Amy loves Bud Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 At what age can a child swim without adult supervision. I mean in your backyard with a buddy of same age/ability or greater with you in the house checking on them occasionally. Luke will be 10 next month, and I'm not comfortable with it yet, but maybe next year. I can see that time coming soon. Just wondering what the consensus is out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanG Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 My kids are 7 and 8, and they've been doing it since last summer. As long as they're out there together, or with a friend who can swim well, I don't worry about it. I know some parents are a lot more cautious, but I feel totally comfortable with it. We have a 4.5 foot deep above ground. If we had a 10 foot deep in ground pool, I might feel differently. Since they can all stand and have their mouth above water, I don't worry so much. They know to come get me right away if there is any problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Never. I live in FL and our rule is an adult must ALWAYS be present. Kids can get into all kinds of mischief and if an emergency happens they cannot be fully relied on to use mature judgments. Things can happen even with the most reliable children-accidents, choking or breathing issues etc. that can become a life-threatening event. I've heard and seen the aftermath of some tragic pool accidents that happened with adults present (used to be part of a safety swim organization) so the thought of not having one is IMO taking an even larger risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseballmom Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 My 12 year old isn't allowed swim without adult supervision yet. I don't know when I will feel comfortable with it. My friend's son is 12 and he has taken swim lessons that focus on safety and survival skills. The kids are required to jump in the pool with all of their clothes on and swim to the edge to pass the class. She still doesn't allow her son to swim without adult supervision. Also, a man (30 something) in this area drowned in a neighborhood pool last year. He was not alone and there was no alcohol involved. I would also be cautious about letting another child supervise, can you imagine the guilt that child would face if someone did drown. But I am probably too protective. Getting off my soapbox now! Dorothy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 So you will supervise your children till age 18? 15 year olds are lifeguards and junior lifeguards are 12-14. So in my mind there must be a transition age in there somewhere and I'm wondering what age that is! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 I think the answer is going to vary greatly, and it will just come down to what is comfortable for you in your individual circumstances. My kids are 5, 8, and 10 and go in the pool regularly with me watching out from the inside. They have been swimming since they were babies, we have a small yard and the pool is two feet from all the windows - I have a clear view of them if I am inside. And I can hear them as well. However, I rarely let the 5 yo go out without a buddy though. ETA: However, I wouldn't let them swim unsupervised at a friend's house though. In those situations there are usually more kids and its harder for parents to keep an eye on things. I would want to know that the parent is outside supervising - just like I am when we have guests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon in SC Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 15 year olds are lifeguards and junior lifeguards are 12-14. So in my mind there must be a transition age in there somewhere and I'm wondering what age that is! Thanks! Yes, but not *every* 12-15yo carries the skill level or the maturity and responsibility that a life guard trained teen would. That said, we are comfortable with, in my mom's above ground 4.5 foot pool, letting my very mature and very responsible 15yo dd supervise my younger dd (11yo) along with my 10yo twin nephews (very rambunctious) who are all excellent swimmers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanG Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Yes, but not *every* 12-15yo carries the skill level or the maturity and responsibility that a life guard trained teen would. That said, we are comfortable with, in my mom's above ground 4.5 foot pool, letting my very mature and very responsible 15yo dd supervise my younger dd (11yo) along with my 10yo twin nephews (very rambunctious) who are all excellent swimmers. Oh, it definitely depends on the child, their swimming skill level, their maturity level, and their ability to refrain from roughhousing, etc, in the pool. My kids have friends who can't swim, and friends who are just way too rough, and I would never let them swim in my pool unsupervised. With my own two, and their two friends from 2 doors down, though, I have no worries whatsoever about letting them swim while I'm in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogpond1 Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 supervision, but I wouldn't do it with any visiting children. We have an above ground pool and my kids are terrific swimmers. I do have my pool specially situated outside my kitchen window so I can always see it. When you add more kids into the mix and pool toys etc. it can change the equation drastically. The neighbor has a huge float that my daughter got trapped under for a bit and it really scared her. When we get a full pool the toys are out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 The rule here is no child swims without a responsible adult present, and not even adults swim alone. IMO, even an adult swimmer should be accompanied by another responsible adult, no matter where they swim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PariSarah Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 So you will supervise your children till age 18? 