We have rock surrounding the pool patio area. In our area (St. Louis) it is a popular river rock called 'Iowa River Rock'. The upside is NONE of it gets in the pool. The downside is that if a ball from the kids gets thrown out there, you better have some flip-flops around to retrieve. They're not sharp, just uncomfortable on your feet. I have read on this forum some people put mulch, but I imagine if it gets dry it's going to blow into the pool. You can check out last year's pics of our pool at the link below:

Here is a link that might be useful: Pool construction 2006

At the parties a good rule would be no big rafts or big toys in the water. My son got stuck under water at a party b/c there was too much over him and way too many kids in the pool. thankfully the lifeguard was there to get him out. I'm getting nervous about pool parties now that my pool is almost done too.

Around the perimeter of our pool deck we used lava rock, and yes, it is really rough on the feet, but it is only around the back and up about 1/3 of the sides, so if we want to run off the deck to retrieve a pool toy or ball or something we just exit off the grassy area up the remaining 2/3 of the side of the deck. One option that we chose to use in the planter within our pool deck is rubber mulch. The kids jump off the planter and if they step in it it's really easy on bare feet, and doesn't float or blow away. It comes chipped (to look more like rock) or shredded (to look more like mulch). I've seen it at all home improvement centers and Sam's Club. We paid extra at a local rock place because we wanted brown to match the rest of our pool area, however you can get it cheaper in its most popular "reddish" color, bagged at your local store. People mistaken it for rock all the time.

We have mulch around our pool. Never had a problem w/ it blowing in the pool and we live in a very windy part of the country.

I think you are wise to hire a lifeguard. I would with that many children.

We are having a pool party on Saturday and you've gotten some good advice. One other thing I'd recommend is putting on the invitation that a parent is required to stay at the party with their child. Meaning no drop-offs as you see happen so much at kids' parties nowdays. My son too almost drowned at a pool party when he jumped in and just seemingly forgot to swim and had to be pulled out (he was about 5, at a neighbor's pool). Thank God that I had stayed (most parents didn't) AND that I was paying attention. Otherwise we would have probably lost him. We have a neighbor kid that comes over to swim all the time without the parents (he's 5) and can't swim even though his mom and dad either don't care about this or aren't aware, so we make him wear a life vest. I'd also recommend having those out, in boy/girl styles and a couple different sizes, for parents who come unprepared to use on their kids. We have a big laundry basket we put out full of them at pool parties and surprisingly, they get used. You could even go so far as to forbid water wings.

On last year's party invitation we put "no drop-offs! Thank you - safety first" on them and this year we put "please bring sunscreen, towel, and a parent." If a parent is offended, it's probably not someone you want swimming at your house anyway.

Also provide plenty of chairs poolside so parents have someplace to sit while watching their kids.

Thank you all for the great advice! So many things I never would have thought of. I was so excited to get this pool and now I'm so nervous! I'm going to have the rope up and have them stay on the shallow end (where they can at least stand) unless I see they are strong swimmers - they're all 7 and 8 so I'm assuming swim levels will be varied. I'll keep the floats out - I never would have thought of that. I definately have to pick up more life jackets as well. I only have one right now. Thanks again.

For 7 & 8 year olds, I would have them take a quick "show me that you can swim across the pool" test before letting them loose to play.

Everyone that has a pool has been where you are at now: terrified of potential liability. Fortunately, serious accidents are rare. They happen, but thank God it's usually small stuff like skinned knees from running and slipping on the deck, stuff like that.

Both my kids are great swimmers, so I don't worry about them - and I let them have friends over to swim. Before my son joined the Army, he was a lifeguard his last year of high school, and now my daughter will be a lifeguard this summer. Just have common sense, don't let the kids to dumb stuff, and you'll be fine.

I think about how things were when I was growing up - we had a pool, and the rules were something like: no naked swimming, no more than 2 people on the diving board at the same time, no glass beer bottles on the deck, no shooting bottle rockets into the pool....he he he. For those of us that grew up in the 70's and early 80's, it's a wonder how we survived :)

...and no 3-level chicken fights!

Does anyone Remember those? Now THAT was fun!

boog...

boog, we never had 3-level chicken fights - that must have been with very skinny girls on the top level! We did plenty of the guys vs girls two-level chicken fights though. My God, what I wouldn't give for it to be the summer of '83 and '84 again....working a bum job for gas money, two weeks at myrtle beach, and bumming around the pool the rest of the summer. Those were the days.