Tot Pools Seperate and Equal

The baby pool is a big kid now.

The so-called wading pool of old usually was a separate, small, round step-down pool with shallow water and no amenities. When beach-entry pools swept the nation, many park and recreation agencies opted to eliminate separate spaces for small fry in favor of large swaths of zero-depth space, all part of a large leisure pool.

But one size didn't fit all. And now many agencies are putting in separate - and very equal - wading pools for the toddler set, giving youngsters their own place in the sun.

The Schaumburg, Elk Grove and Deerfield park districts all opened renovated and expanded facilities in 2005 and 2006 that include separate wading pools.

Tracking the Trend - Why the Tot Pool Is Back

While wading pools have been around for a long, long time, they did fall out of favor for a while, said Rich Klarck, aquatics engineer for PHN Architects in Wheaton. "About 15, 16 years ago, people tried to incorporate everything into one pool: a massive beach entry, which transitioned to a leisure area, which transitioned to the lap and deep-water area," he said. "That's not necessarily the case today. Agencies recognize the value of separate spaces."

Client Expectations

When outlining plans to replace its aging Rainbow Falls pool, the Elk Grove Park District planned from the beginning to maintain a separate wading pool. "We wanted the same level of service and amenities for our residents as we had had before," said Alann Petersen, director of parks and planning for the district. "Residents definitely liked the tot pool and wanted the new pool to have one, too."

Wading pools remain an important part of the Arlington Heights Park District's outdoor aquatic facilities, all five of which have been renovated in recent years. "We used to have 'baby pools' that were out and around the corner, where you couldn't see anything else going on," said Brian Huckstadt, district director of parks and planning. "Now wading pools are an integral part of the pool. It's part of a facility that's family friendly."

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Safety

Another reason for the resurgence in separate facilities is parents' comfort levels when it comes to mixing water and very small children.

"First-time parents especially love separate wading pools, because they like the safety that separateness provides their young children," said Huckstadt of Arlington Heights. Older children tend to plow through the shallow water on their way to adventure and fun on the deep seas. And those children aren't necessarily careful of pint-sized swimmers. "Parents are concerned about little children being knocked over. The separate wading pool takes care of that problem."

Schaumburg officials wanted a separate wading pool at its rebuilt Atcher Island Water Park enough that - facing a small, landlocked site - the district decided to forego a lap pool section in favor of a curvilinear leisure pool. "Eliminating the lap portion gave us the ability to put in a larger sprayground and a nice wading pool," said Executive Director Jean Schlinkmann.

All of Schaumburg's outdoor pools include wading pools. "That's the way to go with that age group," Schlinkmann said. "Moms can relax a little more. They're closer and can keep an eye on the little ones very easily, without worrying about bigger kids running them over. Wading pools give toddlers more freedom to explore and roam."

A small boy enjoys the side bubblers at the new Deerspring Pool in Deerfield. Separate wading pools give young children their very own place in the sun.

Programming Flexibility

"A separate pool provides a quieter setting," added Doug Holzrichter, a principal at PHN Architects. "It's a little bit of an oasis."

Having separate pools also allows for multiple activities at a given time. That was part of the impetus for separate facilities at Deerfield Park District's Deerspring Pool. When officials began planning Deerspring's renovation, replacing the 18-inch-deep "big square" tot pool built 30-plus years ago with a new tots-only pool was on the drawing board from day one.

"The community wanted a separate pool," said Deerfield Director of Parks and Recreation Linda Gryziecki. "For one thing, when swim lessons or other programming are scheduled in the Olympic-sized pool, the wading pool can be open for parents and tots."

In fact, Deerfield also added a separate spacious sprayground, which is run separately from the pool and is in operation during times of the year the pool as a whole is not.

Cleanliness

A separate tot pool carries another, very practical, advantage, Holzrichter pointed out. The pool's separate filtration system means a fecal incident shuts down only the tot pool. "The rest of the facility can remain open. And that directly impacts revenue, which is always important."

Tots are out of the fray of the "big kids" at Frontier Park Pool in Arlington Heights. That seclusion is a big advantage to separate - but equal - toddler pools.

Toddler Pools Need Amenities, Too

These new toddler pools, however, must be more than simply water. "The trend is to treat it more like an aquatic facility or a water park," Klarck said. "There should be some kind of interactive water features. Agencies should have not only spray features, but also features that let children manipulate the water." Many suppliers sell components sized specifically for small children, he added.

The new Deerspring Pool in Deerfield includes a tot slide and play features, while the majority of Arlington Heights' wading pools include in-pool geysers and side sprays. Camelot Park's pool also includes a small water slide. The zero-depth Coqui Frog Pond at Rainbow Falls in Elk Grove Village offers rainbow sprinklers and a small slide.

"The play features mean the pool offers more bang for the buck," said PHN's Holzrichter. "When kids tire of playing in the pool, they have something else to keep them occupied. It's another way to add interest and keep people coming back."

Klarck said that, ideally, a tot pool will boast both wet and dry entry points. "A bubbler or other water feature should be off to the side if there's space available," he recommended. "If space allows it, it's nice to have a way for kids to enter where water isn't spraying on them."

