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Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Behaviour/development

To think that swimming pool rules are daft

29 replies

Reallytired · 09/08/2009 19:27

My son is seven years old and can swim 50 metres both front and back. I also have a small baby. I have been told that if we go swimming we have to remain in the baby pool even if the baby is fast asleep on the side of the pool in her car seat.

I have also been told off for my son being excessively boistous in the baby pool. I think I should be allowed to take my son in the main pool with the baby in the car seat. I would be able to see the baby at all times.

What is completely ridicolous is that children who are over 8 are allowed to go swimming on their own, in any pool, even if they are non swimmers.

OP posts:

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whomovedmychocolate · 09/08/2009 19:31

Sucks for you, I agree but how can you attend to both at once. If your baby is asleep on the side of the pool and your son gets into difficulties you will obviously be focusing on him. So what happens if someone runs off with your baby? I know it's unlikely but it could happen. Similarly, someone could trip over the little one.

How do they know he's seven btw? Could you not just shut up about this and let him go into the big pool alone?

Wallace · 09/08/2009 19:32

I do agree, my dd is 8 but just started swimming without armbands.

No way would I let her go by herself. She does only look about 6 mind you but we have never been questioned.

Could your ds have his bithday very soon perhaps?

Wallace · 09/08/2009 19:34

I do find it quite hard keeping an eye on ds2 (3), dd(8) and ds1 (10) all at the same time!

I just have to trust that ds1 will be okay or if not that a lifeguard would spot him...

wonderingwondering · 09/08/2009 19:41

I used to leave my DD in her pram by the side of the pool, when swimming on my own and with DS. No-one ever commented on it other than to say good for me! I didn't consider the running off with her scenario! But that can't be a reason for the baby pool being safer than the big pool (better class of lurker around the baby pool?).

DS is 4 and can swim, and I take them both in together, on my own (DD age 2 is in her float suit and can keep herself afloat in that). I can supervise them both closely, as they are still at the stage where they want to be near me.

I really don't see what the problem is, have you asked why they have these rules?

littleducks · 09/08/2009 19:55

id just be grateful you can take both, i have two dcs, pool is one adult to child ratio, the women only session i used to attend to has no been made 'no children' since the gov free swimming for children was introduced so now none of us swim

dd will have solo lessons in sept instead

How many babies have been snatched in public places, when there were no ongoing custody issues in the last 20 years then?

NorthernLurker · 09/08/2009 19:57

And waht if somebody runs past and knocks your baby into the pool in her very heavy car seat? She will sink and it will be jolly tricky pulling her out. The baby pool is one assumes a lot shallower and not frequented by persons large enough and given to running for this accident to occur.

wonderingwondering · 09/08/2009 20:00

NorthernLurker, I did think about the baby falling into the pool thing, that's why I used the buggy rather than the car seat, wheel lock on, bag in front of the wheels and well back from the pool edge, surrounded by chairs either side! But with sensible precautions, I don't see a problem.

juuule · 09/08/2009 20:01

Why can't any of you swim now,littleducks?

The free swimming has been great for us.

goldrock · 09/08/2009 20:01

I'm surprised to hear that you can leave a baby seat by the side of the pool - is it a private pool ? I would be worried that the seat might fall into the pool with the baby strapped in, if you are the other side of the pool a mischevious or malicious child could push the baby into the pool. I thought health and safety would rule this out.
I do agree that the rules can be frustrating, at our local pools 8+ can swim by themselves but last week when I checked at a pool in the next local authority it was 9+ so we couldn't go (I have 4DCs and couldn't take them all by myself).
I guess they have to have a rule though and it won't suit everyone

juuule · 09/08/2009 20:04

I was surprised by the childseat being allowed at the side of the pool. We wouldn't be allowed poolside with a pram or childseat.
Only people going in the water allowed to the pool, all others go to the viewing gallery.

cat64 · 09/08/2009 20:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

juuule · 09/08/2009 20:14

Cat64 - Isn't it just cut-off dates. Same as a child born on 31 August starts school a year earlier than a child born the day after.

wonderingwondering · 09/08/2009 20:15

Thinking back, my dad was horrified at the idea of leaving the baby on the side, but when he saw the pool (private gym, quite small) he was OK about it. I guess a noisy, busy, large pool might be different. But I was always close by my DD in her buggy. And people in the gym were fine about it.

