Kids swimming and drowning..

[runforyourdog]

I keep seeing all these worrying posts about kids drowning and how you need to watch them every second..

I was just wondering, at what stage / age are kids able to be left to get on with it without risk of drowning?

Is it kids who can't swim who drown or when they get injured or get tired?

In a public swimming pool it's over 8. Safe enough for basic swimmers - a life guard is on duty and first aiders. I don't think that's where the accidents are happening though. Every situation need it's own risk assessment

Usually the ones who drown can't swim.

We taught our children to swim as soon as we could. But you have to keep an eye on them when they're little either way.

DD is stage 4 and 8years old. They have only just gone in to the deep end where they can't touch the floor and it was end of stage 3 that they learnt how to skull and now tread water. I still watch her vigilantly in the water as while she can float I'm not convinced she could sustain lengthy floating or dealing with panic if she was out of her depth.

Is it not posts about kids swimming in rivers and lakes?
Swimming in a river is very different to a swimming pool .

Yes. This makes me mad. I have 3 kids who have been regularly swimming since they were born. I am a single parent so we are often unable to swim in particular pools because of our age/adult ratio. However, the minute they are all 8+ they are all allowed in pools on their own regardless of whether they have any water confidence or not.

A competent adult swimmer can drown in the wrong conditions.

Anyone can panic when things go wrong.

It doesn't mean no one should ever go near water.. just that its a hazard that needs respecting, like crossing a road or cooking or BBQs or power tools.

Kids need to be taught to float on their back if they are out of their depth and can’t get to the side/shore.
It’s an easy way for them to stay alive until rescue or just for them to regain feeling calm if they’re panicking.

I'm thinking in a pool, I know it would be very different to fall in a cold river etc.

We are in France at the moment at a campsite, DD7 and DS5 are both good swimmers. DS was wearing a vest too but unsure how much freedom they should be given!

Freedom near/in water at 5? I’d say none! Even if they’re good swimmers I’d want to be able to see them at all times in the water.

I was nearly drowned at a swimming pool on holiday. I was a very strong swimmer at that age but a wave machine suddenly started and the (bigger) kid behind me panicked and grabbed the back straps of my swimming costume. I spent a long time under water and nobody noticed.

Well after being on holiday this week, I’m shocked at parents, there were 6 years old unsupervised at a 5 ft pool with inflatables.

There was younger children without inflation devices at the deeper pool with parents encouraging them to swim.

mine can swim ok but even I still worry about them.

That's terrifying.

If they are in a pool and in a life jacket then surely you can sit on the side? Are there lifeguards?

Our local pool is over 8 too, but they aren't allowed past the mid point unless they show they can swim 4 lengths first. They do a good job of remembering returning children and who has done their lengths.

A child I heard of drowned tragically at a ''Pool Party''.
the child had armbands on, there were loads of inflatables and bigger kids and splashing/shouting in the pool.
The little one, aged under 4 {Don't want to say exact age in case it is identifiable} slipped under unnoticed.
Absolutely terrible, each parent thought the other had the poor child.

I didn't realise how easily a child can drown until seeing a lifeguard video on You Tube.
Life guards know what to look for. {All these Children saved <3 }

https://www.youtube.com/c/LifeguardRescue

None going by what you have said. You need to be in reach.

Is this scary to watch

I don't think there's such a thing as a child who is a strong swimmer personally

I worry about all of this too and I think there’s different levels, after being on holiday and watching children from Europe where they swim pretty much every day, I think the average swimmer in Ireland (and possibly the uk?) is a lot less competent. How can you be when the sum of your swimming is tops once a week? Our cousins in Germany swim daily, do course after course and do so many more qualifications than kids here, there are tests and levels and they learn life saving skills in school. Their jaw dropped at how horrendous we were (although we’re worse than the average Irish family, we couldn’t afford lessons until recently)

A 45yo lady in our neighbourhood died in her pool last week.

people can be capable in pools but even they hold risk. My idiot H has bought a SUP and I asked if it came with a life jacket. Nah he said he doesn’t need it. I was thinking Of the kids, he thinks they’re strong swimmers. They aren’t. People that are blasé about their skills are at risk.

it’s a whole other story swimming in the sea, lakes and rivers and we should all take specific safety courses for those bodies of water

Freedom near/in water at 5? I’d say none!

I agree. Please keep your eyes on them, OP. You need to watch them constantly in water.

Mine are 10 and 12 and this year is the first year I've let them go in the children's pool whilst I stay on the picnic blanket rather than the side of the pool. The 12 year old can't swim but can easily stand everywhere and the 10 year old has passed the school basic water safety test and can also now stand everywhere (just ) in the pool.
In the adult pool for length swimming, only one is allowed in with me at a time. I'm always less than 1m from DC12 and I let DC10 swim half a length ahead so she's getting used to not having the safety net of me being next to her as I did last year.

@HerRoyalNotness my DH is the same. He also doesn't think DC2 needs anything because she can swim a length. I will not let her out without a buoyancy aid because it's not just being able to swim it's the shock of losing your balance, falling in, the temperature, cramp etc. I also bought one for DH, look for something like a Restube , because there's no way he will wear a proper one. I said it's not fair on the Dc for him to go without one but he still is resistant.

@runforyourdog at age 5, I'd not let them in water unless I was within 2m.

MyDD is 4 and this year on holiday we stayed on sun loungers next to kids pool while she played in the pool. She is confident in water and can easily stand up, and we could see her.

When she wanted to go in big pool she had a rubber ring and had to wait for one of us to go in too.

Statistically, you’re more likely to drown if you’re a reasonably strong swimmer.

I do think that swimming is an important skill but it can also lead kids to think they can manage in open water and they often can’t.

It happens every summer and it’s heartbreaking to hear on the news “a 13 year old is missing, last seen in trouble in local quarry/river”
swimming in rivers etc is dangerous but kids do it.
We need those dreadful public information films of the 70’s to tell people why cold water and strong currents are so dangerous.
Otherwise, at pools, watch your children. As a parent you can’t rely on a lifeguard, they are just a backup to help in worst case scenario. Please just keep one eye on your kids all the time near water.