Small kids and water slides - question

[Minnie824]

We recently were at a hotel that has an indoor waterpark, and a really big area for smaller children...they have one small slide that goes into the water, then some water fountains, swings, and 2 bigger slides...maybe 10 steps to go to the top of the platform, then you can choose either a single or double slide. So...whats the youngest age you would let your child go up the 10 steps (slippery) and down the slides into the water themselves? My 4yo not too brave, so she wanted me to go w/her, and the 2 yo I wouldn't let go alone, but there were kids younger than 2 up and down by themselves, sliding head first on their bellies, etc. I don't know, am I overprotective? Would you let a 1 yo go on that themselves? Oh, and to note, the parents were somewhat nearby...a few had their drinks in the water, or in chairs on the side.

 

[golfgal]

10 steps up to a slide isn't very much in my opinion. If a child could make it up the stairs on their own and wanted to come back down again on their own, then that is the right age for that child. My oldest would have been doing that at about a year old. We stayed in a hotel with a 2 story water slide when the twins were about 4 and they did fine there, we couldn't keep them off the slide. They loved it. They did have life jackets on though.

 

[Bob Slydell]

The first time we went to an indoor waterpark (Great Bear Lodge), DS1 was, I believe around 2. We felt fairly comfortable letting him walk up to the top of the kiddie slide and then one of us caught him down at the bottom.

 

[mickeyboat]

We were at an indoor water park last weekend, too! I was surprised how well my 5 and 6 year olds did by themselves, even on the bigger slides.

I went down them with the kids the first few times to see how they would do. Then I watched them go down by themselves a few times. There were lifeguards everywhere, so I was pretty comfortable letting them go down by themselves.

My 5 year old liked the kiddie area a lot. So I spent some time sitting near it. The slide there was only about 6 steps, and there were some little ones going down it - like 2 and 3. Any child younger than that with an adult, who was right there in the water with them.

I would say 1 is definitely too young, 2 - maybe, if the parent was pretty close by, and had seen their child be able to do it on his own.

Denae

 

[Annette_VA]

My boys are 2 & 4. We go to Great Wolf Lodge every couple of months. My older DS does the little slides all on his own - walks up the stairs, slides down, "swims" back to the edge of the pool, climbs out & goes back up the stairs again...

With my younger DS, DH & I position ourselves so that one's at the top of the slide and the other's at the bottom to catch DS. We also stay at the top & bottom of the stairs to help him. He can climb them fine, but he wants to go too fast, so we stand there just to make sure he slows down.

 

[pammypooh]

Just yesterday I had my brownie troop at the local ymca for a swim party. They have a water slide and the kids had to pass a deep water swim test before they could use it. I had one girl that passed the test went up the steps, then decide to change her mind and come back down steps. It was not crowded, there was no one behind her, yet she slipped on the steps and fell down the bottom three. Lifeguard and I were afraid she broke something, but after about 10 minutes all seemed ok again, and she was moving her wrist ok. She wound up eating 6 slices of pizza after our swim session, so I was more concerned about her getting sick.

Long answer to your question...I do not like slides. They should never go down headfirst, regardless of age and depth of water. Stay on them like a hawk....but have fun!

Pam