15 year olds are lifeguards and junior lifeguards are 12-14. So in my mind there must be a transition age in there somewhere and I'm wondering what age that is! Thanks! Yabbut, I think that is less about age than about training, strength, and preparedness. Ds is a stronger swimmer than I am, and I would probably let him swim in a backyard pool loosely supervised (like, me inside the house but paying attention) now. (He's ten.) I don't think I'd feel comfortable him doing that with a buddy unless I knew the buddy were also a very strong swimmer and I knew he had the parents' permission to do that. I would not allow him to be alone in the pool (like, when I wasn't even home) until the late teen years. I would not ask him to be responsible for his younger brother in the pool for many years. (I don't have a backyard pool, but my g'mom does, and this is how we handle things when we visit her.) At the IL's lake house, however, he will not be allowed to swim without an adult watching him until he is an adult. And I will always encourage him (like, with a cast-iron skillet in my hand) that he not swim alone, no matter how old he is. Right now he can swim "loosely supervised," but that means that an adult is outside and within visual range and able to do something about it if there's a problem. He has to have a life jacket on unless one of us is right there in the water with him, too, and that will continue for a few more years. There's a big difference between a backyard swimming pool and a lake that drops to 50 ft deep not twenty feet past the lawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.S. Burrow Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 My kidlets are 10 & 14 and we have an above ground pool. They are allowed in the pool without me being in the pool or the back yard. I can see/hear them from the kitchen & den which I make sure I am in those rooms if I'm not in the pool with them. My kidlets both swim well and are on a swim team. That said - no one else is allowed in the pool without an adult, me or DH, the backyard/pool with them. If friends are over - even swim team friends, mom or dad is right there....because all kids get silly and most forget safety when playing with their friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretchen in NJ Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Great question Amy. My dds are 10 and soon to be 9 and I have been thinking about this too. I am noticing as they get older that they also get braver. We have an in-the-ground pool. What would happen if one of them were to hit their head on the bluestone surround or on the diving rock and I wasn't there? I was thinking about 13, but now I am thinking 12 to 14 with life guard training. Still thinking............... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 There are so many variables. Our pool is large with a 10 foot deep end. My kids are strong swimmers. But you know, sometimes I even wonder about what could happen to me while I'm swimming alone. What if I accidentally hit my head on the edge while swimming laps? Tragedies happen in an instant. I let my olders (10 & 12) get in ahead of me while I'm getting the littles ready, but I'm where I can see them, and it's less than 5 minutes. I'm sure there will be a point where we'll let them go out together unsupervised, but we're not there yet. And you know what? Just because a teenager has on a shirt that announces him or her as "Lifeguard" doesn't mean they are capable of doing what their title suggests. I've been at the public pool several times when a mom had to step in and pull a little one out or break up rough-housing/dunking that had gotten to a point where one of the kids was choking. I don't care how fast a teen can jump in to a pool fully dressed and pull out a dummy. It's often judgement that they're lacking, and that, in my opinion, is the most important quality to possess when it comes to water safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 If it was my pool it would be my liability. I'd take the kids to a community 25 or 50 meter pool and give them a swim test. 50 meters front crawl (freestyle) or breast stroke and 50 meters backstroke (100 meters continuously) followed by 2 minutes of treading water. And the kids would have to be at least 10. Sounds like a pain, but I couldn't see any less. It would be a real pain with friends coming over to visit who wanted to play, but I'd have to do and demand the same level swim test. A child who can swim 100 meters continuously without trouble and tread water for 2 minutes has a good sense of where his body is in the water and how to respond to water. He's not drown proof--no one is, but this is the point where I begin to feel comfortable. No backyard pool is 100 meters long, but kids play a long time and where themselves out in the water and I'm looking for how a kid responds when he's tired in the water. If I were to have a pool party with kids under the age of 20 (I'm not kidding) I'd hire lifeguards to stay by the side of pool for the day/evening--I've attended backyard pool parties where this was done. I love swimming. There's a reason I have always lived walking distance to a pool and never wanted a backyard pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 My kids are 8-11 and swim by themselves with me sitting inside by the window. I usually read or work on the computer but sometimes, if they are playing great together, I will work in the kitchen and check on them every 5 mintues or so. Our pool isn't that deep so there is no head first diving or dunking allowed. We have an automatic one week pool time out for any offense - no second chances. My kids are not allowed to swim alone and if a sibling doesn't want to swim then I sit outside to supervise. We had a horrible incident in our previous hs community where a 13 year old girl was swimming by herself and somehow hit her head and her father found her floating face down. Thankfully she has fully recovered, but it was a long, difficult trial. So far I supervise all friends that come into the home by sitting outside with the exception of the neighborhood boys that swim here 5X times a week. Both of their parents are aware that I supervise from inside the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 I don't know when but for sure not now. My oldest is nine. She is on rookie swim team and swims, on swimming days for an hour and a half a stretch. I might be able to let her swim with loose supervision. My middle is seven. He is learning breaststroke in swimming lessons, having already learned freestyle and butterfly. But his endurance is awful. He has a hard time doing one 25 yard length of the pool. He needs adult supervision. Supervision by an adult that knows he is a relatively weak swimmer. My youngest is four. He is learning freestyle. He can not be in the pool without an adult actively watching just him. He is just beyond the jump in clothed and float class. He is not at all water safe. He, however, knows this and rarely will move off the steps in a pool without an adult directing him. But that is false security since he has reached for a floating toy and tumbled in several times. He did roll over and airplane like he was taught, but it isn't enough. For us, my youngest is going to need to be at the level of my oldest before I could let them play in the pool alone. It isn't going to be a safe thing for a very very long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 I don't care how fast a teen can jump in to a pool fully dressed and pull out a dummy. It's often judgement that they're lacking, and that, in my opinion, is the most important quality to possess when it comes to water safety. