Talk to me about safety at kids clubs at foreign resorts

[Anonymous]

I didn't feel comfortable leaving my DS at the one at the Hilton in Aruba. It didn't look very nice and there weren't many kids there.

[Anonymous]

What we typically do is hang out with our kids for a bit in the kids club to see what the vibe is. We usually are on the same page and either they want to stay/we feel good about it, or the opposite. Last week we went to the DR and there were hardly any kids there so the kids club was less interesting. That being said, we spent time with them in the club playing foosball and air hockey, but they wouldn't have wanted to stay because nobody else was there.

[Anonymous]

It's a total nonstarter if your kids aren't strong swimmers, imho. I don't trust any kids club to adequately supervise kids in the water.

[Anonymous]

I would have left my kids at 7 and 9 but it sounds like maybe yours aren't ready for it. In your situation I might consider hiring a sitter just to watch them and be more focused than a kids club with lots of moving parts.

Honestly I've never done a kids club but we have hired sitters overseas very frequently. Not sure I would for babies or toddlers but no qualms for your kids ages. If they aren't strong swimmers however I do have the same red line as a previous poster.

[Anonymous]

Thanks mostly everyone. This was helpful (mostly). My kids are strong swimmers. They're both on swim teams and do very well. I was more worried about some weirdo snatching them up if they had to go to the restroom or if they were on the beach and my child left something back at the indoor club and went off to get it, I wondered if anyone would notice. Seems like I need to work on getting them to be more responsible, teach the buddy system, see what my instincts say about the place, and if I am ok, only drop them off for a 1-2 hour stint, if at all.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't be able to relax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talk to me about safety in terms of leaving your children in a foreign country at a kids club. The Club is there to entertain, not babysit, so who will know if my child goes to the restroom and never comes back or walks off while a movie is playing at the beach? I'm very nervous about safety. Can anyone who has used one a few times speak to this. What did you tell your kids to make sure they stay safe? How often did you pop in to check on your kid? What was the longest you trusted to leave your kid there and out of your sight?

My kids will be 7 and 9 yr old girls who would lose their heads if they were not attached to their necks. Not the most self aware kids. We're working on it

If you have particular experience at a Dreams Resort Explorer's Club that would be great but not necessary. Thanks!

Then why would you dump them at a kids club while on a FAMILY vacation?

[Anonymous]

It is not a matter of foreign or domestic resort. Some parents will not trust strangers to take care of their children, either here or abroad. So, that is what this all essentially boils down to.

[Anonymous]

Lets not forget that bad things can happen anywhere.

The child who was drowned in Disney when alligators dragged him to the water, was next to his parents. I place the blame entirely on Disney management, but in the end the family has to deal with this never-ending sorrow.

Maybe the resorts are absolutely fantastic about providing quality childcare, but what happens if there is one psycho pervert or careless teenager in charge?

No one has the interest or the safety of a child on their mind as much as a parent does.

[Anonymous]

We've always felt safe with our kids at the Club Med kids programs, including overseas locations.

[Anonymous]

Most of these places have a process where you can go and meet the staff, see what the safety protocols are, etc.
I'm not sure I'd feel super comfortable with going someplace like the beach, but I've left my kids at kids clubs that were self contained where no other adults are allowed in. You may want to also give your kids cell phone and tell them to text you if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe at any point.

I think kids also need to have basic safety sense -- here or abroad -- so that they know how to avoid predators. They need that as much for their American karate classes as they do for a kids' club in another country. (I'm not saying that it's the kids' responsibility to protect themselves, obviously, but I do think it is helpful to teach kids what is okay and what is not okay, so they can be good self-advocates.)

Also, just a note, but I do think there is a certain difference between facilities in America and those outside of America. Most states in America (but not all!) have pretty good safety regulations and a decent tort liability system. That's not true in every foreign country (although it is true in some). As we know from the thread about the awful accident this summer at the Kansas City waterpark --- in areas where there is poor regulation and no real tort liability, companies may cut corners when it comes to safety. Sad but true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you don't trust your kids? But you are considering just handing them over to complete strangers in a foreign country? Are you serious? This is because you need you time right?

Seriously unbelievable!

How about going to a great restaurant with your kids, talking about the highlights of the day, things they still want to do, order something fun off the menu, go shopping for trinkets and stopping at an ice cream store for desert? This is what I just did, oh yeah I called for massages and they only had room for one so I let my daughter get one (I was in the room) even though I threw out my back. This was her highlight of the trip. Then after the kids went to bed my husband and I shared a bottle of wine on the balcony. Ya know, I put my kids first because I am a parent and we ALL created fabulous memories.

But please enjoy your wine and your time and shuffle your kids off to complete strangers. I am sure they will enjoy it and who knows probably remember it for the rest of their life too. So when you are old, they in return can shuffle you off to complete strangers in a nursing home.

Enjoy lady!

What a weird rant. Our kids (both 6) have been in kids' clubs all over the world, including a recent trip to Southeast Asia. They love going to kids' clubs to play with other kids and explore the toys and games that are there just for them. We spend 98% of the trip together and they always look forward to that part of their trip as well.

Most kids' clubs I've ever seen anywhere in the world have the kids in one area that is locked and you need some sort of ID to get in to get them. There's always a fenced-off area for playing, again locked so only parents can get in. There was a shell collecting adventure on the beach in Bali, but we didn't get downstairs early enough to drop them off for it, so I can't say what the safety precautions were when they were on the beach. They wound up going into the kids' club for the next activity, but had we gotten down early enough, I'm confident that they would've been safe on the beach, too.

I mean, always use your instinct, but I've never been in a resort where I've felt uncomfortable leaving the kids.

I like that she essentially equated it to a nursing home. Some people are just insane and can't be helped.

[Anonymous]

OP, I've never left my kids at a club (they're not really old enough yet), but I worked for Club Med just after college.

The folks who worked in the kids clubs had a genuine affinity for kids (one was a grandmother herself, in fact) and as a general rule, the kids loved them. The only issue I ever saw was with parents dropping off kids with separation anxiety, then resenting getting a call from staff when the kid never settled.

You know your kids best, but based on my own observations, I wouldn't dismiss kids clubs out of hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never leave my kids with a stranger. Period.

And I've never understood how parents feel comfortable leaving young children with a stranger...particularly in another country.

Future Snowflakes of America.

[Anonymous]

DD (age 8) loves the kids' club, and I've never hesitated to allow her to go. I think you just need to choose an upscale resort. Last time we were in Jamaica, DD never wanted to leave the kids club. We'd go to pick her up for lunch, and she'd opt to stay and play.