To think a holiday pool for 14mo must be fenced?

[LightminTheQueem]

Am I? Family keep suggesting places with unfenced pools which are close to the house and easily accessible and reacting as if I'm being a drama queen when I say they're not suitable for a toddler. Surely it's just dangerous to have an open pool with small children?

[ItsATIARA]

14 months is probably slightly safer than 18 months to 3 years, because you'd need to be hyper-vigilant at that age anyway, regardless of pools, and they're not quite as quick. But still not worth the risk.

[Rhubarbgarden]

I've done it for the last three years and will be doing it again this summer. Not by choice - PIL's place in France, whole family has to go every year very tedious.

It is not relaxing. I can't take my eyes off the dcs for a second. And this is with PIL who are ultra paranoid about pool safety (but still insist we all go and won't entertain the idea of fencing the pool) and SIL who has three toddlers of her own and who is also super-vigilant. Last year we had a rule that they all had to wear armbands in the vicinity of the pool. This year I am hoping that by the time we go, dd will actually be able to swim, which means I will only have one to watch like a hawk.

To be honest though, it's such a child-unfriendly place in so many ways that I can't take my eyes off them for a second anyway, so even if the pool was fenced I still wouldn't be able to relax.

And dh calls this a 'holiday'.

[coco44]

well I don't know.i mean when you are at home does your baby go out in the garden unsupervised.
some people have front door that open directly onto the pavement, I guess some of them have toddlers

[MoominsYonisAreScary]

We have more than once, but then I wouldnt leave a 14 mo unattended so it wasnt an issue and the pool was off the ground floor, livingroom bedroom on 1st floor

[notso]

We did it last year with a 2.3 year old and an 11 month old.
We hired several safety gates and they had their buoyancy vests on all the time. When we were outside we had to be obviously very vigilant but even with the pool fenced off the DC would have been in and around it so we would have had to be vigilant anyway.

[ceeveebee]

We've been twice to places with unfenced pools with our twins, at 10 mo (crawling so pretty easy to contain!) and 19 months old -made me nervous as hell and I never let either of them out of my sight - I kind of accepted that (to quote Giles Coren), a holiday with young children isn't a holiday, its just childcare in a different location! . This year when they'll be 2.5 a fenced pool will be a must for us

[Slatecross]

I'm So glad I've read this thread. I have a 4 year old and 2x 3 year olds and we're about to go away on our first foreign jaunt with all 3 boys. My parents are coming too and we've been talkign about a 4/5 bed villa but there are hardly any without pools. Am now thinking an All Inclusive hotel, and requesting rooms as far away from the pool as possible.

[ceeveebee]

This site has "alarmed/gated pool" as a search option and there are quite choices on there (depending when/where you want to go)
www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk/#

[AliceinWinterWonderland]

Might I also recommend, as others have mentioned the common "thinking another person is watching", that people going on holiday with toddlers make sure that you and your OH are very clear exactly who is watching the toddlers when - it's far to easy for it to fall between the cracks, and when you have a group of adults, people think it's safer when it actually isn't.

[AliceinWinterWonderland]

*too easy , not "to easy" sorry, spelling.

[Gullygirl]

YANBU.
40 children drowned in swimming pools in Australia last year.
In my state,houses that are for sale which have pools/spas must,by law,be fenced.
Even so,children can work out locks,people can be careless,is leaving chairs etc by the fence which can be climbed on.
We have a pool,my children are not allowed near it without an adult. It has high metal railings all around,and a locked gate.

[annielosthergun]

If you have only one child it's prob ok - mine is the same age and we are off to Thailand soon with an unfenced pool. I have to watch him constantly anyhow (seems to have a climbing death wish!) and am expecting only to relax during his lunch time nap! I have a trust no-one policy near water and will be watching (discreetly!) even when he is with DH / MIL because I am the only one really who appreciates how fast he is as I look after him day-to-day. So I guess I am saying it depends on you and if you are happy to always be watching...

[BodaciousTatas]

We went with a company that's will fence the pool for an extra tenner, I am assuming with some kind of temp fence, they were an online co, if I remember the name I will link.

[Devonsmile]

what ever you decide, get a pool alarm, because fenced pools lead to a false sense of security, the alarms are an extra bit of safety,

and get a zip in jacket.

[Stinklebell]

YANBU

If I'm paying £££ for a holiday I want to relax and enjoy myself. There's nothing relaxing or enjoyable about toddlers and unfenced swimming pools.

[BeCool]

YANBU. - it's really unsafe. And it would cause you a lot of tension and stress. Aside from the safety issues it's YOUR holiday too and you deserve to go somewhere you can relax.

With a toddler/young DC I would be insisting on a fully fenced property with fenced pool.

Both my brother (pool) and sister (pond) had very scary encounters with water as toddlers. Not worth it.

[BeCool]

I had a child nearly drown within meters of me in a public paddling pool a foot deep. Silent. Terrifying.

[Sharaluck]

It think it mainly do depends on how mobile your 14 month old is. Not walking or walking? Very active or not so active?

If she is not yet walking confidently and not overly mobile I think it could be ok as long as the doors are kept closed/locked and she is supervised as usual.

If she is very mobile I would say no. Just as I would say no for all children aged 18 months to 6+ years (parents can assess their own children individually from then on ).