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[MomOfOneFunOne]

I heard drowning once refered to as "silent death" or something like that b/c there is no screaming, et c.

 

My daughter nearly drowned once: no noise or splashing. It was in a lake, though, so no lifeguard.

 

Horrid.

 

Lifeguards really have to be on their toes and if I felt one were lax, I'd speak up. The only place we go w/ a lifeguard is the Y. If I felt that the guard weren't watching, I'd speak with the acquatic director.

[gardening momma]

I don't know if I've ever been to a pool with lifeguards (ok, once). Even if there were, I would consider it my responsibility to keep an eagle eye on my kids under 7 (in my case, I'd include my 7 yr old, as she's on the brink of being a swimmer, but is not to the point where I wouldn't have to supervise).

[NanceXToo]

I haven't had that experience but if I truly felt lifeguards were being lax at a given place, I would not just stop going there...I would ask for a pool manager/supervisor and tell them. That could potentially be saving another child's life, even if you decide not to continue going there!

[Mrs Mungo]

I used to be a lifeguard. We had 3 on duty at all time, 2 in the chairs (one for the shallow end, one my the diving board) and one walking the edge of the pool or in the pool. Every 30 minutes the kids had to sit on the edge of the pool for a minute to make sure there wasn't anyone in trouble.

 

Kids in trouble usually slip quietly under water. When you watch a pool full of kids day after day your eye immediately picks it up when something is wrong, IME.

[NanceXToo]

P.S. Read this article as to what drowning looks like:

 

http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Oh, it's "silent killer" and here is a link.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/drowning-looks-different-than-you-think-2010225

[Mejane]

Drowning is a silent death.

 

The lifeguards at the pool in our former town were very well trained and supervised. They only sat for an hour, then were relieved. They were not allowed to converse while on duty. I watched them watch; they never took their eyes off the pool. These were college kids, and they did a helluva job.

[athena1277]

Honestly, I don't depend on the lifeguards. I watch my kids closely, especially when they are little. When we go to the pool in the summer, I always stay very close to ds, in the water. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I have heard of too many people whose very young children have drowned.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

Honestly... I couldn't describe the lifeguards at any of the pools we've been too... but I don't take my eyes off DD when we are at a pool. She's still young enough that I need to be right there with her at all times.

[tabrizia]

My Mom actually reported the lifeguards at one of the pools at her club this summer, they were that bad. They were not paying any attention, talking to each other, one was painting her nails. They were also allowing kids to break a bunch of the pool rules. They did rotate positions every 15 minutes and half a 15 minute break every hour, there were 5 lifeguards and 3 stations, so they weren't being overworked.

 

That being said, I don't trust lifeguards as my main line of defense anyways. They are a backup to me watching my children. I do know what drowning looks like, and know it is a silent killer. I also was a life guard for 9 years, so I still remember a lot of the basics, though I would have to take a refresher course if I wanted to be one these days, since it has been about 8 years since I was last certified.

[southcarolinamom]

When I was 10, our Awana youth group went to a local YMCA for an hour or two of swim time. For whatever reason, the lifeguard thought I could swim, and THREW ME IN THE DEEP END OF THE POOL AS I WALKED BY HIM. I couldn't swim. I distinctly remember sinking all the way down to the bottom of the pool, and didn't know how to push myself to the top of the surface. After being promptly rescued, I was taken home by one of the Awana leaders. Boy, was my mom mad.

 

I was absolutely petrified to go into a pool again until I was 13, when my parents took us 4 kids to another YMCA for swim lessons. I guess I had PTSD :001_smile:

 

My husband and I taught our kids to swim well before their 10th birthdays. I NEVER want them to experience what I went through.

 

My son has been a lifeguard for 2 summers, and he completely agrees with the news articles posted above.

[Lara in Colo]

When dd1 was 5 we were at a swim party at a large rec center with about 6 lifeguards and she nearly drowned. This is a very long story but short version is she got out of the shallow (7 inches with lots of toys) end walked around the pool to the super (inclosed three story steps) slide and went down and ended up in the 8 foot section. She did this while my back was turned for 2 minutes to put her towel on a chair (we'd been at the pool for 3 min). While I was frantically looking for her in every part of the pool, she was climbing steps and drowning in the deep end (yes I'd looked there several times-but she wasn't there yet!!) There was a lifeguard for the deep end and only a few people there yet, another father saved her!!! He said "when she went down for the third time I figured she didn't know how to swim!!" Needless to say she's won't go near water without a panic attack and I've never been there again!!

