To throw DS a swimming party?

[otinata]

He is turning 7, really wants a swimming party.

They do a floats and fun party type thing at the leisure centre, but parents have to get in with their children.

AIBU to ask that of people?

I think you’re misunderstanding. People are saying 9 because the rule at most pools is that children need to be 8 to go swimming without an adult and a 9th birthday party means that even the youngest in the class will be the required 8.

Also, worth keeping in mind that a 7th birthday in the Autumn term means most of the class will actually still be 6 and not all 6YOs are strong swimmers even if they can swim a bit which will potentially limit the fun on the inflatables. My summer born DD is really confident now at 8 but absolutely was not at just turned 6. At that age we both would have hated a swimming party. She’d love it now though and so would I as presumably I could drop off!

Are you speaking for the whole homogeneous population of your school / town / city?

Shock horror - not everyone is the same!!

As PP have said, most pools have a minimum age kids can be in the pool without adults so if the kids can swim or not is a moot point.

As a parent of 3 I am always happy when a party doesn't make my life any harder and a party where I have to get in the pool does not fit that criteria.

I have to say unfortunately you'd be secretly hated for a while by a few parents if you did this 🤣

Ive never wanted to turn down an invite more than when DS was invited to one of these. I even tried faking having the shits on the morning but DS was so gutted at the thought of not going i had to miraculously get better for him.

I just bobbed around like an angry pale sea slug for an hour, just seething at the sheer awfulness of it all. Most of us did tbf.

I still think about that party now sometimes, 6 years later and I know most of the other parents who went also really did not appreciate being put in that position.

Worst idea ever. I'd rather go to a party an hour away at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon than a swim party 😂

Yep, sounds horrible, embarrassing and potentially a health & safety nightmare.

I took DD to one when her friend was turning 6 (so they were mostly 6 yo and some 5yo). Parents didn't have to get in the pool, they had to stay and supervise but mostly sat poolside. I did get in though, because siblings were invited too and I had to get in with 2yo DD. There were a couple of other parents supervising younger kids, and the birthday girl's mum got in to play pool games too. I didn't have a problem with wearing a swimsuit there, we take the dcs swimming every week so I'm just used to it.

One of my friends has a really lovely nanny who occasionally babysits for us and has taken my kids swimming on occasion. I'd offer her double rate to do a swimming party with my DS so I didn't have to and I'd kiss her feet if she agreed.

Otherwise, I'd send my DH without telling him what sort of party it was and hide his swim stuff in DS's rucksack.

Does it have to be the children's own parents or is it just rules about an adult to child ratio? If so you could ask some of your family or friends to help so that less parents would have to stay?

I would honestly hate this, even though I like swimming. I wouldn't necessarily want all the other parents from school seeing me in a swimming costume and no makeup.

My idea of hell

unless you make sure you have enough Adults /teens /family friends to adult then don’t do it

This works only if you provide all the adults to supervise.

I work in a leisure centre. 8yo are allowed in the pool without their parents. Maybe do the pool party next year?

Do you swim test the kids?

But if his birthday is coming up soon, then even next year, most of his classmates are still going to be 7, hence several of us suggesting his 9th birthday is the best time, so ALL his friend will have turned 8, not just the birthday boy.

We do parties on a massive floating inflatable (like a bouncy castle). For that we do a swim test because the end of it is in deep water. If there is a party in the kids pool with just small floats and toys we would not do a swim test but the water is shallow enough for a 3yo. Even a n the kids pool, we require under 8s to have adults with them.

Makes sense

Oof no, I would definitely be 'busy'. Absolutely no desire to be in a swimsuit around the other class parents thanks. Plus my son's coming up to 7 and he's not a very strong swimmer yet, I doubt he'd really enjoy it.

When my eldest child was 7 this would have caused me a huge amount of stress. DH was working away a lot so I many weekends I had all the younger DC to manage and nobody nearby to help.

I have held water based parties for my own DC but only once they have been old enough that guests’ parents could drop off if they wanted and definitely didn’t have to get in (unless they wanted to - and there is usually at least one who does want to).

I think some people might suddenly busy on that day or have a cold / cough/ flu on the day , which would be disappointing

It'd be fine by me, neither DH or I would mind getting in the pool, and that age group don't tend to be 'drop and run' round here yet either.

All of our kids were strong swimmers by then, and while the thought of public costume wearing isn't great, I'd do it because...why wouldn't I?

Sounds lots of fun and I’d enjoy accompanying my child to this (though I’d want to join in with the floats too 😝).

I would question swimming abilities of what’s presumably mostly 6yo’s though. It might be a party best suited in a year or two?

We had a couple of swimming types parties - but only once all invitees were at least 8 so parents didn’t have to get in. I checked swimming ability in advance too. Our leisure centre included a lifeguard. Great parties and they were all hungry so ate most of the food which was good as I am a chronic over caterer!

My DD is almost 7 and can't really swim. She wouldn't like attending a party where others could see that she can't do it yet. I think it's best saved for a bit older.

I used to have them for dcs. The kids loved them. That's the most important thing. I despised bouncy castles at parties. So dangerous. I had all different sorts of parties.

I love swimming. But hate, hate, hate just bobbing around in cold human soup. Especially with the sound of multiple kids screaming inside an echoey swimming baths. So I would have hated to go to a party like that.

It's also quite a young age. The kids who can't swim will feel conspicuous by their absence so I dont think it's a massively inclusive party. It also feels like it would be massively stressful to be on edge the entire time making sure no one drowns (I'm catastrophising obviously but those are the intrusive thoughts that my head would be filled with)

I did a pool party for my DS when he was in year 4 so they were 8 and 9 year olds. The minimum age to be without an adult was 8. I would have felt very awkward asking the parents to go in the water to be honest. It’s definitely something I would hate to have to do if any of my children ever got an invite like this, so I wouldn’t have considered a swimming party if they were under 8.

Maybe wait another couple of years or so and then revisit the idea?

We went to one of these and although I didn't love being stood in my swimsuit in a knee deep kids pool, my child had a lot of fun. The birthday child's mum said a lot of parents declined and quite a few just didn't turn up on the day, she was really upset.

I would wait until they're older, can swim more confidently and can go in the water without parents.