Inflatable pools seem to be popping up everywhere. And why not? Some are big enough even for adults to play in, they're fairly inexpensive to purchase and many come with filtration systems so they don't have to be emptied frequently – thus saving on water.

It's that last feature that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants people to think twice about. Because they don't need to be emptied, the pools are up all the time, even if the owners of the pool aren't around. And, because they're non-permanent structures, inflatable pools don't have the same federal and regional safety regulations as above-ground or in-ground permanent pools.

But they're plenty big enough for a child to drown in. According to the latest figures available from the CPSC, 17 children drowned in inflatable pools in 2005, up from nine in 2004 and 10 in 2003. While it's great that anyone can now afford a pool, owners need to be aware of the safety precautions that should be followed for anyone with an inflatable pool.

Sue Hudson, a mom from Orange Park, Fla., is married to a custom swimming pool contractor, so, of course, she does not have a custom swimming pool, she has an inflatable. It's 12 foot in diameter by 36 inches – large enough to seem like a "real" pool, but small enough for her children, 3-year-old twins and a 20-month-old, to stand up with their heads out of the water. Still, because of her husband's profession, she's ultra conscious about safety issues.

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