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammi Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Mine were about 10 years old. They both were great swimmers and as long as I was in the house and they told me they were going swimming, I would let them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 Wow, so many well thought out and varied responses! I just want to clarify that I'm not asking about letting kids swim *alone* but rather without constant adult supervision. I definitely agree that it's too risky to be swimming alone, and there are certain of DS's friends that I would never allow back there without being within arm's reach because they are so nuts! What I am talking about doing, in probably a year is allowing my son and daughter and probably my son's best friend, swim without me sitting there watching them directly. The pool is 12 feet from my back door, so I would likely be in the kitchen or living room within 25 feet of the pool and with at least a partial view of the pool from anywhere within that space. And now that I've spained myself, a question for you all... Many of you have mentioned that you have an above ground pool, as if that affects your decision. Why would that make a difference? Ours is in ground and the only thing I can think of is that I can always see into the pool to know what's going on. Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 I let my older kids swim without my being outside when they were 8, 10, and 12. I had a sun room in my kitchen, and double French doors in my den, so even if I wasn't outside, I was still keeping an eye on them. By that age, they had been swimming competitively for many years, so I felt confident in their skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanG Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Many of you have mentioned that you have an above ground pool, as if that affects your decision. Why would that make a difference? Ours is in ground and the only thing I can think of is that I can always see into the pool to know what's going on. Just curious. I wouldn't feel as comfortable letting my kids swim without supervision in an inground pool because of the concrete and the diving board. I have seen too many kids slip on the wet concrete around a pool, hit their heads on the side of the pool, or hurt themselves on the diving board. IMO, it's just not as easy to get badly hurt in an above ground pool. Now if the kids are running around the upper rim of the pool or something like that, then yeah, that's going to be dangerous - but normal swimming and getting in and out of the pool seems less hazardous, to me, than using an inground pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy loves Bud Posted July 14, 2008 Author Share Posted July 14, 2008 I wouldn't feel as comfortable letting my kids swim without supervision in an inground pool because of the concrete and the diving board. I have seen too many kids slip on the wet concrete around a pool, hit their heads on the side of the pool, or hurt themselves on the diving board. IMO, it's just not as easy to get badly hurt in an above ground pool. Now if the kids are running around the upper rim of the pool or something like that, then yeah, that's going to be dangerous - but normal swimming and getting in and out of the pool seems less hazardous, to me, than using an inground pool. Ah - that makes sense. We don't have a diving board and it's only 5 feet at the deepest, but I can see worrying about the deck being slick. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 I allow our 11 and 8 y/o DSs to go to our neighborhood pool w/o me. There are lifeguards, but not always observant. I would definitely allow all our DCs to swim while I was in the house, if we had a pool. (We sometimes go to another pool w/o guards and I read or chat.) They're strong swimmers and are always in groups of 3 or more. I trust my children. I also know they're capable swimmers. This is one leash I believe they're ready to lengthen a bit. Can't monitor every move until college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanG Posted July 14, 2008 Share Posted July 14, 2008 Ah - that makes sense. We don't have a diving board and it's only 5 feet at the deepest, but I can see worrying about the deck being slick. Thanks! I'd feel a lot better without a diving board. And if I could trust my kids not to run around the outer edge of the pool. Whenever we're somewhere with an inground pool I find myself saying "stop running stop running stop running stop running" lol - I need to just make a recording. Not just for my kids, but all the other kids. Then they run INTO each other, and that's even worse. I'd frankly be much more worried about broken bones than drowning. We've also seen kids just run at a pool and do a cannonball, landing on top of another child - that terrifies me. We got the above ground pool for these reasons, it was just a side benefit that it was only $3000 instead of the $30,000 an inground would have cost!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 When dd was 10, I let her and friends that were strong swimmers go in without me right there next to the pool. That said, we had a Florida pool, so it was saddled right up to the back of the house and we had windows that went across the back of the kitchen and family room. I would stay in those rooms and crack a window so I could hear them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 At our pool, children cannot come up unaccompanied until they are at least 12 years old, and they have to pass a swimming test. And then, there are always lifeguards present. When I was growing up, we had a pool. I know my mom wasn't always right out there, but she would have been in the kitchen where she could step sideways and see us out the door. I really think that by age 12, as long as you are present and checking regularly, kids could swim without you being right there. They are old enough to come for help if they need it, and understand that horsing around in the pool will result in their pool privileges being revoked. I don't have any that old yet, so I might change my mind in a couple of years. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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