Water safety on holiday, advice please?

[hollybollyyy]

Going on holiday soon and the pool/sea is going to take up a good part of the time!

I am very hyper focused on water safety and just want to be extra safe.

3 year old has started lessons but still very much a beginner.

7 year old attends swimming lessons and can swim fairly well.

Would you suggest using any float vests/armbands etc with either of them?
When we go swimming at home 3yo usually uses an inflatable ring whilst next to an adult at all times. And 7yo doesn’t use anything but also sticks close to an adult.

I am considering either arm bands or float vest for younger one as an extra level of safety even though we won’t be letting him beyond arms reach.
I am also considering arm bands for the 7 year old so he can enjoy the deep end of the pool with an extra level of safety too?
I read contradictory info though that these can give false sense of security. However this is just what to do to enjoy the water whilst on holiday in the safest way!

In the pool 3 year old needs arm bands, 7 year old doesn't. In the sea no floating devices. In the sea arms reach at all times with 7 year old, 3 year old i wouldn't let go of him in the sea. And constant eyes on them in the pool. Or this is what I would do.

I’d look at swim fins or aquaplanes for the older one - we got them for DC when we went to a waterpark abroad that insisted on floatation aids unless the children could swim well. They still allow normal independent swimming and splashing about but provide a good amount of extra buoyancy. Also means it less tiring for them so they can spend more time in the pool!

Absolutely this

On holiday with a nice warm pool is an ideal time for your 3 year old to crack it* so do please take the armbands off for at least some of the time - while of course you will be right there beside them.
*of course I don’t mean proper strokes - just being entirely comfortable in the water. I spent a few days with dd2, still well under 3, doing exactly this, until she cracked it.

Armbands impede movement, so I,’d recommend a floatation vest instead for the 3yr old for in the pool. 7 year old the deal is whilst the little one is in the pool the 7 yr old stays within the area they can stand. But once youngest has had enough and has got out, older one can go up to the deep end providing you can keep your eyes on him/ her.
sea, this is very dependent on where you are going. A calm, near still sea, with buoyed off area, I’d have the 3yr old with in their depth at all times and hold their hand. 7 yr also needs to stay with in their depth and with in arms reach, although once the youngest has had a paddle and is then on the shore with their other parent, I’d be happy to swim further out with the older one, but always with in ‘grabbing’ distance (I’m a strong swimmer though, and did a few life saving courses in my youth!).
waves, or any current, I’d stick to paddling for both only.

This is likely to be controversial. I have never used floatation devices/arm bands (please note I am not referring to sailing/boats).

My perspective is that water is extremely dangerous. A little one needs a 1:1 constantly with eyes on all of the time. They need to know how vulnerable they are and not have a false sense of their own competence due to presence of devices.

Incidentally my 12 year old can swim, but he is not a strong or experienced swimmer. He does not go in the pool unsupervised and if I am doing laps when he is in the pool he has to stay in the shallow end.

I could swim well from a very early age as I was not brought up in the UK and lived in a country where we were at the beach every weekend where the grown ups sat under parasols and pretty much left us to it. I'm very strong and experienced with the sea but I still nearly drowned as a teenager when I got caught in a rip (yes, yes I know, you just swim across it. Not always that easy.)

I am not giving advice, just my perspective. Maybe have a look at formal guidelines, Society for Prevention of Accidents maybe?

in the pool I’d use arm bands on the younger one and be vigilant. In the sea I would consider proper flotation devices for both designed to keep them safe - they aren’t cheap like arm bands

You need to be there all time. There are these if you worried about falling in when not on swim session
https://floatee.co/en?srsltid=AfmBOoqYgBl4KXTCRfo1VwbMrajNU_vJTu3nFu1uXyYJ_1Ow5LAZUnfd

We've taken our 3.5 year old away numerous times and always use a swim vest rather than a float vest. The new ones from Splash About have a strap to go under the crotch stopping us from riding up around his chin. The float vests will usually ride up because of the floats inside it. The shallow end of the pool was ideal for him to splash about and play and the vest went on when we went deeper with him.

If you are going with a group, make sure that one adult is assigned to supervising and supervising only, no talk and no phone. I have heard people using a wooden spoon to appoint someone as so many drownings happen when one parent thinks the other is watching. Remember drowning especially for children is usually completely silent.

Definitely get as much armbands off time with her so she can learn skills like putting her head underwater and blowing bubbles whilst with her in the water of course. By the end of the holiday she may even be able to do a little doggy paddling, the quicker they learn to swim the less you need to worry in the future.

We live in a fairly hot country, so lots of pools. The times I have had to rescue kids were 1) where they walked from the shallow end to the gradient towards the deep end, went head under and couldn't get back. The child was completely silent and there was a lot of chatter from the adults. Had I not been watching he could have drowned. 2) When 2 parents were talking at the edge of the pool right above the 3 year old they were supposed to be watching. She let go of the edge of the pool, they didn't notice because they were talking and it was very loud, again the child was silently going under the water. I ended up fishing her out she had her head about 2 inches below the water and they didn't notice.

We use flotation devices in the pool and on the beach for our youngest DS4. I am aware and vigilant of the dangers re current/wind but our kids don't go in without us, so we have the arm bands etc for our youngest mainly to make it easier for us to be with them in the water (easier to hold him I mean, and practice swimming). I also think that in the case our ds4 would wander off and us not noticing (this is nearly impossible with a helicopter mom like me 😂 buy still), he is much more visible in/outside the water with those bright orange coloured arm bands/life vests on.

Oldest DS (9) is a good swimmer but on the beach he is not allowed to go in without us either, unless we are v close to the water ourselves and then he can go in up to knees. Anything further is only allowed with one of us. He is a very good swimmer; has all the swimming diplomas children can get in our country (4). But the ocean really isn't the same as a swimming pool.