Pool safety with toddlers and young children

[Gardenertobe]

DS is 4. In the next couple of years I would like to take him to beach holidays. DH just told me that he almost drowned in a pool when he was 8 because he panicked. His parents were looking elsewhere for a minute and luckily another adult saved him. This happened to him despite knowing how to swim.
After I heard this I wanted to ask for some advice - what is the best way to keep young children safe around water apart from swimming lessons?
I learned how to swim basically growing up by a beach and my parents didn’t do anything apart from sitting close by.

We’ve booked villas the last couple of years. last one was gated which was brilliant at until the then 3 year old figured out how to open it. Luckily he was good at not doing. We quickly obtained a carabiner and he did not figure that out.

This year the plan is - kids wear floaties at all times. Door to outside is locked and key removed and put out of reach. Adult always ‘on duty’. Formal handover if one of us is going inside etc.

DS4 can swim reasonably well.

i couldn’t swim until I was 9 and had a couple of near misses, mainly because I wasn’t being closely supervised.

There’s a wrist bracelet that sounds an alarm when wet, we used it for my son when on holiday when he was younger, they can’t remove it. Turtle something I think

Following for interest. I only have one dc (2) and petrified of her drowning.

You just have to keep watching them in pools. Dh and I took turns

Also, swimming lessons.

Knowing how to float and upright self in water.

As parents though, we still need to keep a close eye on them at all times near water.

Be in the water with them at all times unless another adult is looking after them and even then watch them all the time. And obviously teach them to swim as young as possible, but that doesn't mean you don't stay with them.

unpopular opinion perhaps but mine wear vests. Long arm and leg suits and a vest. If they panic or I’m distracted (four of them) it gives me that time. They can swim. Well.

we have just come back from first holiday abroad. The lifeguard shook my hand and with the help of google translate explained how helpful it was. I left a vest with another mum whose hill fell into the pool as they were walking by. She had a baby in a sling.

we are fairly free range here. My kids ride, can drive a quad. But nothing happens without a helmet. No helmet no go. Same for pool. No vest no go

I also nearly drowned as a child on holiday when I could swim, I was just completely overwhelmed, a random man pulled me out.
My DD is 8 next week, she can swim but we’ve had to keep a very close eye on her in the pools this week (we’re on holiday). Controlled swimming lessons are nothing compared to a busy swimming pool with everyone thrashing around and throwing balls to catch etc.
Both me and DP have been in the pool the entire time with her and all it takes is to look around/get distracted for 15 seconds and her chin dips under and she’s spitting water out.
It requires hyper vigilance to be honest, you can’t afford to not be in the pool with them/taking your eyes off them.

We lived in the Mediterranean when ours were toddlers. Their early swimming lessons were basically teaching them how to be safe. So the instinct of jumping in then immediately turning around to hold the side, how to float, how to tread water, and how to propel themselves through the water... they had a swim test where they had to jump into the deep end, tread water for 1 minute, then "swim" 25m to the shallow end. They needed to be able to that before being taught any strokes.

It’s weird how instinctive swimming is! We take the kids swimming here regularly. My not quite 2 year old recently got one of the swim vests with built in arm bands. We obviously never take our eyes off her and are right next to her the whole time but it took less than half an hour of her wearing it and watching big brother before she got the hand of holding her chin up and doggy paddling. She was very resistant to any attempts to hold her after that, wanted to just do it herself.

We are focusing on all the basic skills you mention. Roll onto back, float, tread water, grab the side

Does he have swimming lessons? Really important.

DH was 8, your child is 4 so won’t be in the pool by himself anyway/or unsupervised when nearby, presumably.