I agree about the lack of common sense - the end result is it puts people off going and so children don't learn to swim.

gybegirl · 09/08/2009 20:20

We now live in Ireland and one day were completely gobsmacked to find a swimming lesson going on with just one teacher. He genuinely cannot see more than 3 yards in front of him - he even has a special blind watch! There were about eleven 7 year olds in the lesson, and in the baby pool there were about seven 3 and 4 year olds waiting for their turn. We were the only other adults in the pool . There was no lifeguard. I felt a bit guilty leaving with our two babes when we'd finished but I suppose the parents were happy - there were about 3 mums waiting in the coffee area all having a chat and occasionally glancing over!

I suppose there's a happy medium somewhere!

littleducks · 09/08/2009 20:42

juule- the women only session with female lifeguards etc is 'NO CHILDREN UNDER 14'

DH cant take both to an open session as it one adult to one child ratio

Reallytired · 09/08/2009 21:28

"DH cant take both to an open session as it one adult to one child ratio "

Surely child ratios would apply to a women only swimming session as much as a mixed swimming session.

I saw a lady with an islamic swimming costume today. Would you go to a mixed swimming lesson in one of those?

OP posts:

littleducks · 09/08/2009 21:37

No i wouldnt

I had just arranged for a female friend to be the accompanying adult for one of mine which was why i was p*eed off they claimed the gov subsidy then banned kids from the sessions as i thought the gov money waas supposed to encourage us to get kids swimming

I have gone with dh and had one child at poolside, then swapped them but honestly its so much hassle for everyone that it doesnt occur enough for them to get any kind of practice in

sazm · 09/08/2009 21:51

we are them same,we have a 5yo a 3yo and a baby,
me and hubby cant take them all swimming at a council run pool,which is a pita,

luckily we have a small private pool we can use which is about an hours drive so dont go as often as we would like to,

MrsTittleMouse · 09/08/2009 21:55

I wouldn't leave a baby in a car seat near the edge of a pool. There was someone a couple of years ago on Mumsnet who said that her friend's baby had fallen in, strapped into the seat, and drowned.

juuule · 09/08/2009 22:13

Sorry littleducks, didn't realise the significance of the women only session for you.

cat64 · 10/08/2009 01:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

weegiemum · 10/08/2009 01:32

I've come across some real jobsworth lifeguards.

My dd2 can swim like a wee fish (she has had to swim lots over the last 2 years as she has hip problems - can now dive and swim 20 lengths at age 5 - I'm aware that is exceptional).

There is one pool in our city which I have had to stop taking her to, as every time I do we get whistled at and told "that child is too young to go down the deep end"!

She can swim - and not jsut doggy paddle, she can do breaststroke, crawl and backstroke. Some days she is faster than I am.

I complained the the manager and was told it was "policy" that under 8's can't swim! So what exactly do they say she is doing then?

We go elsewhere!

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Reallytired · 10/08/2009 09:11

weegiemum, wow! your dd2 is exceptional. I don't think I could swim 20 lengths. My son can swim about 4 or 5 lengths at the age of 7. I think that not letting a five year old in the deep end is daft, when she is probably out of her depth in the shallow end of the main pool.

At least our pool is more relaxed. Anyway those worrying that my baby might fall in the pool, her carseat is more than a metre away from the edge. There is a raised area where people can sit and see a swimming gala and I put her there.

Prehaps there should be some kind of swimming proficency test. Although I think a five year old still needs quite a bit of supervision however good at swimming they are.

OP posts:

nannyL · 10/08/2009 10:06

in our local pool if you go past "this sign" to the deeper area there is a swim test that the life guards ca ask you to do....

its tread water for 1min in the deepend immediatly followed by swimming 1 length. If you can do that then you can play in the deepend. I have always been a good swimmer and almost everytime i went to the pool when i was a young child i had to do the swim test (and passed so could stay there)

This makes great sense to me

my 6 year old charge can swim 200 meters and my 3 year old charge can swim a length (25m) but there are some pools that we arnt allowed to has they have a rule of 1:1 where a child is under 5 . it does irritate me as they can both swim very well, but we have alterntaive pools where you are allowed 1:2 so we go there instead.

I wouldnt have a problem leaving a baby in a car seat by the pool. many of put local pools have a playpen on the pool side especially for this, you can see them, in all the pools i have been to the chance of them being knocked in is close to 0, as they are far from the pool as person would have to pick up the car seat and drop them in, (unlikely) and i have never herd of a baby being abducted from pool side in their car seat, and im sue if it had EVER happened it would be headline news!

stuffitlllama · 10/08/2009 10:10

Perhaps they are mindful of the fact that young confident swimmers are at risk because they are more confident. They are more likely to take risks and think "I can do that". There are issues other than ability, such as strength and common sense.

I know it's a bore and the rules seem a bit random sometimes. But it takes only a couple of seconds and they go down so quietly.

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