The new Rainbow Falls Waterpark in Elk Grove Village, for example, boasts an extended zero-depth entry. The water play features are in that area, which then segues to the wading pool. "It's almost like a combination sprayground/wading pool," said Klarck.

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There's more than just water in tot pools in the 2000s. These small bodies of water for the small fry usually offer some kind of interactive water features, such as the rainbow sprinklers at Coqui Frog Pond at Rainbow Falls in Elk Grove Village.

Children enjoy the sprayground at the Deerfield Park District's new Deerspring Pool, which opened last summer. The sprayground is a separate attraction from the tot pool and is in operation during times of the year the pool as a whole is not.

About Transitioning

As more amenities are placed in toddler pools, even the big kids might be lured to come play, especially during hourly breaks at the big pool. Most agencies will need to create policies covering age restrictions and older siblings.

As the popularity of spraygrounds has skyrocketed, many agencies are now opting for both spraygrounds that are not age-restricted, as well as tot pools. Deerfield's Deerspring Pool, Schaumburg's Atcher Island, Arlington Heights' Camelot Pool and Elk Grove Village's Rainbow Falls, for example, all include spraygrounds as well as separate toddler pools.

Of course, a child's tenure in the tot pool is limited. Soon enough, those 18-month-olds get older. Before you know it, they're 5 and looking longingly at the "big kids' pool."

Meanwhile, the safe haven will have served its purpose well.

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DESIGN WISE - What Agencies Should Know About Toddler Pools

When mulling separate toddler pools for aquatic facilities, what should park officials know? Aquatic designers Douglas Holzrichter and Rich Klarck discussed the issues involved with providing separate amenities for the pre-K crowd.

Cost

A separate toddler pool will cost more because of a number of factors, said PHN Architects Principal Douglas Holzrichter, who has designed a wide range of public and private aquatic facilities.

The tot pool is a separate body of water, requiring a barrier (such as a fence, with a separate, self-closing, latching, 3 1/2 foot gate in Illinois); a separate filtration and water treatment system, including a water heater; almost certainly additional staff; plus more space for decking.

"State code requires the water be turned over every two hours," said PHN Aquatics Engineer Rich Klarck. "Because there are small children in there, we typically design for a one-hour turnover or even less. It's very shallow water, so the chlorine burns off very quickly." With the quicker turnover, PHN usually increases the size of the components, which naturally increases initial costs.

Staffing

By and large, a separate tot pool will require a separate lifeguard, because the pool has standing water, said Holzrichter. That could add to staffing costs, depending on how the entire facility is configured, designed and operated. Agencies typically have their own safety consultants to provide advice on training and staffing, he said.

Space

Illinois state code requires 15 square feet per bather. Thus a 1,000-square-foot tot pool could accommodate 66 people. Holzrichter estimated the deck would generate perhaps up to 30 more people. He estimated a tot pool of 750 to 1,000 square feet would require up to 4,000 square feet, which would include the decking and landscaping. "We'd normally provide some landscaping buffer, to soften the edges," he said.

The costs for the tot pool might well be mitigated by size and cost reductions at a facility's main leisure pool, Holzrichter pointed out. "An agency could reduce some of the zero-depth expanse in the leisure pool - and that space is used primarily for smaller children - if there's a separate tot pool."

Shade

Shade is all-important when it comes to protecting delicate baby skin from the sun. Obviously, a separate pool will require additional shade structures. Possibilities include not only traditional sun umbrellas, but also protection made of fabric, typically laid horizontally and stretched between support columns. According to Holzrichter, many owners decide to shade both the deck, as well as a portion of the pool, to protect parents and kids in and out of the water.

Temperature

With separate mechanical systems, it's easier- and not necessarily cost-prohibitive - to keep the toddler pool at baby-friendly temperatures.

Design Considerations

Design is just as important in a small pool as in a larger one, said Holzrichter.

Zero-depth entry is a must. "It's not like 40 years ago, with the step-in wading pool. Today's wading pools are very similar to full-fledged leisure pools, in terms of the beach entry, the amenities and the overall look and feel. They're simply a lot smaller," said Holzrichter.

Slopes and depths usually are controlled by state code. (In Illinois, a wading pool may be a maximum of 30 inches deep. In addition, the state mandates a slope of l-in-12; thus, a 2-foot-deep pool would require a run of at least 24 feet.) Typically, a PHN-designed tot pool will not exceed a l-in-18 slope. "We try to have gentle slopes, to minimize slipping concerns," Holzrichter said.

The pool area cannot contain any obstructions, such as raised drains or steps on which children may fall or become injured, and play items need to be designed and located to provide maximum safety to the children.

Because of budget or space constraints, as well as staffing costs and requirements, not every agency adds a tot pool. Holzrichter estimated a slight majority goes with separate pools. "At the least, it comes up for discussion," he said. "Some people might regard a separate wading pool as a little bit of an extravagance, but it certainly has its benefits."

Two-year-olds everywhere - and their parents - would splash their agreement with glee.

Beth Bales is a writer affiliated with PHN Architects, which specializes in the design of recreational facilities, including aquatic facilities for public park and recreation agencies and country clubs. See www.phnarchitects.com.

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