One to One Supervision in Swimming Pools

[Kayleigh]

Dh saw Tony Blair talking on one of the news channels last night about this and was amazed. One or the other of us very often take our two boys swimming - it would be a real pain if we always had to go together. And what about single parents, or familys that have three or four children. Seems ridiculous to me.

What do you think ?

It's one to one for under-fives round here.

As a result of which we never quite get our acts together to take the Inferiorettes swimming.

well I'll ignore it all as I have DTs and when I'm ready to take us swimming, we will go swimming. Grrrrrrrrrrr................

It's very silly. Apparently the rules were drawn up as guidelines, for adults swimming in adult pools with children who had no flotation devices. Which is to say they're not meant to apply in baby pools, or when your kids wear arm-bands!

But nonetheless, many (all?) pools in our borough have interpreted them as the law. A friend who has three under-3s can't swim with them, even with her husband.

Just seems so ridiculous that I can't go swimming with my two children if I want to just because one is under 4.

Might seem obvious,but take a friend to help with the kids.

i cant take my kids swimming unles si take them seperatly as dh cant swim atm. i may start taking dd2 when dd1 is at school tho. dh can sit with the baby and just watch.

joash, I can't actually see any of my friends without children wanting to go swimming with my kids or anyone elses for that matter. And any friends I have got with kids would want to take their children too. But they would only be able to take one anyway.

I used to get round this ludicrous rule by lying. I d buy two adult tickets and two kids and say my husband was parking the car. No one in the swimming pool ever asked where he was. Because once you re all in the pool no one gives a fig if two of you are caring for two kids or the other has sloped off for a swim. Although obviously buying extra tickets cost more. Later I d just lie about my younger child's age.

And they wonder why kids are fat when the only sporting activity open to them in some areas is closed by safety obsessed idiots.

I'm pleased to say that our London borough, with a fantastic record in training and nurturing young swimmers, is sensibly not implementing this daft regulation to the letter. Frankly I think they should be doing a lot more to ensure that basic lifeguarding standards are met in the much more dangerous environments of school and private leisure pools, than effectively limiting access to public facilities for young families. Go on, MarsBarLady, make a BIG scene about this. It is basically preventing multiple-birth parents from using a public pool.
My friends wouldn't want to help me take my two swimming either, Kayleigh Can't think why.

Our local pool has implemented this rule, but has also recognised the problems it causes many people, and has introduced a couple of sessions a week where you are permitted to take 2 under 4s. I think they put extra lifeguards on. I'm not a keen swimmer though, and as my kids aren't bothered either, we haven't ever ventured.

Actually, I think it's a good rule, if inconvenient.

DSs (5 and 3) can both swim and we take them with 2 adults. Last time we went, the pool was very busy. DH was watching DS1 and I was watching DS2. I literally blinked and DS2 was gone. I could be calm because I know he is confident and capable in water but had he been a non swimmer i would have panicked. This was in the shallow "beach" end of the pool so he was on his feet. Keeping track of 2 children as a single adult would be a nightmare.