Do you let your kids go on inflatables in the sea?

[SnugglyJumpersMakeItBetter]

I have second-hand trauma from watching this:

The fact that dad was literally RIGHT THERE with them and they were just playing in the shallows and then, Whoosh, gone. It's crazy.

No idea what you watched because nothing is showing. Short answer? Yes.

No. We were never allowed to as children either.

Absolutely not. Inflatables are for pools.

Absolutely not.
Inflatables can be dangerous even in pools, and they're ridiculously unsafe in the sea.

No. We weren't allowed to as kids, and nor were my kids.

Live on the coast and no never. I'm a very relaxed parents who encourages children on risky play etc but they are a death trap. I've seen with my own eyes that it only takes a split second even on a calm day with a busy public beach.

That video is not available but it’s not hard to guess what it is.

But in answer to your question. No. To do so is negligent.

No

Absolutely not. We take inflatables to the lido but never, EVER in the sea.

No only in the pool

No.

Because I'm not an idiot, and am rather partial to my children being alive.

lots of them in the ocean when we went on holiday recently. We only used them on very calm days when there were no waves,

Nope! We have a paddle board and we all wear life jackets when we use it. It's unbelievable how many don't and take really young kids out into the Solent! My kids are very water confident as they've sailed from a young age but they often choose to wear their buoyancy aids when we go down even if they're just swimming. When they used to paddle while we watched (when young, around 8+) without buoyancy aids on holiday we had a knee high limit.

I am probably over cautious the other way to most people!

Pool only and only supervised.

there is a huge lack in education about the dangers of the sea, how to identify and escape riptides, currents, safe swimming and how strong a swimmer you need to be and how to self rescue. Float to live message gets out to some extent, but every summer we hear of drownings in the uk and abroad and it’s just tragic and potentially avoidable.

No, never. We were never allowed to as kids either. They are for swimming pools or rock pools, not the sea.

Nope. And I can only remember once as a kid, in a dingy with oars, and with my dad on the shore roped to us (and TBH, I think he wasn't happy it was safe, which is why we never did it again)

I live by the sea and I would never let DC on one.

Not in sea or any open water where is a tide/current.

No. I know of too many deaths caused by doing that. Inflatables are for pools.

OMG - this is a tale from the 60s when they didn't think of things the same way and inflatables seemed very new (well to me anyway).

On holiday - I think it was Cornwall but can't remember - I think I was about 9. We had a new lilo (?) and we had met another family on holiday. Their children were slightly younger than my brother and me. The girl couldn't swim - I could, but not very strongly, so she went on the lilo.

We were messing around in the shallows when I realised she had floated much further out than was right, so I started swimming after her. I did finally reach her and grabbed the lilo and we both started paddling it back. Meanwhile our parents had noticed and there had been pandemonium on the beach. Our lovely dads were legging it to the sea tearing off any superfluous clothes. Loads of people were running to the sea and (mostly the men) were preparing to rush in and save us. They got to us just as we got back to the shallows. The little girl was crying and I was very shocked.

Anyway they deflated the lilo immediately and said it had only to be used in pools. Later that evening, the father of the other children said he had read an article in the paper of exactly the same thing happening, but with both children drowning - one girl floated out unawares and the other going to get her. I did wonder - even as a child - why he had allowed his daughter to use the lilo having read that.

No I wouldn’t. I’d turn my back for a second and they’d be bobbing off to another continent and probably finding it hilarious.

No way.

I live by the sea and was brought up to respect it. My Dad has always owned boats and we always wore life jackets and I knew how to launch a flare etc. I remember being told about 10 yrs old never to take my airbed in the sea (and why)

A 13 year old girl died here last week as a result of our notorious rip tides. Every parents worst nightmare.

In the 1970s we had a lot of public safety films on TV. I've seen calls to bring them back or put them on social media, but it won't work as people will sadly just scroll past or 'fast forward'

Can i ask why you allow it when they are incredibly dangerous on open water.

For me @SnugglyJumpersMakeItBetter dd is 11 and has never been allowed more than mid class depth in open water and never without an adult stood more than 2ft away. It is far too dangerous.

Possibly, depending on location and tides. But I bought them body boards instead and encouraged that.