Reply to When did you stop using life vests around water?

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[quote=Anonymous]Being able to pass a typical swimming pool swim test for using the diving board/deep end is a good gauge.  Being able to easily swim the length of a pool on your front one way (crawl, side stroke or breast stroke but NOT doggy paddle) and on your back the other way, and then (without touching the floor or side of the pool) tread water and keek your face above the surface for 2 minutes.

If kids can't do those things easily (and also they need to be OK with going under water without any panic) they need an attentive adult with them at all times near the water.

Attentive adult means someone aware of water safety and:

a) If water is over child's head:  attentive adult is [b]in the water[/b], within arm's reach.
b) If water is not over child's head, attentive adult can be sitting by the side of the pool but is aware of possibility that child could move to deeper water and is attentive to child, not on phone, distracted by chatting.

In any other situation near the water, if no attentive adult is constantly available, the child who cannot swim strongly should wear a coast guard approved life vest.

At our community pool, well-staffed with lifeguards, I never had my non-swimming children in life vest, but I was always attentive to them when they were in and out of the water.  If non swimmers we in the water, I was either right there with them, or very close by and attentive if they were in the shallow end.

This policy is a good incentive to teach your kids the basics of swimming early, though. Both kids could pass the deep water swim test by age 5.[/quote]

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