 

DD1 maker of ALL my grey hair (there are 10)

 

Lara

[Mom2J112903]

Have you ever stopped going to a pool because you felt the lgs weren't doing their jobs well?

 

 

No because it is not their job to watch my child like a hawk, that is my job. I am a firm believer that if you can not swim and you take your child to a pool, do not go in water over *your* head. If your child can not swim, they should not be within an arms reach away from you.

 

This may not be the most popular opinion, but I refused to let J out of my sight or reach before he learned to swim. Even now he does not go more than 10ft away from me, and he swims better than some adults!

[Parrothead]

I've never depended on life guards so it wouldn't bother me it they were lax or not.

[Abigail4476]

The pool (waterpark) our kids go to in the summertime has a great system of lifeguards; they switch posts every 15 minutes, and they are very attentive. They have lifeguards both in the water and out.

 

However, as the parent, I'm the person who is primarily responsible for the safety of my children. I don't depend on the lifeguards to keep my children safe. Until your children are older and very strong swimmers, I don't recommend leaving them in or around water unsupervised. I don't think anyone should ever swim alone.

[mcconnellboys]

Those who are in the process of drowning generally do so very quietly and you can be looking right at them and not realize what's happening. This happened to my neice when she was very little. She was between my sister and I and neither of us realized for a minute what was happening....

 

Most of the lifeguards I know here will watch kids carefully if they see that they're weak or flounder around when swimming. They will repeatedly ask them if they need help and will even extend a line if they think the child might need it, in spite of any refusal.

 

My son has been a lifeguard for several years and while the training is sound, if kids get a job at a pool where they don't have large volumes of people and/or regular encounters with problems, they may be slow to act when an emergency arises. The kids who lifeguard here regularly talk to each other about how different the private, neighborhood pools are from the large, public pools in terms of the level of intensity regarding safety. Those who get more practice in that regard are quicker to act (and act correctly) in an emergency.

 

I don't think parents should ever turn over control of their little children to a lifeguard and presume they will be safe....

[gardening momma]

No because it is not their job to watch my child like a hawk, that is my job. I am a firm believer that if you can not swim and you take your child to a pool, do not go in water over *your* head. If your child can not swim, they should not be within an arms reach away from you.

 

:iagree: It might be their job to be a lifeguard, but it's my job too (call me a helicopter mom if you want, but we're talking life & death, so I don't care).

[Lara in Colo]

I think the point of my story is that you can be a helicopter mom (I am with dd1) and things can STILL happen--I had my eyes off that child for 3 min or less (long enough to walk 6 ft to chair and back) and she walked behind me around the pool (while I'm frantically looking for her in the water where I left her) and with a room of parents watching and lifeguards ---she still almost drowned. I like to know that I have some safety insurance in place!

 

Lara

[forty-two]

I'm kind of shocked at all the people who wouldn't care about a lax lifeguard :confused:. Yes, I would never let my non-swimming or weak swimming children out of my reach - but lifeguards aren't just for those who can't swim well. Accidents can happen to anyone. I want *both* me and the lifeguards keeping an eagle eye on things, myself. I would definitely report any lax lifeguards.

[danybug]

Our neighborhood has a community pool. The lifeguards there are always college girls and it is basically like having no lifeguard at all. One is one duty and they are either texting, laying out, looking at magazines or talking to friends they have visiting them.

 

I consider the bulk of the responsibility to be mine to watch my kids. But it would be comforting to know there are another pair of eyes watching. This summer I was packing up our things and the kids were drying off. My dd, who had just turned 3, decided to run back and jump in with her swim vest off because she saw a neighbor just get there. I had my back to her for one second and turned around and saw her flailing under the water. I had to run and leap off the side pregnant (due in a week) and rescue her. I was pissed that the lifeguard was hanging out with friends at the table and she had no idea the whole event happened. I was so shook up that it happened that I did not say anything to her then. I still wish I had at least brought it to someone's attention at some point afterwards, but I gave birth to my ds and was distracted the last weeks of summer :glare:

[Mrs Mungo]

I don't think parents should ever turn over control of their little children to a lifeguard and presume they will be safe....

