To think you should keep an eye on your child in the baths

[PirateFairy45]

Took DD swimming today. Playing about in the pool and such.

Then a woman turned up with her 5/6 year old. They were playing a little while

Then the mother gets out and go to the big pool. Telling her child to stay in she small pool and practise swimming.

Said child had armbands on and was not a good swimmer, and again 5/6. Mother started doing lengths in the other pool, couldn't see the child at all.

AIBU to be concerned at this?

i dunno how concerned is concerned? did you tell a member of staff?

Well it's a bit late to be concerned about it now, you should have been concerned at the time and told the lifeguard.

What did you do? When i want to do lengths in the pool, i used to put my children on my back.

At the pool I go to, under 8's and non swimmers need to be supervised by a swimmer over 16. Our lifeguards would be blowing their whistles and quite rightly too in my opinion. I wouldn't do it.

I informed the dude. He hadn't said anything because he thought the child was mine

Im sure I read on that massive rules board in my local pool, they have an age limit that you're not allowed to leave them alone below that age. Vaguely I want to say 8. But I can't recall as it wasn't pertinent to us (2 small children that I could never leave yet).

YANBU. I wouldn't do it ever. If a 5 yo slips & bangs their head they could drown in a couple of inches of water, armbands and all. People don't call it 'the silent death' for nothing. About 30 under-15s drown in the UK per year. Also, near drowning (about 180 children/year) can have long-term consequences such as disability.

I still supervise my 7 yr old in the water despite the fact she does a mean butterfly! She is 7, her stamina is not amazing and she could get into trouble so she is not allowed in the water unsupervised so I would have shared your concerns. Our pool requires the under 8'a to be supervised also.