Taking two kids under 6 swimming

[mealychump]

DS's are 5.5 and 2.5

We have recently joined a local swimming pool. It's a great pool for learning to swim in as it's quite deep. DS1 can't stand up in it so it encourages him to actually swim properly rather than just muck about.

So far we've only taken both kids when DH has been home as we've only taken them at weekends.

I'd like to take them both tomorrow but DH doesn't think I should. I can see his point but wanted to get some other opinions.

DS 1 has been having swimming lessons for over a year. He's confident in the water and can swim a few m without any aids. Generally he just has a woggle and that's plenty.

DS2 is again fairly confident (maybe too confident!) But has a flotation vest and armbands. In the pool I don't need to hold onto him constantly but obviously he is very close by at all times.

Would you take them swimming alone or would you side with my DH. His main concern is that the pool is too deep to stand in so although DS1 seems safe he could get into trouble v easily and keeping an eye on them both would be hard.

My argument is that generally both are fine and have never got into trouble before under our supervision. DS1 is confident enough to swim a few m alone but he's also cautious so would be unlikely to let go of the woggle at all. He's not a risk taker.

Also there is a lifeguard.

What would you do? Swim or not swim?

Can you take them both alone? My local
Pool has really strict ratio’s and wouldn’t let me and DH In with my ds and his niece and nephew

Yeah I’d go
Pool ratios are usually 2-1 at that age I think

Not swim. Imo you need 1 pair of hands per child unless they are a consistently competent swimmer (can always get to the side without any kind of aid or assistance)

You may find the pool policy requires children of that age to be 1-1 with an adult.

You'll be fine. Used to take my 1 and 3 year olds and never thought to question it.

Armbands on the 5 year old too and you’ll be fine.

I take my children who are the same age and sound similar. I hold on the the youngest at all times and the eldest swims with a woggle most of the time and always stays near. To be honest we mostly play with sinkers and balls all close together.

I'd take them but put ds1 in armbands until he's more competent. Our pool would require both in armbands with only one adult which is fair I think.

Yes just make sure that they have floats, and I don’t see why it would be hard to keep an eye on them both. I am constantly playing with my two when we go to the pool, at that age they were always at arms length or practically playing ON me! Go and have fun!

You'll be fine. I took 2 under under 2.5 every week for ages. I'll need to take 3 5 and under soon. It's just about being prepared.

And by floats I means arm bands, swim fin or equivalent

Our pool only allows a 1 to 1 ratio for non swimmers.
And they class a non swimmers as anyone who can't do a full length of the pool and back.
It would be an idea to phone them and ask so you don't get there and have disapointed little ones.

Yes! My two don't stray far either.

Armbands on DS1 is a good shout, he wouldn't mind. I feel like with armbands and a lifeguard it's v unlikely he'd get into trouble at all.

I was about to say armbands on your 5 year old too.

I take my two in my own, they're 18 months and 4. They both have armbands though. The biggest faff is getting them changed but DH had no interest in taking them swimming so it's the only way they get to go other than swimming lessons

I guess it's different to lots of pools though as the shallow end is over a meter deep and so DS1 can't stand up anywhere in the pool other than the steps.

In our local community pool id take them fine as he can stand on the bottom.

Take them.
Of you don't have fun, leave it awhile. There's no actual danger in a lifeguarded pool.

Our pool is 2-1 as long as you are in the baby pool. In the main pool it's 1-1 for non swimmers

Do you know what the actual rules of the pool are?

My local pool is strict and insist on 1 adult per non swimming child. I think they consider a 'swimming child' to be one who can do an entire length of the pool without stopping.

There’s no actual danger in a lifeguarded pool.

Well, there can be. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/in_the_news/3820214-Toddler-drowns-at-health-club-pool-apportioning-blame

How busy is it likely to be? Because I'd discount the lifeguard as a safety feature if the pool is likely to be very busy. As to there being no actual danger in a lifeguarded pool, I'm sorry, that's rubbish. NZ is a swimming country, and I can think off my head of at least a couple of deaths in lifeguarded pools. Because drowning is often silent.

In fact, just did a quick search and found one in UK in 2018.

Ours is 1:1 for children under 4 so you'd need 2 adults for your children. Check the rules in your pool

There's no actual danger in a lifeguarded pool.

Of course there is, people die in pools with lifeguards too.

I wouldn’t personally. I avoided our local pool until both dc could swim as like the one you mention it was over a metre deep so no good for non swimmers. We went to a pool 10 miles away with a beach area so you could just hang about in the shallows if you wanted to. Even there I found it very stressful stopping DS1 going too far away and worrying about what I could do if either of them got into trouble.

If the ratios for the pool are ok then why not.
I was a single parent with twins and took them regularly from about two years old. Once eldest was 8 (Dt were 4 I'd take all 3 together). It was never an issue and a great family activity.