Pool Time!

[princesspeach]

I can't believe this is still going. Keeping an eye on an elementary child is not over-protective. It's common sense. The OP didn't express concern because someone wasn't standing over her kid every minute, she was concerned by the " he's around somewhere" comment. Maybe Dad knew where he was, maybe he didn't. The above response is not acceptable for a 6 yr old in an unfamilar environment.

Nobody said hover over your kid, but those of us who tend to be cautious mentioned maintaining eyes-on. Watch the child, make sure he/she is abiding by pool rules, and watch them have fun with others. All can be accomplished in concert. One doesn't have to hover to ensure safety. We are well aware of that.

And for heaven's sake, judging someone over life vests? Do you know the family and child at WDW? No. You have no idea what the child's limitations are, so judging the parents' for using safety equipment is pointless.

This is a good lesson in thinking beyond yourself. This is not your family, this is not your child, consider extenuating circumstances and when in doubt, ask questions.

If a child has a life jacket on then that means he can't swim. Take the life jacket off get in the pool with them, and teach them to swim. A kid can drown with a life jacket on if he can't balance himself upright. Many parent stick a life jacket on their kid, and don't watch them because they assume they are safe. Not to mention they look ridiculous having them on in 4 feet of water. I can pretty much tell what a childs limitations are by watching them. If they are going down the slide and jumping off the side of the pool. They can learn to swim.

 

[NotUrsula]

How is he supposed to learn to swim with a life vest on?

He isn't; but very few kids who are in public pools are actually swimming; moving forward with rhythmic strokes. They are playing; putzing around in water that isn't over their heads -- until it is. It is just SO easy for a child to get in over her head in that minute that Mom glances away.

Not having a vest on is fine if you are in a parent's arms actively being given a lesson; but that only works one on one, and isn't normally very much fun, so very few parents restrict every minute that their not-a-strong-swimmer child is in water to active teaching. Wearing a vest lets that child have some fun and allows a parent to supervise more than one child.

I guess I'm just a bringer of doom, but in my lifetime I've witnessed at least 5 drownings and/or near-drownings in public &/or hotel swimming pools. Just two days ago I inadvertently held a child's head underwater; I felt absolutely horrible about that. The water was around two feet deep, and I was playing with my 4 yo. I took a step backward, and my toes tangled in a child's long-curly hair -- she was swimming along the bottom behind me. (She was about 7 years old.) It took me a good 45 seconds to get my foot untangled, and I had to throw myself backward into the water to make sure that the child was able to get a breath while I did it, because I'm not a lightweight. DD started crying that I'd knocked her off her feet -- she didn't understand that another child's life was in danger. Luckily DD *was* wearing her vest, because my attention was decidedly NOT on her while I disentangled myself from the other child's hair.

PS: A kid can drown wearing a life jacket only if he isn't wearing the right life jacket. If the child's lower body isn't heavy enough to keep him upright in it, then he needs to be wearing a PFD with a collar if he isn't actively being given a swimming lesson. I assure you, as a boater I've had occasion to swim in a PFD; it's perfectly possible as long as it is cut with narrow armholes.

 

[jodifla]

He isn't; but very few kids who are in public pools are actually swimming; moving forward with rhythmic strokes. They are playing; putzing around in water that isn't over their heads -- until it is. It is just SO easy for a child to get in over her head in that minute that Mom glances away.

Not having a vest on is fine if you are in a parent's arms actively being given a lesson; but that only works one on one, and isn't normally very much fun, so very few parents restrict every minute that their not-a-strong-swimmer child is in water to active teaching. Wearing a vest lets that child have some fun and allows a parent to supervise more than one child.

I guess I'm just a bringer of doom, but in my lifetime I've witnessed at least 5 drownings and/or near-drownings in public &/or hotel swimming pools. Just two days ago I inadvertently held a child's head underwater; I felt absolutely horrible about that. The water was around two feet deep, and I was playing with my 4 yo. I took a step backward, and my toes tangled in a child's long-curly hair -- she was swimming along the bottom behind me. (She was about 7 years old.) It took me a good 45 seconds to get my foot untangled, and I had to throw myself backward into the water to make sure that the child was able to get a breath while I did it, because I'm not a lightweight. DD started crying that I'd knocked her off her feet -- she didn't understand that another child's life was in danger. Luckily DD *was* wearing her vest, because my attention was decidedly NOT on her while I disentangled myself from the other child's hair.

