Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tried to do the pool thing but. When the kids were preschoolers I would take them every afternoon then go home and cry while fixing dinner.
Then I really wanted to live swim team because when I was a kid it was so casual. And I was a good swimmer. But swim team volunteering in the hot sun. Waiting around all morning. Getting hot and bored. Thankfully the kids got tired of it also. Now we rent out our membership.

Why would you go home and cry?

PP here : The kids loved it as preschoolers but I found it exhausting. I thought it would be fun?

I recommend getting everyone in their suits and sunscreen at home and then just packing towels. Then have them get in the car in the suits and shower at home. It is soooo much easier like this. Also put the 8 year old on the swim team.

We go three times a week and stay about 60-90 minutes. We'd get bored if we stayed any longer.

Its the baby-- FWIW, when our kids were that little, we would go the pool for 1 hour- tops 2. It was quite the production. I remember feeling that playing in the blow up pool was really more fun.
Once they were in preschool we would take dinner- but we would eat by the baby pool.
Now they are in elementary school they are fantastic swimmers and can play for hours. We are 'pool life' people.
If your 8 year old wants to stay longer- get to know your 8 year old's friends parents. I often offer to drop off a friend with younger siblings when we are staying longer. I remember what it was like to have babies and preschoolers who needed to go home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know that the people who make this work at my pool...with kids your ages...are simply not watching their children closely. You are a good mom and your exhaustion proves this.

This.

This actually kind of made me tear up haha. I'm not even OP.

Am I the only who finds this horrifying? I understand there is some specific context here but isn't this everything that's wrong with modern expectations of motherhood? Exhaustion proves that you're a good mother?

I have a 3 year old and a 6 year old, neither of them can swim independently. We stay for 1.5 hours twice a week (one on the weekend, and one day after work).

"Pool life"? What are you talking about?

We go to our community pool 2-3 times a week, sometimes even 4 times, depending on the weather and what else we're up to. We stay maybe 1-1.5 hours at a time, 2 on the very outside.

Pool "life"? What do you mean? Why would anyone park it at the pool all day? There is more to do in summer, and it is not healthy to be out in the hot sun all day, even when you wear sunscreen. The sun is especially harmful for babies and small children.

Anonymous wrote:Where is your husband in all of this? What is he packing? Sounds like you’re doing it all yourself

I wouldn’t enjoy watching kids at the pool either.

That was my first thought—no way this would be enjoyable on my own with three kids including a baby.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I never unpack my pool bag. I just add extra snacks and clean towels. Done. So really the only prep at home is getting swimsuits and sunscreen on. It gets better as they get older.

This is us too. The pool bags with toys towels and pool jackets are packed until Labor Day.

+1
I figured everybody does this, no? I even leave the non perishable snacks in there too. Do people really wash pool towels everyday? We hang ours outside to dry and call it a day.

And we use the sunscreen stick a lot which makes putting on sunscreen so much easier and faster (especially on the face) and can do it themselves.

I bring a card game like, Uno or Sleeping Queens, or Barbies so if 1 kid wants to leave, but the others are having fun than that kid has something to do.

I guess I'm in the minority, but I love going to the pool and am one of those families with 4 kids that stays there all day.

OP- you just need a new (and improved) approach. Hopefully, these 3 pages of life hacks will make going to the pool more fun for everyone.

I have that age gap among my three kids and I hated the pool too. Still do. That said, it was fabulous for kids, who are now in HS, college and grad school. They all became excellent swimmers (oldest does triathlons now) and 2 of 3 were lifeguards. My suggestion would be try to figure out a way to get your 8 y.o. to the pool without you and the little ones. If your DH is at work and can't do it, then hire a sitter (lifeguards always want to make more $) or tag team with parent(s) of your kid's friends. Or, if you actually like the pool, hire the sitter to stay home with the little ones.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s boring. My kids go for a bit, but it’s small town suburban folks who have nothing else to do.

I know, right? Total low class losers. Pools are so tacky! I mean on a sweltering hot day I’d much rather be out and about downtown soaking in all the culture (and that fantastic humidity!) than immersing myself in a gloriously cool pool that OTHER PEOPLE PUT THEIR BODIES IN. I mean, who does that?!?

I hit submit right before I vomited. Thank god I got that out!

I love you. Have a blessed day!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know that the people who make this work at my pool...with kids your ages...are simply not watching their children closely. You are a good mom and your exhaustion proves this.

This.

This actually kind of made me tear up haha. I'm not even OP.

Anonymous wrote:Why do you want to stay for hours and hours?
My kids are older, but we’ve always gone for 1-2 hours most days.
Get a water sling or wrap to wear the baby in that pool.

+1

Kids are 9, 9, & 11 and we finally just made it through 3 full swim periods before they were done. That was over Memorial Day weekend though, so I’m sure we’ll be back to just 1 or 2 by mid-August.

Long or short sleeve rash guards help cut down the sunscreen application time considerably.

Anonymous wrote:I never unpack my pool bag. I just add extra snacks and clean towels. Done. So really the only prep at home is getting swimsuits and sunscreen on. It gets better as they get older.

This is us too. The pool bags with toys towels and pool jackets are packed until Labor Day.

What time of day are you going? The scene at my pool is dinner time and people bring entire meals. Eating takes up a lot of the time. Plus less sunscreen and heat at dinner. IMO it won't get better for you until the baby is bigger. It's much more relaxing now that my kids are bigger (but I still have to watch them).