Kiddie Pools and Inflatable Water Slides: Keeping Children Safe From Drowning and Germs

Small inflatable or plastic kiddie pools and inflatable water slides carry two risks: a child can drown in them, and they spread germs more easily than a real pool.

Why they spread germs

A swimming pool, hot tub or splash pad is protected by disinfectant and a filter. A small kiddie pool or water slide is not, and adding chlorine or bromine to one is unsafe:

• So much water splashes or spills out, so quickly, that there is no way to know how much disinfectant to add.
• There is no filter to remove leaves, dirt or skin cells, which use up the disinfectant meant for germs.

Without disinfectant, germs spread easily. Larger inflatable or plastic pools do need a filter and disinfection — follow the manufacturer's instructions for both.

Drowning is fast and silent

Watch children closely whenever they are in or near water. The adult in charge should keep their eyes on the children the whole time and not be doing anything else — not even looking at a phone. State or local laws may require a fence or barrier around kiddie pools and water slides.

Every day

Empty the water at least once a day. Then remove any debris, rinse off dirt with fresh water, and let the pool or slide air-dry.

Children who have diarrhea or have been vomiting should stay out. Diarrhea or vomit in the water contaminates it, and anyone who swallows that water can get sick — which matters most when children from different households share the pool.

Not for groups

Small kiddie pools and water slides should not be used by child care programs, schools, camps or anywhere else children from several households gather — including child care run in a private home.

If a child poops or vomits in the water

Follow these steps even if the child wears a diaper.

1. Get the children out of the water and put on disposable gloves.
2. Remove as much of the poop or vomit as you can and dispose of it safely — in a plastic trash bag, or flushed down the toilet.
3. Pour out or drain all the water, into a drain or as far from the play area as possible, and keep children away until it dries.
4. Clean the pool or slide, and anything that was in the water with it: wash with soapy water, rinse with fresh water, and let everything air-dry completely. If it was diarrhea, then leave it all in the sun for at least 4 hours after it is dry.
5. Disinfect the dry surfaces with bleach: mix ½ cup of household bleach (5.25%–8.25%) into 1 gallon of room-temperature water — not "splash-less" bleach — and apply it to every surface. Leave it on as long as the manufacturer's instructions say, or 6 minutes if there are none.
6. Rinse with fresh water and let everything air-dry completely. If it was diarrhea, leave it all in the sun for at least 4 hours after it is completely dry.
7. Put the gloves and all dirty cleaning materials in a plastic trash bag, and wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "What You Can Do to Stay Healthy in Kiddie Pools." https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-swimming/safety/inflatable-plastic-kiddie-pools.html
• CDC, Preventing Swimming-related Illnesses: https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-swimming/prevention/index.html
• CDC, Preventing Drowning: https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/prevention/index.html