PS: A kid can drown wearing a life jacket only if he isn't wearing the right life jacket. If the child's lower body isn't heavy enough to keep him upright in it, then he needs to be wearing a PFD with a collar if he isn't actively being given a swimming lesson. I assure you, as a boater I've had occasion to swim in a PFD; it's perfectly possible as long as it is cut with narrow armholes.

Our city pool just banned life jackets...not sure why, but I feel like I'm seeing that more and more.

I never had my son in a life jacket in a pool. I wanted him to get used to the idea that he would have to swim to be safe. Life jackets take that away.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Our pool does allow life vest with some rules and I am glad. If your child is over their head and wearing a life vest a swimmer must be in the water with them. DS is four and he can swim and we spend some pool time 1:1 with him swimming in deeper water with me by his side, no vest. He spends some time in the two foot playing with other same age kids. He also spends some time with his life vest on playing with his teen-age brother and his friends in the deep water. They toss and throw him in the water and he loves it and it has made him very comfortable in the water and ,with his very slim line vest he does swim using strokes, but there is no way he would be ok with this type of play without his vest. I know some pools do ban all horse play in the water but it can be safe and so much fun for the kids. Just a different way to look at life vests.

I think one thing we sometimes forget is that most children of people on these boards are quite privileged compared to MANY kids. Many children in low income families do not have access to pools or lakes etc. They do not have "stupid" parents. Just parents that do not have the means to give their children swim lessons and pool memberships. Granted these are not the children you see at WDW but it might be the older child you see at a public pool on their once a year trip to the pool wearing a vest..

Lakes are a whole other story. We have large lakes in our area and it is VERY much the norm for even school age children to wear life vest in and around them. We spend time at a lake house and DS 4 knows the vest stays on 100% of the time we are lake front.

There are some sad drownings of children at the lake but more drowning here are teens who make bad choices. Still very sad

 

[alex9179]

I can pretty much tell what a childs limitations are by watching them.

Yes, it's apparent you think so.

 

[bwilcox]

No the cdc does not contradict those statements. Most drowning occur in backyard pools. Many of these parents don't have fences around the pool. The child slips out of the house when parents are not watching or even in some cases sleeping.

I think you missed the part where the CDC states:
"Most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time."

I agree that probably most children who drown aren't strong swimmers. However, even strong swimmers can drown because of fatigue, distraction, cramps, being knock out by another swimmer, overestimating their abilities, etc. in regards to swimming with a buddy-if something does go wrong, by the time the other child is able to alert an adult, it is likely too late.
Statistically, a strong swimmer is probably safe. But when things do go wrong, they can go wrong fast. That's not a chance I'd be willing to take with my child's life, at least until they are over 10. And I do let my kids play around the neighborhood-I'm definitely not a helicopter parent. But there's an enormous difference between unsupervised around the neighborhood and unsupervised in a pool.

 

[NotUrsula]

I am no helicopter parent, either. As the previous poster noted, water is a special case. My father grew up in a remote fiishing village on the North Sea; by the time he was 20 he had saved seven people, the first of them when he was only 12. He also lost victims, and he was absolutely adamant about respecting water, even if it was in a bucket. He taught all of us children to swim at an early age, but until he was satisfied that we were mature enough to keep our heads in a crisis and be relied upon to follow safety rules religiously, we still had to wear a vest, and were also allowed in water only when accompanied.

DS is 14, 6' and the strongest swimmer in the family now. I let him off parent in the water restriction when he was 11. DD is 4 and a talented swimmer for her age (3 years of classes) but she is not allowed to play in water over 3' deep without an adult within arm's reach even if she is wearing her vest, and never in water that is over the head of the adult who is with her. She is under no illusions that she can fully swim, even though she can do the strokes and stay afloat, because she is a little, and littles need a grownup with them when they play in water over their knees -- always. In her mind that rule is as unbreakable as the sun setting in the west, but I still don't take my eyes off her for a minute if her father isn't with her in the water, simply because of her age.

