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Saved an 18 month old at the pool today
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Anonymous
Not if it was in the baby pool. At least at our pool, there are HUGE signs saying that kids in the baby pool are the responsibility of the parents/caretakers. Life guards can't be expected to look over and know who is (or is not) watching a specific kid. |
Anonymous
| Right but if the parents abdicate, the lifeguard's got to watch the baby. OP, bravo. If you see them again, let them know what you did. Also mention it to the head lifeguard and pool manager as a reminder of how a few unsupervised moments ... |
Anonymous
| Not OP, but my community pool does not have lifeguards for the baby pool, since parents are expected to, you know, supervise their children. Nice work, OP!!! |
Anonymous
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Former lifeguard here and mom to 3 DCs the same ages as in the OP. It is not the lifeguards fault. Usually community pools do not have lifeguards positioned just for the baby pool.
There is no way that a lifeguard can keep their eyes on the main pool while watching the comings and goings of the baby pool. Usually signage confirms this rule. The parents should never have left the 18mos old in the baby pool alone. With me, we travel in a "pack" If my older son wants to go off the diving board, we all go to the diving board area and watch him. Otherwise we are in the shallow end of the main pool together or the baby pool together. Thank God that the OP was there to save the baby. It really only takes a second, as one time my now 4 year old went face down in the baby pool while I was standing the baby pool. I still have nightmares about it. If the OP was uncomfortable in discussing the situation with the parents, she could have talked with the pool manager (there is always one on duty) about it to have them discuss it with the parents. |
Anonymous
PP is be sarcastic. It's from another thread about some woman telling her kids to find a woman/mother in case they ever get lost. Apparently, lost children should never go to men for help b/c they're all predators. Nice job, OP! But I would definitely rub it in the parents' faces! |
zumbamama
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Wow, how scary! Did you tell the parents what happened when they came back?
I knew a mom who left her 3 year old to wander alone near a tide pool at the beach, out of her sight. She didn't understand why the lifeguard frantically brought her child back to her. She was like, "What's the big deal, I was only gone for a few minutes!" Scary! Thank God for lifeguards and people like you, OP! |
Anonymous
I'd be interested to see the post that says this. Can you provide a link? |
Anonymous
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Another former lifeguard here. Our community pool does not have a lifeguard either. I wonder if it is the same community pool and the same parent? Because four days ago I saw a mom and another mom talking, and mom was holding one hand of a little girl who was unsteady on her feet (but walking). Well, little girl had slipped and twisted her arm around in a way that she couldn't get her head back out from under the water. Her head was face down even though her mom was HOLDING HER HAND!! I was freaked out and ran over, just saying, "ma'am, ma'am! your little girl!" and thank god the mom noticed what was going on and pulled the girl up and out. I think she'd actually seen the girl before I said anything, but still. SO SCARY. I couldn't relax for the rest of the day.
I am sure this mom did not mean to stop paying attention and felt safe because she had baby's hand, but this was a little toddler, probably just over a year and newly walking I bet, who really should have been watched like a HAWK in the water. Meantime, I can never fully relax at the pool when there are other people there with children because everyone thinks someone else is watching. So many near misses all the time. So scary! |
Anonymous
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21:35, the thread referenced earlier is here:
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/111706.page |
Anonymous
Hm. Guess I'm just not seeing the post that refers to all men as predators. |
Anonymous
The title and OP about telling lost children to find a woman to ask for help and even saying they are 99% safe by not going to a man. |
Anonymous
Ah. So you're intentionally misstating her point - either going for victimhood or just good old DCUM pot stirring. Nothing new to see here. 
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Anonymous
| OP - you earned your wings yesterday. I have a little one the same age as well as an elementary school aged child and it is definitely a logistical challenge to keep an eye on both of them all the time. But it's also a necessity - my 18m old is big and very clumsy and I can count on the fact that he will stumble and end up with his face in the pool at least twice on every visit to the pool. There's no excuse for not being within arms' reach of a child that young when he/she is near water. I have had to step away from mine briefly to grab something or deal with my older child, but I am always ready to jump right back to grab the little one no matter what. I think it can be easy to kid yourself that toddlers are safe in a shallow baby pool, or to presume that your distraction is briefer than it actually is. And it is hard to deal with the differing swim abilities / interests of a group of kids with a wide age range. But that's why so many people at our pool with younger kids use speedo life vests and take them to the regular pool, so that they can have all the kids within eyeshot. |
Anonymous
You've got to be kidding me! This sounds like trying to pass blame - when it is clearly the parents fault and neglect. OP: Next time you see a child in potential danger, please inform the parents. These parents should have never left an 18 month old unattended, let alone in a pool!!!! |
Anonymous
| The lifeguard is supposed to reinforce the rules. A child is not allowed in the pool premises without supervision. He/She should be watching that. |