To allow my son to do this on holiday?

[HistoryRepeat]

4 years old. Loves the water. But can't swim. We go every week in the kids pool and he's leaning to kick, use a float.

We are on holiday. There is a big slide and it goes into a deep plunge pool. The pool is only as wide as a bath. Very small but v deep.

DH saying DS not allowed to go as deep and he can't swim. I say he should be able to go and I stand at the bottom and catch him. The kids do go under but I would be right there. Its such a small pool, you can touch each side. I know he can't swim but if someone is literally stood there to catch him? He did go down one slide and went under for 2 seconds, he was a bit shocked but again I was right there scooped him up and he wanted to again.

Anyway turned into a big thing as DS is obsessed with going and DH insistingjust paddle pools. DH is safety obsessed imo but he says I'm being ridiculous and that I need to trust him and respect his viewpoint and I'm not presenting a united front.

Kids currently watching screens, DH off in a huff and me wandering why I work all year to afford to take them on holiday.

Would you let your kid who can't swim on the big slides if you were at the bottom? Am I being lax?

Can you imagine living like this?

But what if that medical emergency happened when you were driving him in a car in the motorway? Would you suggest not to drive with child in the car?

Do you like this child ?

Can’t he go down with arm bands on?

My kids went in swimming pools from when they were babies, so were always out of their depth even in the learner pools. Surely this is normal?! On holiday they’d have float suits & arm bands when playing in the water so were pretty much impossible to sink!

In the slide scenario for us, one parent would accompany child up the steps to make sure they weren’t crowded or pushed by bigger kids. Also to ensure a safe gap before & after they went down. Second parent was at the bottom to help them out.

No more dangerous than them jumping in the pool off the side - and they were doing that at baby swimming.

And before anyone feels the need to point it out, I know arm bands are no longer recommended when learning to swim. But they are very easy to take off when you want to practice independent swimming.

Imo the age isn’t a factor. Would you do it if your child was 18 months/2 and loved slides?
if they can’t swim, they can’t swim. Im in the not worth the risk camp here-sorry!

I see the split is still

Child will be fine - enjoy

V

Child will drown - how could you even consider this.

Husband at the top to put him on, you at the bottom to catch him .. I don’t see the problem. Have done it many of times! You want them to have fun. And there is likely a lifeguard at the bottom of the slide and top watching that they come off!

It’s sounds like your children do need someone in their lives to risk assess, ‘what if…?’

I mean yes, most likely, but there is still the risk of secondary drowning

I once took my 4 year old down a waterslide with a plunge pool at the bottom on my lap (which the pool allowed) She also had a float vest on. Somehow near the bottom we both managed to flip round so I ended up on top of her as we flew into the water. Absolutely terrifying and not sure how neither of us were hurt. Absolutely never again!! She can wait until she’s older and able to manage on her own

I know this has moved on but I would allow it. I'd make sure DH took him up the top and saw him down and I'd catch him. That's how my parents did it when I was little and couldn't swim.

All this talk of 'god forbid' and 'what if' - mum will be right there to catch him. He'll go under the water, but she's there to grab him! And he already knows that's what'll happen! I've just googled and while drownings are (unfortunately) not uncommon, I couldn't find one account where a parent caught the child at the bottom of the slide and it ended in tragedy.

Can you teach him to float safely, I always think we are a bit obsessed with being able to swim, even strong swimmers can get knackered in the wrong conditions, teach him to float and he is a lot less likely to drown even when he can swim. I taught mine to float if they are tired, worried or starting to panic.

I would probably do what you are considering doing, because children need a little bit of controlled risk in their lives, it helps them learn to assess risks as they get older. So your DS shouldn't go down the slide without someone knowing he is going to and being there to catch him at the other end.

Wouldnt drown in a few seconds . Sounds a but rxtreme

Jesus Christ! That photo! No WAY would i let a 4yr old on that! The pool at the end would be the least of my worries - ANYTHING could happen on that slide - you can drown in a puddle

Do you usually take him swimming every week? Or just on holiday.
I learnt to swim from my mum from a being a toddler.
My daughters went swimming from 6 weeks old every week.
My Grandsons could all swim confidently age 4 same as my daughters.
We once took a friend of my daughters age 6 swimming and she stood in the shallow end holding onto the side the entire hour.. her parents had never taken her swimming . Every child should learn to swim just as much as they learn to walk.Learn how to float if they ever become in difficulty. Mine could have quite easily gone down the slide age 4 and popped back up again.

I wouldn't. But that's because I've suffered the consequences of not being at the bottom of the slide... I was eventually but not before they'd hit the bottom of the pool...

This would be a definite no for me.
We have a pool that gets very deep, very quickly, it’s entirely secured but both dc know that as non swimmers they must never go through the gate (not that they are tall enough to open it, but even if they found it open) without an adult. I know with my 3 yo if I put the temptation there of maybe being allowed he would do it with or without me! Just too much of a risk, if he is unable to swim and it’s too deep for him to stand…it’s just not safe, it takes no time at all to drown and for me would be just too much of a risk and teaches child no respect for the water.

I wouldn’t let my 4 year old go down it before he can swim. He has his whole life before him to do that slide or similar.

Photo of slide and plunge pool please?

Op posted it yesterday.

I can’t believe we are half and half. It’s mad. Are you even a kid if you didn’t go down a slide too big for you and come up choking for air? Or a playground slide and lose all the skin on your knees?

in Asia 4 year olds walk to school on their own, nip round grandmas after school without anyone to walk them.

It all makes sense now.

Why we are breeding a generation of weak, spoiled, offended, inexperienced, frightened, triggered, mollycoddled, self righteous, can’t think for themselves for shit, let’s get a participation trophy, everyone’s got an allergy or adhd or let’s agree your boy is a girl.

It’s you lot.

Well, 51% of you anyway.

..though it doesn't show the actual pool, it's a pretty big slide for a 4 yo.

Doesn't matter, she sensibly seems to have accepted he's not doing it this time and is moving on.

My thoughts are that if a child is unable to get themselves out of the water at the end of the slide, they shouldn’t use the slide. Your DH is right.

No. I used to work as a lifeguard. Only had to go in the water twice in my 5 years or so, to fish anyone out, and one was a kid who went down the slide and wasn't a strong enough swimmer to come up and shouldn't have ignored the height restriction.

(The other was a child who fell off the inflatable crocodile out of her depth, after I'd already had words with her father about her lack of swimming ability. I didn't say it, but I thought "told you so" very loudly at him. Child was frightened but fine.)