 

[DjChaos7]

With how busy any 'main' pool can be at any of the resorts, no one should leave their kids unattended or 'on their own', it's just not right. Don't get me wrong, Disney does do a great job to ensure the security of everyone who stays on their property, but Disney can't ensure the 'quality' of the human beings who come to their property, it's not like they can background check every guest. So yeah, sticking with your children, niece, nephew, or whatever, that's the way to go.

 

[1Princess1Prince2006]

I have two kids that are 8 and 6 and while I say it's OK for them to go in the water by themselves, I'm still sitting there on the sidelines watching them.

 

[princesspeach]

I think you missed the part where the CDC states:
"Most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time."

I agree that probably most children who drown aren't strong swimmers. However, even strong swimmers can drown because of fatigue, distraction, cramps, being knock out by another swimmer, overestimating their abilities, etc. in regards to swimming with a buddy-if something does go wrong, by the time the other child is able to alert an adult, it is likely too late.
Statistically, a strong swimmer is probably safe. But when things do go wrong, they can go wrong fast. That's not a chance I'd be willing to take with my child's life, at least until they are over 10. And I do let my kids play around the neighborhood-I'm definitely not a helicopter parent. But there's an enormous difference between unsupervised around the neighborhood and unsupervised in a pool.

Because the parents say it was 5 minutes. Does not mean it was 5 minutes.

 

[nrpofp]

I have two kids that are 8 and 6 and while I say it's OK for them to go in the water by themselves, I'm still sitting there on the sidelines watching them.

Of course. Its funny how this thread has gone so far off track. It started off about a dad that lost track of his child for 2 minutes and a mom who freaked out because she thought a someone was going to grab him to arguing about toddler drownings in back yard pools. I think its pretty safe to assume most of would agree that children should not be alone at a pool. The level of supervision they need is up to the parent. You know your child best if you feel you need to be in the water with them thats fine if your comfortable being in a chair thats fine. As far as life Jackets. I see a lot of kids wearing life jackets that obviously are not handicapped. I think thats just laziness on the parents part.

 

[NotUrsula]

As far as life Jackets. I see a lot of kids wearing life jackets that obviously are not handicapped. I think thats just laziness on the parents part.

Sigh. Yes, it *can* be laziness, *if* you are using the vest as a substitute for supervision, but again, some of us just happen to believe that where water is concerned, it's best to go with a belt AND suspenders, so to speak.

Either myself or my DH is *ALWAYS* in the water and no more than arm's reach away from my life-jacket-wearing preschool-aged child anytime she is in or even near a body of water that is large enough to drown in (which given her size, pretty much means anything bigger than a bucket), but that jacket stays ON anytime she is engaged in playing near water. The only time we let her leave it off is if she is actively engaged in a swimming lesson, in which case one of us has a hand actually on her or hovering a few inches from her. I would hardly characterize that as lazy.

Accidents can happen, and they happen to adults, too. If some careless older kid decides to do a cannonball right on top of me and knock me over, she isn't going to have a chance to sink. How many 4 yo swimmers do you think would be able to stay calm and remember what to do in the water if a parent got hurt and went under right in front of them? I've been hurt in pools when supervising my child; the life vest is a backup just in case it happens again.

 

[LilGMom]

At a resort pool DH & I always keep our eyes on our kids and they just turned 10 & 6 regardless of if they are in the pool or the water play area. DS10 has been a good swimmer for a few years now and this summer DS6 has turned into a good swimmer but that doesn't mean that we let them swim alone at home or in a resort pool. Yes, there are lifeguards at the resort pools but DH, who used to lifeguard, will tell you that his job can be made a lot easier if parents will watch their kids while in the pool. It isn't so much about making sure that they don't get abducted from the pool area but moreso about making sure that they are following the rules and being safe. I can't tell you how many times we saw WDW lifeguards have to get onto kids to tell them to not horseplay while the parents sat on the loungechairs ignoring what was going on.

