Childminder has a swimming pool - am I being silly?

[AngeK]

I just wanted to run this situation by people here to see if I'm being silly or not...

My DD has been going to a childminder for 8 months now and the childminder has just moved house. She now has a huge back yard with loads of room for the kids to run around, but they also have a swimming pool. There's no fence around the pool, it's simply just there in the garden with loads of inflatable balls, boats, pool pony. Now the childminder has 2 kids of her own, aged 2 and 4, my DD is 3 so none of them can swim.

I'm concerned that children can wander off sometimes; you just can't keep an eye on them every second and if anything happened I would blame myself completely. I've had a talk to the CM and she reassured me that she is always with the kids outside, they are never alone, but I do know that once DD walked out the back door once and they found her a couple of minutes later round the side of the house.

I'm from Australia originally and you have to have a fence around a pool by law, so it's a bit of a shock to me to have an unfenced pool with young children about. Am I being silly about this?

i am really [shocked] that she hasnt made plans for the pool to be covered/fenced and sounds that she doesnt plan to either - or she would have said to you - fence is being put up in 2 weeks etc

it is her job to make sure house and garden is safe,one of the first things i made db/mb do was the grid cover our 2 big ponds when they moved

Oh my! Her attitude does not reflect well on her tbh!!

Quite frankly is she does not see it as a very real, potential danger then what else does she not see as danger! If I were you I'd either look at taking your children elsewhere or insist she makes it safe!

Julesnobrain is right -

its the speed and silence of a toddler sinking in water that would worry me the most.

Ds1 is having swimming lessons now and has been taken swimming since he was a few months old. When he was 2, we were at the shallow steps to the baths, I was about to put his armbands on but he saw his little friend in the pool. He just rushed down the steps and threw himself in the water. I really expected him to sort of flap about and keep his head out like an adult would. No.
Just went straight down, I had ds2 to plonk down safely, charged down the steps - he was sort of lying on the bottom looking shocked which was really wierd. No noise from HIM as he went in, but without even realising it I'd screamed the place down and a lifeguard got to him first.
Take your child out of there straight away, I know I would.

Sorry but I would agree with majority on here and say remove your child - it's just not worth the risk! btw I'm a childminder myself!

Thanks for all your replies and stories. I've now removed DD from the childminder. I phoned the agency and they weren't concerned at all - basically said if the pool would cause me stress and worry, then they thought I was making the right decision by removing DD

They seem to do things a bit different in Switzerland; it seems there needs to be a mutual agreement between the parent and childminder, but the childminder is not obliged by the agency to have certain safety features!

PS. I don't want to paint a bad picture of Switzerland; it's great in a lot of ways!

I wouldn't remove my child but I would ask for a timetable of getting the pool fenced off and a cover put on which she can activate any time she needs to answer the door or if the kids are messing about etc. If she won't cooperate, then I would look for another CM.

Frannikin - if you're in France, then I believe the law is quite strict about pools and fences and/or alarms. My PIL have a place with a pool, and had to adjust the height of the existing fence around it when they brought the law in, to ensure they comply. They will fine you 45,000 euros if you are found to be in breach! Believe the child of one of the Government Ministers drowned in a pool and this was brought in afterwards. Info here- www.frenchentree.com/fe-lavie/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=10834

Ah we have a cover so that must be okay. I will check with my employers though - am slightly worried now.

this makes me shudder...remove your LO quick. It is just NOT worth the risk. I had a similar experience to Julesnobrain and am now so so cautious of water.