to worry about gated pools?

[pastaparadise]

We're hoping to go on a last minute villa holiday soon, with dc aged 4 and 2. We've been looking at villas with gated pools and found a lovely luxury one with last minute discount. However i worry they'll somehow manage to break through the fence, climb over, someone leave the gate open so they could fall in. They are not particularly adventurous and at the age where we obviously closely supervise anyway. Strangely cant find anywhere as nice without a pool which is near a beach and i do think they'd love it/ help with confidence in the water... So AIBU not to book it??

If it helps to relax you, I put armbands / mini life jackets on mine the moment we were near the pool so if they did fall by accident they would be safe.

So long as you are vigilant about gates / doors and supervise you will be fine.

Sounds like a LOVELY holiday!

If you’re going to worry the whole time it’s probably best not to book it. Are you overly anxious in general?

Pool holidays are not relaxing with small children .. you need to watch them all the time unfortunately.. I wouldn't get a villa if I had small people to watch ...and you are anxious anyway .

A luxury villa with a last minute discount sounds too good to pass up. We did a few pool holidays with young kids. You just need to have basic rules: an adult is always supervising once that pool gate is open. Be vigilant about closing the gate every time you go in and out. The pool might be alarmed as well which will give further reassurance.
Tbh whenever our kids were in the pool, we were in there with them! That’s the whole point of a pool holiday isn’t it? You’ll want to make the most of it.

You could just keep them in their float jackets during the day and obviously make sure one of you is in the pool when they are, be vigilant about locking/closing the gate when you go in the villa. I would go in your shoes and I was twitchy about water when mine were small. Sounds lovely OP.

We had a holiday like this when the DC were small and I was also worried about it. One thing I learnt was that it's safer if you nominate a particular adult to watch the DC at any one time, rather than everyone looking out for them, which dilutes the responsibility and can lead to an assumption that "I can't see the DC right now so they must be with granny" when actually they're climbing over the pool fence... So, you might say "I am going to take a shower so DH, please watch the DC", or DH might say, "I am going to make lunch now so DW, please watch the DC".

We've always done them and it's been fine. I'd almost say it's safer if it's just the 4 of you as then you are both always on the ball with no one else to leave the gate open or that you think is supervising the kids etc.
I'm sure I read that most incidents happen very shortly after arrival (when you're unpacking etc) and in larger groups where everyone thinks someone else is looking after the kids.
We've loved our villa with a pool holidays, really relaxing and easy.

I’d add that a private pool villa holiday imo is far more relaxing than being in a hotel with a large public pool with lifeguards. It’s much easier to watch just your own two kids then to waver between thinking it’s all ok because the lifeguards are watching out, while trying to dodge glimpses of your kids through a throng or other children.
Just be clear at all times about who is watching the children - and again, that’s easier than in a big holiday group because it’s either you or your dh.
And as I said, 99% of the time you’ll both be in the pool with them, making the most of your luxury holiday.
As soon as you’re out of the pool, gate gets closed and locked. And of course when you all go to bed, you’re safely inside the locked villa anyway.
Without wanting to scaremonger, I actually felt more anxious when we did a pool holiday when ours were teenagers, in case one of them took it into their head to down a sneaky drink and go for a night time dip after we’d gone to bed! At least when they’re little you have control over what they do.

I think that sounds far safer than a hotel complex where pools aren’t gated. You’ll be watching the children at all times so they won’t be able to get near the gated pool area

You could take some bungee cords to try to rig up an auto close on the gate too.

Fusion- good idea, though your post reminds me that in fact every villa we stayed in had a gate on a heavy spring which self closed anyway.

We stay in a place that my family own that has a pool with fences and gates. I am VERY fiece with the kids about not even trying to open them without an adult. And any villa that is rented as having a "gated" pool should be really secure but if you're worried take a small bike chain or something you can use to secure the gate yourself.
I find hotels more worrying places to holiday with young children personally, easier loose sight of them and harder to give them a bit of space and freedom. But if you want somewhere without a pool can you not look for an apartment? Or look on air bnb - we often get small places without pools near the sea from their and not had any complaints yet.

Thanks for all the advice. Booked it! Looked at the prices for school hols and we'll never be able to afford it once dc in school next year!

Bungee cords and life floats are a great idea, thanks. It's specifically marketed as a baby ans toddler option (james villas) so I'm hoping the fence is fairly secure...!

You won’t regret it! The kids will love it. As it’s a luxury villa marketed towards young families I would expect the pool security to be excellent too

my dps had a pool for over 30 years, never gated, the only rule was that NO child was EVER left outside alone, 365 days a year - not hugely relaxing but it just became something we were all so aware of. NEVER assume that the gate is closed.