 

[DopeyDame]

6 months ago, I would have been in the "he's 6, it's an enclosed area, relax" camp. Three things have happened since then:
1. I watched as lifeguards, coast guard boats and helicoptors, and police searched in vein for a 9 year old who drowned at Virginia Beach over Memorial Day weekend.
2. My husband, a volunteer firefighter, responded to a call for a 3 year old who drowned in her family's pool.
3. A friend of a friend's 4 year old drowned in a very busy pool on a Saturday mid-day, within full view of lifeguards, a few weeks ago. Her mom was watching her, lost sight of her amid all of the people for a few minutes, and by the time they found her, she was dead.

I can't even begin to imagine what I would do in any of those situations. It can take 30 SECONDS for a small child to drowned (a little longer for a 6 year old, but waaaaaaaaay shorter than 5 minutes.) Water is fun and awesome, and my 2 year old has been in swim classes since he was 9 months old and LOVES to swim. But swimming will be a family activity for a long, long time to come - he won't be on his own at a pool at 6.

 

[maxiesmom]

Because the parents say it was 5 minutes. Does not mean it was 5 minutes.

Doesn't mean it wasn't 5 minutes either.

 

[gina2000]

Water is dangerous. Do you know the signs of drowning?

http://gcaptain.com/drowning/?10981

I have a 17 year old championship swimmer. He began swimming in earnest at age 5. I watched him carefully at our swim club for years. Drowning can happen in an instant and it doesn't even look like the swimmer is having difficulty.

Do you know that there are life guards on duty at swim meets? There are also lifeguards on duty at warm up/warm down pools. Why? Because accidental drowning can happen any time, any place, to even the most experienced swimmer.

You don't need to hover over a child. You do need to know where the child is in the pool and how he/she is managing the risk. I can't tell you how many books I didn't read in those early years. I can tell you that despite my son's strong skills, he was given a helping hand by an adult who saw that he was overtired and overextended around age 6 as he tread water in the deep end. You just never know.

 

[WillAustin]

I can't tell you how many times we saw WDW lifeguards have to get onto kids to tell them to not horseplay while the parents sat on the loungechairs ignoring what was going on.

It's like the parents who go to the restaurant with a playground and turn their kids loose, order some margaritas, and then spend the next two hours acting like they don't have kids. I see it all the time, unfortunately.

We wouldn't leave our kids unattended, swimming or not.

 

[bellebud]

6 months ago, I would have been in the "he's 6, it's an enclosed area, relax" camp. Three things have happened since then:
1. I watched as lifeguards, coast guard boats and helicoptors, and police searched in vein for a 9 year old who drowned at Virginia Beach over Memorial Day weekend.
2. My husband, a volunteer firefighter, responded to a call for a 3 year old who drowned in her family's pool.
3. A friend of a friend's 4 year old drowned in a very busy pool on a Saturday mid-day, within full view of lifeguards, a few weeks ago. Her mom was watching her, lost sight of her amid all of the people for a few minutes, and by the time they found her, she was dead.

I can't even begin to imagine what I would do in any of those situations. It can take 30 SECONDS for a small child to drowned (a little longer for a 6 year old, but waaaaaaaaay shorter than 5 minutes.) Water is fun and awesome, and my 2 year old has been in swim classes since he was 9 months old and LOVES to swim. But swimming will be a family activity for a long, long time to come - he won't be on his own at a pool at 6.

all those things are horrible! I can't even imagine - those poor families!

the thing is, the pool area's aren't "enclosed"... I forget which resort they were staying at, but there are so many places to wander off, get lost, etc.

 

[Suzanne74]

A 6 year old who was a "strong" swimmer just drowned this past weekend not that far from here.

I wouldn't follow like a hawk but I also wouldn't let them roam either, especially in a new environment. If you are in the play areas without water that can submerge them, I would loosen up a bit but my main reaason for watching them is to make sure they are behaving and being respectful. Not for fear they are going to be snatched.

Nothing annoys me more than parents who don't watch their kids and they are being little brats because they know they can get away with it. This is a daily occurrence at our community pool.

 

[princesspeach]

Doesn't mean it wasn't 5 minutes either.

I guess will never no will we?