 

I was a lifeguard at an overnight summer camp, there were no parents present.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

No because it is not their job to watch my child like a hawk, that is my job. I am a firm believer that if you can not swim and you take your child to a pool, do not go in water over *your* head. If your child can not swim, they should not be within an arms reach away from you.

 

I have a friend who took swim lessons as an adult so that she can swim with her kids.

[Mommyfaithe]

Have you ever stopped going to a pool because you felt the lgs weren't doing their jobs well?

 

And anyone who is/was a lifeguard -- what does a young child look like when they are about to drown? Do they flounder for a while or yell, or basically just slip under water? I am embarrassed/thankful/stunned that as a parent of 2 under 7yo, I do not know the answer to this.

 

Hi I'm Carl, Faithe's son. I am a certified lifeguard and competitive swimmer, so mom thought I could try to answer your question.

 

If the child is a good swimmer, watch for changes in their movements, they will be more vertical in the water than when they are swimming normally. Also, they will probably flounder in the water for a little while before slipping under.

 

Children who are beginners and who normally swim vertically will either slow, or become more frantic in their movements. You can tell if someone is beginning to drown if they seem to be struggling to stay afloat, rather than trying to move forward. Instinct is to keep your head above water, so look for flailing of the arms, they will also tilt their head back to keep their face above water-level.

 

The best way to know is to become accustomed to your childs swimming style, and watch for any obvious changes in their movements. These could be indicators that your child is struggling to stay afloat. Hope this helps.

 

~Carl

[In The Great White North]

I told dc they had to take swim lessons til they got their lifeguarding certificate because of this. Even a fairly vigilant lifeguard can't watch every child for every second.

 

I am constantly amazed at people who let their dc stop swim lessons at Level 3 or 4, saying the child can swim. :confused: Level 4 is not a good enough swimmer to save themselves, let alone their children when they grow up.

[Laurie4b]

Honestly, most of the guards are lax at nearly every pool I've been too. I think it's a really hard job for a teenager (and most are teens) to keep scanning the pool. I've watched them talk to other lifeguards, look out into space, etc. I just always assume I am the lifeguard for my kids in terms of identifying a problem. Perhaps they could help by giving CPR if necessary.

[Laurie4b]

P.S. Read this article as to what drowning looks like:

 

http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndbGvjqEweA

The child is rescued

[mcconnellboys]

They are supposed to switch stations periodically and take regular breaks in order to help insure that they stay attentive. While I've seen problems here with guards failing to properly identify someone who is drowning, what worries me more is that some freeze up when it's time to administer CPR. It's a different thing to practice on a dummy than it is to administer it to a live person under an emergency situation. A kid who freezes up normally gets fired, but that may be too late for the victim if someone else wasn't there to help out.....

[Sonshine]

I watch my kids myself, lifeguard or no lifeguard. When my oldest were little, the lifeguard at the YMCA was treading water and kissing her boyfriend (at least I hope it was her boyfriend) in the deep end while on duty. Nice work if you can get it.

[Carrie12345]

I don't trust the lifeguards at our pools and lakes. They're mostly young, underpaid, distracted kids. I watch my children the same way I would if there were no lifeguards present.

 

We actually just discovered that our insurance rates won't go up if we get rid of the guards, so it's looking like we may move to swim at your own risk next summer.

[TravelingChris]

Our neighborhood used to have local teens as lifeguards. The committee a few years ago decided they were not reliable enough. They switched to using Serbian students who go to university there and have summer break. As all my kids point out, these lifeguards are on top of things. THey are not goofing off and are absolutely making sure no one is breaking rules or drowning.

 

I do think the best thing to do is make sure your children know how to swim. In a limited area situation like a pool, the ones who drown don't know how to swim or are impaired in some way. Yes, you can drown in the ocean even with knowing how to swim if you get in a rip current and don't know what to do or you can swim out too far and get too tired. BUt in a pool, or a limited area, that just doesn't happen. In fact, it is one reason that investigators suspect foul play if someone appears to have drowned in a pool but they are a good swimmer. THe cause is usually inebriation, another medical cause including concussion, or murder.

[mirth]

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[Laura Corin]

I've never depended on life guards so it wouldn't bother me it they were lax or not.

 

My children's safety was my responsibility until they could both swim safely.

 

Laura

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