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Original poster

Swimming party for 4 year olds- good idea?

60 replies

Frokni · 19/10/2018 20:10

My soon to be 4 year old wants a swimming party (baby pool of course). How many 4 year olds though have the confidence to play in a pool for an hour without their parents IYO?

Ratio is 2 children to 1 adult for under 8s, how many parents do you think will want to have a play in pool too?

I would love it as a parent but want to ensure enough children come to the party and won't be put off if they're not confident swimmers.

Just an opinion needed or if anyone has hosted a pool party for kids as young as 4.

Thanks so much

Am aiming to get invites out after half term

OP posts:
seven201 · 19/10/2018 20:49

Another no here

legofriendly · 19/10/2018 20:51

I have a swimmer too, and we have a pool, and there is still no way I’d let my 4 year old go to a swimming party.

TropicPlunder · 19/10/2018 20:51

My kid had a swimming party for her 4th last year. It was brilliant! But we knew all the parents and it was an existing group of friends (Not nursery palls for example). Each kid had at least one of their parents in the pool and everyone enjoyed it. Could it work for you if you sound the parents out first? Or invite ones you know well?

Interested in this thread?

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4 year olds Behaviour & development
Dontfeellikeaskeleton · 19/10/2018 20:51

Absolutely no way.

Tiredmum100 · 19/10/2018 20:54

My dc are both fairly confident in the pool, but I wouldn't let my 5 year old go to a swim party. I would feel uncomfortable in the water and wouldn't let him in without adequate supervision. 4 is to young in my opinion.

Orlande · 19/10/2018 20:58

No, parents stay at parties with 3 and 4 year olds, children that age are generally non swimmers and need 1:1, and most parents do not want to hang out with other parents in their swimming costumes!

FermatsTheorem · 19/10/2018 20:58

No.

In fact I'd put it more strongly than that.

Are you mad OP?

Non-swimming four year olds, only one adult to each pair of children, adults presumably untrained parents, not swimming instructors.

Completely and utterly batshit crazy.

SputnikBear · 19/10/2018 20:59

No chance. I wouldn’t risk my child’s life by leaving them with a stranger who also has another child to supervise. And if I stayed to supervise I wouldn’t like being responsible for a stranger’s child of unfamiliar behaviour and unknown swimming ability. And I wouldn’t jeopardise my child’s safety by not giving him 100% of my attention. I nearly drowned at a swimming party aged 9 because someone else’s mum wasn’t paying attention.

Lolly86 · 19/10/2018 20:59

Just been to a 5th birthday swimming party most kids in water were 4 and in armbands. Most had one parent in with them. Was a lot of fun and the kids loved it as yet had a huge inflatable in the water

twilightcafe · 19/10/2018 21:01

Went to a pool party when DD was five. Never again. In your swimming cossie with a load of school mums? Nope. No thank you.

Motability · 19/10/2018 21:04

Wow, I’m surprised by your negative responses OP - my 6 year old would love it and would have been the same at 3/4 too. I would say on the invite that each child must be accompanied by a responsible adult and that’s that.

FinallyGotAnIPhone · 19/10/2018 21:05

Terrible idea!

rainbowtrain · 19/10/2018 21:06

@Lolly86 Armbands are not considered safe by most experts, I don't want to sound harsh or anything but I lost a loved one to drowning and just want people to look into water safety more
www.jumpstartswimming.com/newsletters/2014/7/23/dangers-of-inflatable-arm-bands

OP this would cause me a lot of stress and worry. We take swimming very seriously at home with our young child.

MissBartlettsconscience · 19/10/2018 21:08

We did it as my sons party in y1. I was a bit doubtful , but it was joint with another family and they wanted to do it.

The swimming bit was okay - the ratios weren't as strict because it was basically a paddling pool but even so I was wondering around in a swimming costume which was not fun. Changing everyone back was an utter nightmare. Parents had pretty much dropped and left thrusting locker keys at me - upshot lots of shivering children while I tried to match clothes to child and help them get dressed.

I'd suggest waiting a couple of years.

Lolly86 · 19/10/2018 21:10

Rainbow train- I'm not suggesting they are safe without precautions. Most had swimming discs as my dd did. But they were all that were non swimmers supervised by their own parent is what I was trying to explain.

HopeGarden · 19/10/2018 21:14

DS1 was invited to a swimming party in Reception, and the invite said that each child needed an adult in the pool with them. So 1:1 supervision.

We didn’t go - prior commitments - but no way would I have let DS1 go to a swimming party unless DH or I were in there with him. And no way would I want to expected to be responsible for the safety of another child just because their parents wanted to stay dry.

davisday · 19/10/2018 21:17

I just declined one for my 8yo who can swim a length with confidence. Far too much going on for anyone to safely watch every child.

BrokenWing · 19/10/2018 21:21

No 4 year old should be in a swimming pool without 1-1 supervision so parents would need to be in with them and a large % would decline the invite.

MrsVietor · 19/10/2018 21:26

No way. I'd decline. DD went to a hot tub party age 6 and I was nervous. Four year olds? No chance.

CountFosco · 19/10/2018 21:59

We have very keen swimmers who wanted pool parties for their birthday. I refused until DD1 turned 10 so the youngest friends were nine. All the parents dropped and ran. DH was the only adult in the pool with DS (5). Much easier. Also, depends on the pool but we used the school change so it was communal.

Any pool parties we went to when the kids were younger DH did. And I swim every day for exercise. It's hell for the parents, think Motherland has an episode about pool parties if you want to see what the issue is.

Original poster
Frokni · 19/10/2018 22:22

Hi guys.

Thank you for your honesty! Maybe it would be best for LO to go swimming with a bestie as a treat around birthday instead then have another type of party.

I am naive as I grew up going to swimming parties and LO is very confident, taught by her dad who is a great swimmer.

Would hate no kids to show up of course so will think of another party idea.

Cheers for the honesty guys, however brutal some of you may have been lol!

OP posts:
lorisparkle · 19/10/2018 22:28

I went to a swimming party with ds2 however he was a little bit older but all parents supervised their own children if they needed it and the parent was a swimming teacher. Ds had a fantastic time.

UrsulaPandress · 19/10/2018 22:34

hell no.

tumericmasala · 19/10/2018 22:35

No! Jeez why make life hard I would be saying no!

DrWhy · 19/10/2018 22:46

I think I am the only person on here who’d cheerfully take any excuse to get in a swimming pool! I wouldn’t be willing to supervise someone else’s child but perfectly happy to go in with my own - I’ve swum since I was a tiny child myself, love the water, swim most weeks and couldn’t care less what people think of what I look like in a swimming costume! If there were mats, inflatables and a flume I’d have as much fun as the child! I accept based on this thread though that clearly IABU in being happy to do this Grin