Unsupervised pre-k kids in floaties at pool

[Anonymous]

I'm a former swim coach and life guard and I would never ever use floaties with my kid. He's in arm's reach or he's not in the pool. They give a false sense of security to both parents and the kids. Lids in floaties absolutely can drown and they need to be very closely supervised. Remember that drowning is quiet.

What also happens more than you'd think is a kid who is used to floaties then gets in the pool without them and gets into trouble. They don't know how their body naturally floats and they haven't learned how to get float without them.

Never, ever trust floaties to do the work of you being in the pool with your kid.

[Anonymous]

The rule at our pool is that all kids under 5 need an adult in the pool responsible for them.

[Anonymous]

I was a pool manager back in the day, and always required parents to be within arm’s length of their child, regardless of the floatation device.

I’ve seen kids somehow get stuck upside-down with poorly-inflated arm floaties, or had a styrofoam bubble slide up just enough to press a head down and panic the kid so they can’t right themselves.

In a perfect world, a lifeguard would get to them in time, of course. But if the parent is right there, the guard can blow the whistle and get their attention to grab the kid much faster than they can jump down and navigate a crowded pool to get to them.

But I can also tell you, I got a ton of pushback on this every year. Especially from parents with several small children, who didn’t want to force all of them to stay in one area. I was fortunate that our board always backed me up on this rule, because it wasn’t always fun to enforce.

[Anonymous]

As a former lifeguard, I saw this a ton when I worked at country clubs. I've actually been pleasantly surprised at the DC public pools that I don't see this parent behavior - almost all are in the water with their kids and if they're not they're sitting on the side watching/talking to them (at least from what I've seen).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the OP, I have no “issue” and as I said, would not say anything. I learned to swim in another country in the ocean growing up and I am amazed I survived ha. No, kids cannot stand up - the pool’s shallow end is too deep. Maybe a tall five year old can. Not a 3yo in a floatie. I know the kids’ ages bc they talk to me since I am right there.

OP, I personally think this sounds crazy. I am absolutely in the pool with my preK kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was a pool manager back in the day, and always required parents to be within arm’s length of their child, regardless of the floatation device.

I’ve seen kids somehow get stuck upside-down with poorly-inflated arm floaties, or had a styrofoam bubble slide up just enough to press a head down and panic the kid so they can’t right themselves.

In a perfect world, a lifeguard would get to them in time, of course. But if the parent is right there, the guard can blow the whistle and get their attention to grab the kid much faster than they can jump down and navigate a crowded pool to get to them.

But I can also tell you, I got a ton of pushback on this every year. Especially from parents with several small children, who didn’t want to force all of them to stay in one area. I was fortunate that our board always backed me up on this rule, because it wasn’t always fun to enforce.

I would never stay with a pool that always required me to be in arms length of my child! That’s over the top unless you are talking about like, toddler age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a pool manager back in the day, and always required parents to be within arm’s length of their child, regardless of the floatation device.

I’ve seen kids somehow get stuck upside-down with poorly-inflated arm floaties, or had a styrofoam bubble slide up just enough to press a head down and panic the kid so they can’t right themselves.

In a perfect world, a lifeguard would get to them in time, of course. But if the parent is right there, the guard can blow the whistle and get their attention to grab the kid much faster than they can jump down and navigate a crowded pool to get to them.

But I can also tell you, I got a ton of pushback on this every year. Especially from parents with several small children, who didn’t want to force all of them to stay in one area. I was fortunate that our board always backed me up on this rule, because it wasn’t always fun to enforce.

I would never stay with a pool that always required me to be in arms length of my child! That’s over the top unless you are talking about like, toddler age.

That’s a pretty common rule. If your kid is not tall enough to stand on the bottom of the pool with their head above the water, you absolutely should be within reach of the child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a pool manager back in the day, and always required parents to be within arm’s length of their child, regardless of the floatation device.

I’ve seen kids somehow get stuck upside-down with poorly-inflated arm floaties, or had a styrofoam bubble slide up just enough to press a head down and panic the kid so they can’t right themselves.

In a perfect world, a lifeguard would get to them in time, of course. But if the parent is right there, the guard can blow the whistle and get their attention to grab the kid much faster than they can jump down and navigate a crowded pool to get to them.

But I can also tell you, I got a ton of pushback on this every year. Especially from parents with several small children, who didn’t want to force all of them to stay in one area. I was fortunate that our board always backed me up on this rule, because it wasn’t always fun to enforce.

I would never stay with a pool that always required me to be in arms length of my child! That’s over the top unless you are talking about like, toddler age.

Some of us want our kids to survive. YMMV

[Anonymous]

Even in shallow water, where their feet can touch the ground, a kid can still drown.

I dunno, OP. Makes me uncomfortable, but I agree with you not saying anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a pool manager back in the day, and always required parents to be within arm’s length of their child, regardless of the floatation device.

I’ve seen kids somehow get stuck upside-down with poorly-inflated arm floaties, or had a styrofoam bubble slide up just enough to press a head down and panic the kid so they can’t right themselves.

In a perfect world, a lifeguard would get to them in time, of course. But if the parent is right there, the guard can blow the whistle and get their attention to grab the kid much faster than they can jump down and navigate a crowded pool to get to them.

But I can also tell you, I got a ton of pushback on this every year. Especially from parents with several small children, who didn’t want to force all of them to stay in one area. I was fortunate that our board always backed me up on this rule, because it wasn’t always fun to enforce.

I would never stay with a pool that always required me to be in arms length of my child! That’s over the top unless you are talking about like, toddler age.

That’s a pretty common rule. If your kid is not tall enough to stand on the bottom of the pool with their head above the water, you absolutely should be within reach of the child.

My pool makes you stay withing arm's length until your kid passes a swim test. My kid is 3 and absolutely no way would I let him be in the pool without me. I am an experienced swimmer, including ocean swimming, and false confidence is deadly.

[Anonymous]

If your child is a toddler and you're not within arm's reach, then it's dangerous and irresponsible, no exceptions. Most pools have that rule. Floaties are especially dangerous because some parents think they will keep their child from drowning and don't realize that it's not true and it only takes a few seconds of inattention for a child to go under. Most pool don't allow floaties for that reason.

[Anonymous]

My 3 yo has never worn floaties. She's been in swimming lessons since 6 months and can swim. I would never let her go in the pool without me (and I do mean, "me" as DH gets easily distracted, so the pool is one place where I don't trust him).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm comfortable watching my kid wearing a puddle jumper from outside the pool. If he was not wearing a puddle jumper I would be in there with him.

Puddle jumpers are really dangerous too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes happens a ton at our pool.

Lazy parenting 100%

[Anonymous]

I was just at a pool with no lifeguard. I was in the pool with my two kids because they are still learning to swim and it had a deep end. There was one other mother there with four kids sitting on the side reading a book. Her youngest kid was also learning how to swim like my two and also too short for much of the pool just like mine. At one point I saw her get up and walk to the pool and start calling for one of the kids. I turn and look and and her youngest was a few feet from me struggling in the water and couldn’t stay up. She was calling to her oldest to come help but the other three continued playing. I was in the water so as soon as I saw him I went over right away and grabbed him and brought him to the edge. The older kid she called for never noticed. Good thing there was an adult in the pool…