DC freedom at a swimming complex

[SunnySummerHols]

At what age would you allow a child to go off on their own in a busy swimming pool with slides & lifeguards if they have passed all levels of swimming badges (inc 50m breaststroke, 50m front crawl, 50m back stroke & 25m butterfly plus 20m of any stroke) & there was a designated place an adult would be at all times that they were told to return to approx every 10-15mins?

11

How tall are they compared with the depth of the pool?
How busy is it?

Heaving then not at all.
Well within depth and not too busy then 10.

Not quiet or heaving but pretty busy.
Out of depth for the deepest part of the main pool but indepth for the rest of the main pool and where the slides go into etc.

Well, most pools are over 8 now aren’t they? Personally I don’t consider 8 as old enough to be unaccompanied and nor does a 25m badge mean anything really (I coach swimming). I’d want my child to be able to be able to be safe in the depth of the water and also depends on how busy as per PP. Supervision should be your responsibility, not the lifeguards as they have a lot to watch over.

I get concerned as I’m not a strong swimmer myself, although I can swim, and interested in what others allow. It isn’t usually an issue as we tend to go on holiday or to pools with other families but when it’s just me and 2 DC I know the safest thing is for us to all go together but just wondering other people’s thoughts on when it’s ok to let them go off on their own. I realise it isn’t hard and fast as it will depend on the specific circumstances.

I’ve always been in the pool myself with ours but I am a swimmer too.

I feel like 13 would be the earliest I'd stop wanting to have visual sight of them.

I took mine aged 11 and 9 to a water park yesterday. I was mainly with them (just because we were enjoying going on the slides together!) but at one point I went for a swim in the main pool and they went off to go on some slides. In reality I could probably have left them to do it all themselves, but I didn’t really want to.

At least 11. In reality I’d probably say 11 but be nervous.

Im a strong swimmer and swim a lot with my kids, but those places aren’t the safest. Too many examples of kids getting stuck under inflatables and no one noticing, or just slipping when being silly and running.

I think my kids were 12.

It depends as much on the sensibility of the child as their swimming ability.

DD2 had the swimming ability from about 6, but not the maturity until 8/9.

DS1 had the swimming ability from 7ish, but not the maturity until 12/13.

Also consider how they behave together if there's two of them. There were several things that I absolutely could have trusted my twins to do separately, but not together.

Depending on the type of pool might be easier to ask them to return every third trip down the slide, or after each wave machine finishes, rather than a set time unless they have waterproof watches they can set timers on.

Also consider how many other unaccompanied children there are.

One pool local to us has lifeguards that are very used to keeping an eye on unaccompanied children. Policy is from 8, it's free in the school holidays and lots of people send their kids. They're very used to dealing with kids and will tell them off, bio any carryon in the bud etc without a thought.

Other pool locally tends to be adults and kids with adults. The lifeguards aren't as attentive and there isn't as many of them as the other pool.

8

Thanks everyone.
My DC are 12 1/2 and nearly 15.
The eldest didn’t think the youngest should go off on their own but I did allow it for a while. For the first two visits I stayed with them (as I like water slides) but the third visit they went off on their own together mostly but also separately for a while.

It sounds like parents would also allow this as long as the DC are sensible.

And I said 10-15mins in my OP as that was roughly the time but I was sat near where they came out from the slides so I saw them each time they had queued for a slide & come down.

Thank goodness you’re sensible OP! Having seen someone try to leave a 2 and 5 year olds unaccompanied in the baby pool recently (really) I was bracing myself for something mad!

I’m pretty sure that at 12 my friend and I were going to the swimming pool completely alone! As in walking into town with our swimming bags, having a swim and walking home. (Mid eighties)

not at all for a busy place??

I now have visions of you leading a 22 year old around a busy swimming pool by the hand 😆🫣

LOL. Though the OP did say 'child'.

Kids can drown in a matter of minutes so checking in with you every 10-15 minutes is no good.

So I think they'd need to be competent swimmers (judged by an adult standard) and sensible enough that you know they will appreciate the risks and behave safely in a dangerous environment. And I wouldn't swim anywhere without a lifeguard myself, so I wouldn't let my DC do this.

Probably 12+, though exact age would depend on swimming skills and common sense.

At our local pool the rule is all children under 12 have to have an adult in the water with them.

The rule is under 8 at our local pool, which has water slides/a wave pool.

Completely fine at 12!

Yes, there are parents who don't watch toddlers and 4-7 year olds properly around water (there are swimming lakes where I live and small children drown every year, though mind you so do young adult men and older adults in similar numbers - different reasons for each of the risk profiles obviously.)

The pool itself rules will be 8.

There would definitely be 8 yr olds in there totally on their own.

if a pool itself, with their access to risk assessments etc and the huge h&s rules we have to adhere to in this country, says 8 is fine, i would think it was.

8

You are obvo welcome to do whatever you like with your own dc, but be aware that this is about 3 years older than I have ever seen an adult still supervising. I’m a lifeguard and swim teacher.