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monique
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| Posted: July 22 2008 at 9:41am | IP Logged
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I've noticed that several of you have mentioned taking children to the pool. Even those of you with many more children then I have. How do you do this? Do you have help? Or do your older children watch the little ones? I'm too scared to take my 5 by myself. I really would only have to watch the youngest two but even then it worries me because my 3 yo will take off by himself. My oldest two can swim and my third one is getting there.
Thanks for any pointers you have!
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Monique
mom to 5
Raising Saints
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 22 2008 at 9:59am | IP Logged
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our pool is L shaped with the short end of the L being the 12 ft.. the other deep part is about 5 ft and then the shallow end is about 3.5 ft. then in the middle of the L is a small wading pool.. about 18 inches deep.
I started out being incredibly strict and if rules weren't followed we left.. my kids didn't mess up often for that reason  getting to swim is worth following any rules around here 
OK so I had to be in the wading pool and any non-swimmers were with me. Those who were at the point that they could most likely get to the wall on their own if they went in over their head were allowed to be in the big pool but only where they can touch. Once they were proficient swimmers (could swim the length of the long part of the L without stopping) they're allowed in any section of the pool.. BUT they had to tell me which of the 3 sections they were in.
I've relaxed the telling me where they are.. but not the limits.. and it works well for me.
I've even been with the new baby.. just wore baby in a sling and had my 1.5 yr old in the baby boat (she still struggles getting up if she falls in the baby pool).. my 3 yr old is quite happy splashing around and playing.. I just really need to keep an extra eye on the 5 yr old.. he's allowed to be in the big pool where he can touch but he's less reliable than the 6 yr old who has the same restriction. The others are all competent swimmers now.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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marianne
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I keep the younger three with me at the separate baby pool, and trust the lives of my almost 8,9 and 10yos to the lifeguards. They are all good swimmers and there are lifeguards surrounding the pool. I pray about every 5 minutes, too!
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Lisbet
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| Posted: July 22 2008 at 11:43am | IP Logged
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We go to the pool a few times a week. The 7 and up crew have all passed their swim tests so they do the big pool and boards under the watchful eyes of the many lifegaurds.
I keep the under 7 crew with me in the kiddie pool usually, the baby is often tied to me and the 2 year old is a little fishy! :) Sometimes I venture into the big pool with the younger kids, the shallow starts at 2 feet, and they have fun playing there.
I also keep very strict rules about kids staying together, where and where they are not allowed to go, restroom policy, how often to check in etc.. If any rule is broken, we pack up and and go home! :)
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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Sarah M
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| Posted: July 22 2008 at 2:54pm | IP Logged
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Great tips, ladies- thanks. I'm terrified to take my three to the pool alone. None of mine can swim, and my almost 3 year old son is.... obedience-challenged.  But I think I may brave it after all- at least at a pool with lots of lifeguards on duty.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 22 2008 at 2:55pm | IP Logged
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oh I forgot one other thing... try and get a feel for the busy times at the pool and how busy that is.. I usually take my children at a time that I generally find is less busy. During the week it's 3-4:45pm that one is nice because open swim ends at 4:45 so I don't even have to be the bad guy making them get out
And on the weekends it's in the 4-6pm time frame.. others are home doing the dinner thing.. we just plan for a late dinner that night.. either something super easy and quick or in the roaster/crockpot.
But it really makes a difference to me that the pool is less crowded.. it's easier to spot the kids and I feel more confident in the life guards' abilities to spot trouble.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 22 2008 at 3:00pm | IP Logged
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Sarah, you do what you need to, to feel comfortable.. most pools allow non-inflatable devices.. such as life jackets on the kids.. something like water wings often aren't allowed.
When I'm feeling challenged.. like we went to a lake last year.. playing on the beach I put all but the oldest 2 into life jackets.. while I still had to watch.. it gives me that extra bit of security if they get out of sight for a moment. (usually because they were behind another child or some such)
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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monique
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| Posted: July 22 2008 at 3:17pm | IP Logged
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I did take the 9,6, and 3yo to the pool on Saturday by myself. My MIL stayed at home with the 11 yo and 1 yo. It went well. There were lifeguards and it was a private party for Cub Scouts. I kept a close eye on the 3 yo and we (me and the lifeguard) only had to save him once! He didn't go under but he was bobbing and heading to the side of the pool. I'm very happy he knew what to do even though he hasn't had any lessons. Then we talked about staying on the shallow side of the slide and he did fine from then on. The 9 and 6 yo seemed to be fine without me really watching them.
I really like these ideas and I'm thinking I could ask my 11 yo who goes to the pool with friends when the least busy times are.
Like you Marianne, I think I will still be praying every 5 minutes. But I'm feeling like I might be able to attempt this. I know the boys would really love to go.
