Toddler & pool slides

[misskari]

We went to Disney two years ago, and had a hard time at the pools. Lifeguards wouldn’t let us go down the small pool slides with our toddler sitting in front of us. She has CP and can’t sit up on her own. She’s 4 now, and I know she’ll want to go down! Is there anything we can do to have them let us go down with her?

 

[mamabunny]

I know we have other CP families here that will be along, and they may have some actual experience at WDW with this.

I am guessing that you are talking about at the Resort hotel pool, and not the water Parks, correct?

You may have to explain to each lifeguard during your stay *why* you need to go down the slide with her (in other words, kind of like when you talk to Guest Relations at the Parks about how a DAS can help your visit) and so when you have that conversation, don't focus on *what* her diagnosis (CP) is, but *why* you need to go down the slide and in the water with her (because she does not have the ability to sit independently at this time)

Does all that make sense? When you have a kid with a permanent health issue like CP, we sometimes forget that in our world,*everyone* knows that if you have X, then Y.

An example of that is my daughter - who was born with bilateral club feet, and multiple other orthopedic issues. We were so immersed in her care, and I dealt so much with doctors and physical therapists, and they all *knew* that she would never have walked without extensive surgeries and treatment and PT and braces and special customized shoes and... So when she started school, I suddenly had to explain to a lot of people who had never dealt with a kid like her before what was going on with her physically, why she had a wheelchair, why she would never have perfect attendance (because the Shriner's Hospital was an 8 hour drive one-way from our house) and when to call me.

We get so immersed that sometimes we forget that people can't know what they don't know

And remember - it may be that they can't let adults do that for some reason; like there is a weight restriction on the slide, or because of some other water safety rule that they may have to obey. It may not be that the CM lifeguard wants to be the bad guy; that decision may have been made for them.

 

[maxiesmom]

I hate to say it, but I don't think it it allowed ever. Seems to be a hard and fast rule that only one person can go down at a time. It has to be a safety issue of some sort. Maybe because you can't control how you may smack into each other once you hit the water. Or you could end up with one person on top of the other.

I know that you can't even wait near the bottom to catch a smaller child. It isn't allowed. The person going down the slide has to be able to swim away from the bottom on their own.

 

[lanejudy]

I agree with @maxiesmom and I know how hard that must be for your family. As a former lifeguard, it is a safety rule and an exception is highly unlikely. You could use a leisure pool, those don’t have a slide. Or consider a water park where there are some rides you can do together (just recognize not all).

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[ClapYourHands]

Can your daughter swim away from the bottom of the slide on her own? If so, maybe they will allow her to go down lying on her back.

I agree they are unlikely to allow you to go down with her. I understand why, but agree it stinks.

 

[SteveMouse]

The safety rule exists for good reason. Even if you thought you had a good grip, you could loose hold of your child or, even if you didn't loose hold, end up inadvertently holding her under water at the bottom of the slide.

This is probably a good one to skip.

 

[Boopuff]

OP where are you staying? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't one or some of the resorts have a splash pad type thing for small kids?

 

[Calee]

OP where are you staying? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't one or some of the resorts have a splash pad type thing for small kids?

This is what I was going to suggest. Some of the splash pads have small slides that you could stand next to and guide her down.

 

[SueM in MN]

I hate to say it, but I don't think it it allowed ever. Seems to be a hard and fast rule that only one person can go down at a time. It has to be a safety issue of some sort. Maybe because you can't control how you may smack into each other once you hit the water. Or you could end up with one person on top of the other.

I know that you can't even wait near the bottom to catch a smaller child. It isn't allowed. The person going down the slide has to be able to swim away from the bottom on their own.

I agree with @maxiesmom and I know how hard that must be for your family. As a former lifeguard, it is a safety rule and an exception is highly unlikely. You could use a leisure pool, those don’t have a slide. Or consider a water park where there are some rides you can do together (just recognize not all).

Enjoy your vacation!

I agree with these 2 posters. It is a safety rule and they are extremely unlikely to make an exception. The issue is that the adult is heavier and may their weight may actually push the child under.

My daughter is also not able to sit to go down the slide. When she was little, we did help her go down the toddler slides that ended in low or very low water, as some of the other posters suggested.

 

[misskari]

OP where are you staying? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't one or some of the resorts have a splash pad type thing for small kids?

