Last summer, my family and I were spending the day up in Gurnee. No, not at Great America; we opted to visit its connected neighbor on that sweltering day: Hurricane Harbor. Now, if you’re from the Chicago area, you know that you have your pick of water parks. And if nothing in Illinois suits your fancy, there’s a little place across the border called Wisconsin Dells. Ever hear of it? Of course you have.

But I’m getting off track. Back to our day at the water park!

There are three of us: myself, my partner, and our daughter. She was seven at the time and is no stranger to the water. But, I’m going to let you in on a very well-kept secret (okay, it’s not very well-kept). I am a worrier, always preparing for the worst. So, a day at a crowded, water-soaked fun park definitely had me in helicopter dad overdrive.

I might have gone a bit overboard on safety, but I will truly argue there’s no such thing. While we can’t control every aspect of our time at a water park, there are some things we can do to make sure the day is memorable for all the right reasons.

Let’s take a look at some essential water park safety tips you can use on your next excursion.

Build a Foundation of Swim Skills

Number one, and this is obviously a big one: if your child is going to go in the water, they must have some level of swimming experience. A water park is not the time to introduce your young ones to the pool. It’s crowded, distracting, and can be extremely overwhelming.

This is where we come in. A swimming school like The Swim Advantage was built on a passion to keep swimmers safe, even if they’ve never swam before. If you’ve got a preschooler, they should have basic swimming skills and feel confident floating and moving around in the water (with a life jacket, of course, but we’ll get to that later). Older kids should also feel comfortable in the water and have mastered techniques that will help them navigate some of the more “exciting” parts of the park, like the wave pool or (and this is from personal experience) lazy rivers that seem to have forgotten the lazy part of the equation. Work with your child and their swim instructor to prepare them for their trip to the park.

Be Your Child’s Personal Lifeguard

Next up is the less fun part for parents. Going to a water park is less about you enjoying the day, and more about the kids having a fantastic time. What do I mean by that? You need to keep an eye (or two) on your kids at all times.

If you’re able to go with your partner or another adult, even better, because you can split watching duties. Water parks are staffed by fantastic lifeguards, but these lifeguards are watching a massive amount of people, so don’t rely on them alone to keep your kids safe. Think of them as a last resort. You be the lifeguard you were meant to be! (I’m going to avoid the very obvious Baywatch joke here…)

Gear Up: Life Jackets and Water Shoes

Remember when I talked about life jackets? Yeah, this is also a big one. I don’t care how much your kids say they don’t need a life jacket. If they’re not a strong swimmer, or if they’re under 48 inches, make sure they are in a U.S. Coast Guard-approved jacket.

There are tons of options out there, so let them pick one they feel comfortable in. And don’t take it off of them if they’re in the water, near the water, or heck, if they can even see the water. You know when they can take it off? When you’re safely seated enjoying a $30 chicken strip and fry basket at the concession stand.

In addition to life jackets, spring for a pair of water shoes. You end up doing a lot more walking at water parks than you’d probably think, and you don’t want to have to keep track of flip-flops that you’re taking on and off all day long. Plus, the concrete around the water can and will get incredibly hot.

Respect the Ride Rules (and Your Kid’s Limits)

Water parks are filled with tons of different attractions for guests of all ages. Designers are smart like that—there are slides aimed at younger kids and those aimed at teens and adults. Make use of the ones your kids feel comfortable being on, regardless of their age and height.

Yes, a lot of the bigger water slides have a 42- or 48-inch height requirement. If your kid is under that height, don’t be the parent who tries to sneak them on or argue with the 18-year-old lifeguard that you “know better.” Those requirements are there for a very real reason.

That being said, if your kid is over the requirement but breaks into a cold sweat as they look up the seemingly endless staircase leading to the top, don’t drag them up there! They’ll go on those bigger attractions when THEY are ready. I promise. I used to be terrified of those slides until well into my teen years, but now I love them. My partner, on the other hand, is not a fan of heights, and our little one is a perfect mix: she doesn’t mind heights, but those giant slides were simply not going to happen.

So, we ventured off to the area aimed at younger kids and climbed around in there. Honestly, it was more fun than the slides! Don’t push your kids to go on the bigger attractions, and definitely don’t push the lifeguards. And if you or your kids are on those slides, follow the rules. Sit up if they say to sit up, lie down if they say to lie down. Rules are rules for a reason. (Something I say all the time. I’m fun that way!)

Beat the Sun and the Storms

We’ve got the swimming part down. We’ve got the ride part down. What’s next? Oh, yeah, that giant ball of burning gas in the sky. You know, the sun—which gives us the heat that makes going to the pool fun and not a one-way ticket to popsicle town. It’s super fun, but we must respect it!

First off: SPF 30+ waterproof sunscreen every two hours. Don’t argue with me on this one. Sunburns are zero fun for anybody, and do we need to mention that skin cancer is a very real risk for you, the dutiful parent reading this? So apply, reapply, reapply… you get the idea. Also, that heat is liable to cause heat exhaustion if you’re not careful. Pack your bags with plenty of water (and please don’t drink pool water, eww). Try to stay away from sugary drinks and too much caffeine—and that goes for you, too!

Let’s flip to the other side of the weather coin: bad weather. You know living out here that it can change in a fraction of a heartbeat. If you hear thunder or see lightning, get out of the pool immediately. Don’t try to wait and see if it passes over. Get out, find a spot indoors, and stay there until you’re given the all-clear by the staff. If it doesn’t look like the weather is going to let up, it is better to call it a day and find another activity. I very much recall a storm that forced us out of a local pool one day; we just drove straight to a movie theater. It was still a fantastic day, just different than what we had planned.

See You in the Water!

We hope your next water park trip is a massive success, and if you follow these safety rules, it probably will be!

Before you go, visit us at The Swim Advantage. Whether you need to get your kids ready with swim lessons, want a swimming refresher for yourself, or just need some time away from the sun in our climate-controlled indoor pools at our Joliet and Orland Park locations, we’re here for you. We can’t wait to see you in the water!