Swimming pool aids recommendations for 2 year olds

[BernardButlersBra]

We are going abroad with our 2 year old twins this summer. Please could l have some recommendations for swimming aids? They can’t swim, hopefully starting swimming lessons later in the year. We have swimming vests from when we went to Centre Parcs but they seem a bit bulky for packing in a case?

This thread is a classic example of the atrocious reading comprehension from Mumsnetters. Yes OP, you’re fine to have them in swim vests or some other floatation device so that sometimes one of you can leave the pool to pee or whatever. No, you don’t have to spend your holiday teaching them survival skills and how to swim. Jesus Christ it’ll be a kids splash pool and with floats of some kind OP and her husband will manage between them better than without floats.

You have two children who can't swim, and two parents who can and should be in the pool with them at all times. The fact that they are twins isn't relevant. I don't take my two year old and four year old to the pool together without my husband, and the four year old can actually swim a bit.

I know right. I woke up to a right load of nonsense! All l can think is the people who can read and wear their glasses have now turned up 🤣

@Paperumbrella it literally will be this. We will be giving the 6 foot deep pool and water rapids a miss funnily enough. Thanks for a sensible answer

Thanks. I hadn't heard of swim find until now.
I was definitely thinking rash vest, obviously we will be using sun tan lotion but one twin is a lot fairer than the other

Mumsnet is nuts. “Spend the first day of your holiday teaching them to float and rescue”

For the love of God 🙄

Have fun on your holiday OP x

At that age it should be 1:1 adult to toddler in the water for safety. I would use a pool noodles which we have packed but can usually be bought in resort. Never more than an arm's reach away from the adult who's attention is sole on them. When you get out the children do.

We take pool noodle and foam armbands but have always driven on holiday so space was slightly less of an issue.
We did buy blow up arm bands but they didn't last the first swimming session without one getting a leak and then being useless
All swimming pools near us have a strict 1 adult per non swimmer policy so we adopt this too. Even at 4 going on 5 and fairly confident in the water we wouldn't be further than sat on the edge of the pool watching.
It might be worth trying a couple of trips to the local pool if time permits to test out options to see what works for you

Depends how wriggly your kids are. My 2yo takes the armbands off, so has to be in a suit with built in flotation aids. The jackets are bulky but harder for them to take off.

I’ve been through this journey three times (three kids) and read all the threads. Strong recommendation from experience is just get a puddle jumper for each. Yes it’s bulky. And yes it probably teaches them all sorts of bad swimming habits or whatever. But it is easy, safe and they have so much fun. We went round arm bands, fins, noodles etc and it’s all just uncomfy and a ball ache.

truly. This is one of my top parenting learnings. Once they can swim-ish then noodles are great. For having fun with your age group, puddle jumpers are the bomb.

and yes obv they should be supervised at all times.

They are not going to be full on swimming, probably just messing around in a shallow splash pool, and maybe going down a slide. My 4yo has swimming lessons but he can't swim independently except for short distances on a noodle. But the key thing is that he is absolutely exhausted after max half an hour of this. Whereas he'd have a bit more stamina (and did at 2) for messing around in shallow water in a splash pool and I might even get away with not being fully in the water 100% of the time as long as I was nearby. I think you'd still want a 1:1 ratio most of the time, but you have a bit more leeway in a paddling/splash pool than deeper water. However, as PPs said originally, you don't need any flotation aids for that. In fact, they might be counterproductive because you don't want nonswimming kids going into deeper water without you holding on to them or very very close.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with spending the first half hour in the pool practising jumping in and getting themselves to the side ffs. It’s fun, will wear them out, and more importantly give them the skill to get out the pool should that split second occur when you take your eyes off them and they think they’ll jump in, thinking they can float but not realising they have no armbands on. Especially with twins or two young ones where you need twice the awareness.

if you think water safety is ridiculous and feel the need to roll your eyes at it, maybe google some of the stats regarding kids drowning on holiday. It happens too fucking regularly.

for the sake of a bit of time disguised as play.

OP has her hands full with twins. My son has been swimming to the side and pulling himself out since a baby, so don’t bring all your bollocks about swim safety to me. It takes longer than a half hour when on holiday. They’ll be fine enjoying themselves in a splash pool with floats on.

Get a grip.

If at all possible, i would recommend 2 different flotation aids per child, just in case..we used a shark fin and armbands at that age if the water was deep. Just armbands in a splashpool .
Ignore all the mumsnet kids who can swim at 18months the latest snd are always surrounded by st least 2 adults.
1 adult, 2 kids and appropriate flotation aids for the pool should be fine.
Get the most outrageously coloured swimsuits though (not blue or green) - much easier to see them, blue/green blends in with thd water.

Old school armbands are easy to pack, the reason they are out of fashion is because the manufacturers want to sell you more expensive stuff! Of course one parent can supervise two dc, not saying it’s easy but I’ve done it so many times when mine were small. Splash park area is easier as no standing area.

Surely people aren’t really thinking the OP and partner are going to leave their 2 children and go for food!? I read it that ONE parent would stay and one would go. Madness.

no floatation recommendation but slipfree shoes are amazing poolside!

When I had 2 non swimmers they had jojo maman Bebe float suits.

No, the point is that you really should have one adult per child in the water.

I understand why single parents and parents with more than two children might not be able to make that work, but that's not the OP's situation.

And so you should be! The kid is 2! All non swimmers should be accompanied in water. If you ‘need a break’ you take them well away.

This. I hate seeing children of any age in floatation devices. They have no real understanding of how dangerous water is, until it’s too late. They don’t use them in baby swimming lessons (or shouldn’t do). Just be in the pool with them.

I think one adult can wrangle two children though you just keep them together. My twins at two spent many happy hours playing together in a shallow kids pool/ shallow end supervised by one adult. I do wonder what single parents of multiples are meant to do? Wait to preschool swimming when ten kids are supervised by two adults?

I used traditional blow up arm bands on holiday until mine were capable of actually swimming as I wanted them to be able to have fun splashing about on holiday and then swimming lessons were swimming lessons. Clinging on to you the whole time isn’t fun for anyone and a crowded pool on holiday really isn’t the time to badly attempt to teach themselves. Mine started lessons at 3.5, ditched the armbands at 5 because they could swim by then and I don’t think were harmed or set back at all. Eldest is on the school swim squad anyway!

They are in the pool with them. It’s just to make life a bit easier. On holiday. With 2 year old twins.

Only on Mumsnet is the idea of a floaty or armbands such a bloody taboo.

Theres all the time in the world for actual swimming lessons at home.

Aaah for the luxury of only having to wrangle 1 child hey! Not the lot of parents of multiples sadly. Somehow our childminder manages 4, not at the swimming pool l grant you but at the park, petting zoos, aquariums etc

🤣 l was starting to wonder if l was debating smoking crack or floats / arm bands. It’s a fun family holiday in the sun with some ice cream thrown in. People need to unclench a bit