reveal four essential pieces of safety advice to ensure families can enjoy waterparks safely this summer.
1. Follow your child’s lead
Ali advises: “Waterparks are fantastic places for introducing children to water especially if they have beach access, as this allows children to enter the water at their own pace and to the depth they feel most comfortable with.
“The best form of introduction to water is child-led, allowing the child to play with the water and pour it onto their body when ready. Sitting in shallow water allows children to explore, and also gives them the opportunity to turn onto their tummy and crawl through the water if they are confident.”
Look out for features such as Coco Beach at Siam Park, where children can take to the water at their own pace, which is key to building confidence and independence in the water.
2. Accompany your child on the waterslides – so you can all have fun together!
Waterslides can be great fun for all the family, but it is advised to do some research before heading to the waterpark as the nature of the rides and slides often mean they have various height restrictions.
Some parks like Aquatica in Orlando will supply your child with coloured wristbands on entry to the park, meaning they can only ride slides which they meet the height requirements for.
Ali says: “Ensure your child is confident and happy with water being splashed on their faces as this is usually unavoidable on water slides. Secondly, and where possible, make sure there are two adults – one to remain with the child at the top of the slide and the second to be waiting at the bottom.
“Never send a child down the slide on their own, not only are they going to be entering the slide pool area independently, they then have to exit the pool and wait for an adult.”
3. Let your child splash and play
Many parks including Island H2O Waterpark in Orlando have slides and areas designed for younger children to enjoy safely, which is great for allowing them to build their confidence in the water before moving onto bigger rides.
Ali continues: “Children learn through play and they gain confidence the more time they spend around water. Don’t try to teach them how to swim – ideally leave that for the experts, but do instil the importance of being safe around water, as this is a really important personal survival skill.
“You can also use appropriate water toys to allow the child to play with. Sinking objects are fun as long as the child leads their exploration under water – never force them to submerge to find a sinking toy.”
4. Always stay alert
The main thing to remember is never to take your eyes of your children, no matter how strong a swimmer they are. This also goes for areas that are designed for younger park-goers such as the The Lost City area at Siam Park; lots of slides, towers, bridges, nets and cascades can prove a lot of fun, but can also be overwhelming for young ones.
Ali adds: “Waterparks are often very busy places and it’s easy to lose sight of a child in a split second. Wave pools should be avoided until your child is really confident with water going over their faces and you know they are able to regain their feet independently.
“These environments can get busy, splashy and can become quite overwhelming, knocking the most confident of swimmers off their feet and under the water. Most pools have a baby/toddler pool which is often a little warmer and quieter, which is a great place to start.”
For more information and to purchase tickets to Siam Park or the Orlando waterparks please visit: https://www.attractiontickets.com/en/tenerife-attraction-tickets/siam-park-tickets