Boardwalk. As for previous experience they said only one person at a time. No she cannot swim. It’s just a bummer as she loves slides, and at our pool at ymca, they let anyone go down together. She just doesn’t understand why this pool/slide is different.

its hard because slides are an activity that she can do “almost” like every one else. Splash pads are okay but all she can do is just sit in our lap, we do try and run around with her in there but I can only carry a 35lb slippery preschooler for only so long

 

[DisneyOma]

Boardwalk. As for previous experience they said only one person at a time. No she cannot swim. It’s just a bummer as she loves slides, and at our pool at ymca, they let anyone go down together. She just doesn’t understand why this pool/slide is different.

its hard because slides are an activity that she can do “almost” like every one else. Splash pads are okay but all she can do is just sit in our lap, we do try and run around with her in there but I can only carry a 35lb slippery preschooler for only so long

To be honest, your YMCA shouldn't let more than one person down the slide at a time. It's hard when our kids can't do the things everyone else seems to be able to do, but this is a real safety issue. The force of an adult coming down behind a child could snap the kid's neck.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Boardwalk. As for previous experience they said only one person at a time. No she cannot swim. It’s just a bummer as she loves slides, and at our pool at ymca, they let anyone go down together. She just doesn’t understand why this pool/slide is different.

its hard because slides are an activity that she can do “almost” like every one else. Splash pads are okay but all she can do is just sit in our lap, we do try and run around with her in there but I can only carry a 35lb slippery preschooler for only so long

my guess is if someone is hurt doing a double at your YMCA it will change there which would be even harder to explain. I know of none of the slides indoors or out that allow doubles in our area. and that includes handicapped. I know this is going to sound dumb but do you know of a lifevest with the big collar would this help her come off slide with her head up after going under. don't know if it would help your daughter but did help a grandson until him until he learned to come up

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I highly doubt you will be able to based on our experiences. Their rule is that a person must be able to slide without assistance to go down. They say it is a safety issue to have 2 people on the slide at once. I have never seen the lifeguards bend on this.

 

[Staren]

I cringed at the splash pad suggestion. pulli from my own experience as a CP kid, yuck. 4 is young enough where that is still age appropriate. If she uses a manual wheelchair, I’d say let her loose and worry about clean up later, but it sounds like that might not work for her. She is getting closer to the age where her response to the baby alternative is going to be “oh heck no“.

I would definitely try speaking with the lifeguard. Why questions are your friends here. Why she needs the accommodation, and why they are denying it.

My next question would be, can she adapt for the environment? If she has a life jacket can she learn to doggy paddle, or does she not have the coordination for that right now? Could she do it with a support brace plus a life jacket? Do you have a PT you trust? Some do get a little squicked out at work arounds like this until they have some more real world experience.

 

[DisneyOma]

I would definitely try speaking with the lifeguard. Why questions are your friends here. Why she needs the accommodation, and why they are denying it.

Just remember that safety trumps accommodations, at all times. They would deny it because it is not safe, clearly posted at every slide, and the lifeguards are trained to not let more than one person on the slide at a time. Not sure what you are actually expecting to achieve - it's a safety issue, period. It's not an ADA issue at all.

 

[Staren]

What I would be trying to achieve is to find out what the specific concerns are that make it a safety issue. Just saying safety is not an acceptable answer. Ok, they are concerned one of the riders could be pulled under. They wear lifevests. They are concerned about smacking into each other on the ride down. How often has that happened? Hand me a legal waver and a pen. There are options to everything as long as you get to someone with the authority to actually discuss the situation.

 

[maxiesmom]

What I would be trying to achieve is to find out what the specific concerns are that make it a safety issue. Just saying safety is not an acceptable answer. Ok, they are concerned one of the riders could be pulled under. They wear lifevests. They are concerned about smacking into each other on the ride down. How often has that happened? Hand me a legal waver and a pen. There are options to everything as long as you get to someone with the authority to actually discuss the situation.

People don't smack into each other on the slides as Disney does not allow 2 people to go down at the same time. And Disney also insists that whoever is on the slide be able to swim away from the bottom on their own. Something else the OP's daughter cannot do.

And no, there are not always options. Not when it comes to the safety of the guests. I can hear it now "But disney gave me this waver to sign, so I thought that meant everything would be ok. Why would they allow it at all if there was any risk?" Yeah, a waiver wouldn't do squat if someone decided to sue.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

What I would be trying to achieve is to find out what the specific concerns are that make it a safety issue. Just saying safety is not an acceptable answer. Ok, they are concerned one of the riders could be pulled under. They wear lifevests. They are concerned about smacking into each other on the ride down. How often has that happened? Hand me a legal waver and a pen. There are options to everything as long as you get to someone with the authority to actually discuss the situation.

A child’s life vest is not going to hold up a kid and a 150 lb adult. And the collisions happen after they get to the pool at the bottom of the slide. The adult can get flipped over and land on the child, or arms and legs go flying and someone gets hurt.

 

[daisy2013]

What I would be trying to achieve is to find out what the specific concerns are that make it a safety issue. Just saying safety is not an acceptable answer. Ok, they are concerned one of the riders could be pulled under. They wear lifevests. They are concerned about smacking into each other on the ride down. How often has that happened? Hand me a legal waver and a pen. There are options to everything as long as you get to someone with the authority to actually discuss the situation.

I doubt you would find anyone on property that is either able or willing to authorize a waiver of the safety rule. And even if you did, what happens the next day when there are all new staff.

 

[Staren]

There are situations where I would absolutely recommend parents not go into advocate mode because it simply won’t help. This is an area where I believe it is worth educating yourself on what the true issues are, and seeing if there are any work arounds.