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Extended family is going to the beach. We have a main house with a pool with 4 sided fencing and a self locking gate, and two apartments and are finally getting around to figuring out who sleeps where. In the mix are a 3 year old and a 1 year old.
Some people are thinking that the toddlers should be in the big house so we can put them to sleep and keep socializing. Other people are thinking that the pool is a danger even if they have to get out of the house and through the gate. Thoughts? |
| They should stay in the apartment so they don’t annoy everyone else with their whining and crying. |
That isn’t a factor for us. |
| Apartment |
| The pool is irrelevant if there are 4 fences. Will the kids be kept awake by noise from the big house? Will everyone be shushed because toddlers are sleeping? If so, toddlers go to apartments. |
| Apartment. Toddlers are sneaky and I would does the safest thing. |
I think if our choices are between all socializing together and having to be a little hushed, and having 2 adults have to miss on all socializing after 7 p.m. since they need to stay with the sleeping toddlers, everyone would pick the former. |
| Stay as far away from the pools as possible |
| Apartment for the sanity of everyone. |
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If I was the parent of said kids, I think staying in the house would be easier. I’d have all my kids’ stuff on hand to make getting them ready to swim, and then changed after, easier. It would also be more conducive to hanging out with the other adults at night.
We’ve stayed at a house with a similar pool setup. For added security, we brought portable door alarms on our beach trips so we would know if our kids tried to open an exterior door. You could also use stick-on child locks. DH would also nap with the kids to prevent them from wandering (plus he’s an introvert and needed some time away from the rest of the group!). These measures actually prevented my oldest from trying to get outside at least once. My other two weren’t as curious! I’ve also been in a beach house with a family whose kids rose at the crack of dawn and were NOT quiet. They woke everyone up with them, and the parents were oblivious. So if your kids are early risers and/or aren’t capable of being quiet, and there are grandparents or other adults who like to sleep in, I’d stay in the apartment as a kindness to others. It depends on the makeup of your group. |
| I assume the 3 and 1 year old are going to be mostly in the main house anyway, so where they sleep is not some great extra layer of protection. Either you trust the fencing and the supervision or you don't. I'd have my 3 and 1 year old sleep with me in the main house. And if I was too worried to do that, I'd stay home. |
| I would not spend time at the big house with kids that age. It requires too much vigilance. |
No everyone doesn’t pick that. Bring a monitor. |
This. At the point you are worried about a toddler getting out a locked door and through a self-locking fence, you may as well be worried about them getting to the pool from the apartment. Personally I would not be worried, but if you can't be comfortable then probably cancel because nothing will make you comfortable. |
| Also kids don’t need to be in bed at 7 on vacation. The parents need to be flexible here or stay home. |