To NOT include 9 year old DD in Boxing Day swim?

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Our family and another will be heading to the beach about 30 mins away for a walk and a quick dip. It’ll be seconds in and out.
DD wants to join in the fun. Her similar aged friends won’t do it but DD is very gung ho.

For context: There’s not an ounce of meat on her, she’s tiny. No cough or cold. We do own a wet suit for her which she can use. Weather here will be 0 - 3 degrees on Friday.

I don’t think she should. Grown ups yes, and she can have fun on the beach with her mates. She’s tiny and at best will wine about the cold afterwards, and worst - well.

DH thinks I am being the fun police and lighten up.

I don’t know either way.

YABU - of course she can, YOLO!
YANBU - hypothermia in a 9 year old on Boxing Day is a rational fear.

Its faffy but they love it. They get a good hour or two in the water (then when the weather warms off come the boots gloves and hats and they can be in the sea all day). I love the sea, incredibly fotunate that so far my children are willing to join me.

And when the RNLI volunteers have to risk their lives to come out after saying to not do it, who foots the bill?

The whole thing sounds like absolute hell 🤣

An hour or more in the sea in winter with small children??????
Even in spring/autumn it feels cold after 20 minutes or so. I know loads of people who sea swim year round and in winter they literally run in, swim to a buoy and back and out, max 5 mins. It's a huge faff with changing/warming which is one reason I don't bother between October and March.

Ill be going for a BD swim. I’ll be on less tome than it tales to put a wetsuit pn an off. Could she paddle?

Are they saying not to do it? Depends on conditions, surely?

My kids from toddler age have always gotten accidently soaked in the sea at all times if the year , have a fluffy towel and clothes ready and she will be fine

You are the fun police

Just let her put her feet in - she'll soon change her mind!

Why would the RNLI come out? The risk isn’t she would float away…

Why the fuck do people do these things 🤣

I could be wrong, but I don't think the RNLI come out for cold children so they?

This! And also overanxious. Good lord I think I've heard it all now. OP, good on your daughter for being tough and brave! You should be encouraging her, not trying to put her off.

😆😆

I am guessing you don't live anywhere near the country where I am in, no-one will spend 1 or 2 hours in the water in the winter here 😂

Honestly at her age I was diving into puddles whilst playing in goal for 70 minutes or whatever it was then.

Honestly just layer her up as soon as she is out, hot water out of a thermos into a hot water bottle, wooly hat and let her snuggle up in blankets in the car. She'll live :) she'll probably dip her toe in and refuse to go further in.

So long as she knows the expectation and that it is just a dip and she needs to be put before she feels cold then go for it.

My kids swam in the sea all year round at that age. We went regularly and they would spend half an hour or so in a wetsuit.

We are in Northern Ireland - like I said they are all geared up. Wesuits work by holding a layer of water close to the skin. Your body heat warms the water. If you are in and out a wetsuit doesnt work the way it should - combined with winter hoods, thick neoprene boots and gloves, they really don't feel the cold.

I’d let her absolutely, but she probably won’t enjoy it! My DS (then 7) cried after about 10 minutes in the Jubilee pool in Penzance in May because he was so cold, I was absolutely fine as was DH.

She's probably going to run in to about thigh height, get her torso splashed by a wave and run squealing back to shore a few times - and it sounds great fun!

Don't pressure her to either go in or decide not to, don't keep asking if she's sure, just let her play with the idea and do it like a 9yo, rather than the way and adult goes wild swimming or the way you fuss around a toddler. As long as she doesn't feel there's a right way to do it which is outside her comfort zone, she'll be able to use her judgement a bit and be fine.

I wouldn’t let my 9yo.

Wetsuit. Hold her hand until she’s in (cold water shock) and breathing calms.

Make sure she stays within her depth.

out. Hot chocolate!

ETA mine (11) is not coming in this year, her choice. She used to love it though!

If this is a tradition she's going to start somewhere...I'd do your dip then you or dh run out to grab her and run back in for a couple of seconds a the end. Take a onsie for after.

I'd let her try, the chances are she will change her mind once she gets thigh deep. If she doesn't then a quick run in and out, with someone to help her dry off afterwards, will be great fun and won't do her any harm.

I’m torn.
I’ll be going for a swim on Boxing Day but I’ve been swimming outdoors for a couple of years. I don’t think it’s really advised to just jump in in December without acclimatising but if it’s literally just a dip it should all be okay as long as she can get out and all the cold wet stuff off immediately and into dry layers, hot water bottle around the middle to start warming the core back up pronto and maybe a hot chocolate in a flask.
It IS a lot of faff, I swim in skins so less faffy than wetsuit/boots/gloves etc but even so it takes a bit of prep and thought about warming up quickly. Hypothermia is very real and incredibly scary.
My dc come with me in the summer and tail off in September coming back again in May, fair weather swimmers, but it means I can just focus on getting myself warm and dry rather than helping someone else while my core temperature continues to drop!