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Monique
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MarieC
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| Posted: July 22 2008 at 10:29pm | IP Logged
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Sarah M wrote:
| Great tips, ladies- thanks. I'm terrified to take my three to the pool alone. None of mine can swim, and my almost 3 year old son is.... obedience-challenged. But I think I may brave it after all- at least at a pool with lots of lifeguards on duty. |
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Don't beat yourself up Sarah....the ages of your kids in some ways give you a harder time than those of us with more...those big kids are gems! I can send a preschooler to the bathroom with an older instead of packing up the whole crew....I remember those times and it was WAY HARD. Your gang is perfect baby pool age....no one is too big to still have fun there and they are usually much lower key than the big pool.
Good luck!!
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doris
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In the UK you're not even allowed to take more than two under-8s/non-swimmers per adult...
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helene
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I keep 3 non-swimming boys with me in the kiddie pool, the other six swim in the bigger pool which starts out at 3 feet. My olders take 20 minute shifts in the 3 foot area with the two middles to provide close watching. I would not rely on life guards. One time while I was having trouble "saving" my 5 yo with a newborn in one arm I yelled for help repeatedly, she never clued in. All was fine, but it showed me something. Many of them are very young.
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monique
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| Posted: July 28 2008 at 8:36pm | IP Logged
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Well.... I did it. We got the house cleaned up on Friday and we packed up and went to the pool! I took all 5. The older 3 are okay in the big pool. My daughter did have to save the 6 yo once because he got in a little deep. The lifeguard had noticed but my daughter did save him. I took the 3yo and 1 yo into the baby pool. The 1yo was not interested in playing in the water. He just stood by my legs. So I put him in the sling and the 3 yo and I went over to the bigger pool. We had "tea" there (snacks from the snack bar and water brought from home :)). It went very well! Thanks for inspiring me to take on this challenge. I'm hoping this might be a great treat for good behavior at the end of the week. At least through August until the pool closes!
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Monique
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teachingmom
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Good job, Monique!
It is hard to deal with lots of young children at the pool. I breathe a huge sigh of relief every time one of my girls "graduates" to being able to swim completely independently. I've always kept the younger ones right with me the entire time. (Well, these days big sisters sometimes offer to take the younger ones for some play time in the water or a short swim lesson.)
Although we have a baby pool, I really don't use it. We do have the blessing of a sloped entry into the big pool, so I can have toddlers and infants right in the big pool.
When I had more younger children who could not swim, I would camp out in the 1-2 foot sloped entrance area and allow my slightly older, but not yet swimming kids play in the 3-4 foot area nearby. I wouldn't let anyone go in over her head without me unless she was ready to really swim confidently. So mine are about 6 1/2 or 7 before they go in the deep end without me.
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Lisbet
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| Posted: July 29 2008 at 6:00am | IP Logged
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Elizabeth - the seriously don't ALLOW it? Wow! That's, um, well a really heavy handed law.
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
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Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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Lisbet
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OH I also wanted to mention how much nicer it is to meet friends at the pool. MarieC and I have done this quite a bit, and our kids stick together and we can help one another out, and it's just more FUN! 
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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Angi
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I take my 4 (ages 6, 5, 3, 3) to our pool. We have the best pool. There is a section that is 2ft gradually going to 3 feet. My children (6 and 5) know to stay on the shallow side of the rope. The twins are too scared to wander too far. I usually meet a friend there, so there are 4 eyes for our 6 kids.
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sarahb
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In our home, anyone under 5 or so must wear a life jacket. It makes my job easier.
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SuzanneG
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After reading this thread, I checked into our 2 outdoor pools. (My dc have never even SEEN an outdoor pool before ). I've never attempted such a magnanimous feat...
At two of them, they say, children 6 and under must be within an arms length at all times. So, my 6 and 7 year old couldn't be in the regular pool, as I'd have to stay in the kiddie pool with the youngers.
At another one: Adults must be in the pool with children age 7 and under (3:1 ratio). Uh, not a do-able ratio here.
And, for the family swim: One adult per two children under the age of 6.
Oh well......maybe in a couple of years..... 
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doris
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Lisbet wrote:
Elizabeth - the seriously don't ALLOW it? Wow! That's, um, well a really heavy handed law.
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Yep! Amazing, eh? In fact, while our littlest was really little, we took the older three to the pool, and had him on the side (being watched constantly by me) in a carseat. Then we were told that we weren't allowed to do that, either!
I can see where they're coming from, but it really is a nanny state...
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LeeAnn
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I've not yet attempted it! Mine are 10, 8, 5 and 2 and all but the toddler have had swim lessons. But I still worry about trying to manage the 5 and 2 year old simultaneously.
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Taking lots of children to the pool
