# Pool safety for 2 year old who loves water



## laila2 (Jul 21, 2007)

How do I teach my two year old to not run around, jump in, the pool before we are ready?

This only happens when we are on vacation at a hotel or relatives. For instance my spouse was in the pool giving turns at jumping into his arms, and the 2 year old went out of turn and my spouse had to let 5 year old go to the bottom for a moment while he was getting the 2 year old under control. We have learned our lesson of one kid per parent.

Back to the original question. How do I get my two year old to slow down when it comes to water?


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## laila2 (Jul 21, 2007)

please help


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## MommyJoia (Oct 31, 2007)

you should look into the water survival classes if you live in an area where there are a lot of pools. I live in FL. my 4 Y/o has completed her swimming lessons and she can swim "independently" meaning she always needs adult supervision, but she can actually swim and she can get herself out of trouble if she ends up in an area where she cannot touch. My 12 month old can fall into the water, fully dressed, right herself and try to get to the edge and cry for help. If help doesn't arrive, she can float on her back and continue to cry for help.

If a you don't live in an area with a lot of pools and your problem is just vacation and so on, my only advice is constant supervision and trying to enforce the "rules" like if he runs on wet pavement, it's time to leave the pool, and you leave. If you're at a relatives house, and your DC breaks the "rules" you need to leave the pool area immediately. My 4 y/o DD had several 2 year olds in her class and they had no problems obeying the rules. Swimming pools and other bodies of water are very very dangerous. "natural consequences" include brain damage and death, so enforcing the rules is imperative.

Before you go to a pool, you can tell DC what is expected of them, if they step outside of the expectations you have to end the swimming session. At that age, they can obey saftey "rules". It is simply dangerous not to.


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## Evan&Anna's_Mom (Jun 12, 2003)

Since this is only an occassional problem, the other side is prevention. If you child isn't normally around water and isn't good about following rules, you could insist on swimming vest.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

A 2 yr old should not be near a pool without an adult with a hand on them. Prevention is the key.

-Angela


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## Jes'sBeth (Aug 30, 2004)

We insist on our 3 yr old wearing a PFD when we're around the water. She's a pretty cautious kid but I'm not a perfect parent and the PFD will buy us some time if we ever have an incident. She's also in swimming lessons. It's the one thing that isn't negotiable with me. I'm willing to find a different teacher for swimming at a different pool if necessary but my kids will ALL have swimming lessons until they are competent swimers.

You are right to be worried about water safety! And you're right to be thinking 1 adult per kid. (actually it seems to me that you've already figured it all out! one kid per adult and eyes on kids at all times!)


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

we have a pool. 1 adult per kid. period. its really teh only thing you can do to ensure safety. you can use a pfd but its not 100% (its a bit of a safety net as someone previously posted) but 1 adult per kid is really teh only solution.

its going to be hard for me next summer unless 2 yo learns to fully swim on his own before then. he's 2.5 right now and not quite there yet and new baby will be here. its going to be something we try to deal w/ this winter (catching 2 yo up to full swimming ability) but it may not happen.


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## tonimk19 (Feb 7, 2007)

MommyJoia said:


> you should look into the water survival classes if you live in an area where there are a lot of pools. I live in FL. my 4 Y/o has completed her swimming lessons and she can swim "independently" meaning she always needs adult supervision, but she can actually swim and she can get herself out of trouble if she ends up in an area where she cannot touch. My 12 month old can fall into the water, fully dressed, right herself and try to get to the edge and cry for help. If help doesn't arrive, she can float on her back and continue to cry for help.
> QUOTE]
> 
> I live in Southern CA and would like to look into a similar program for my DD as my IL's have an ungated pool in their backyard which makes me very nervous...


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

http://www.infantswim.com/home.html

i wish these were nearby us.


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## MommyJoia (Oct 31, 2007)

that's the program we used.


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## Kiddoson (Nov 19, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PassionateWriter* 
http://www.infantswim.com/home.html

i wish these were nearby us.

There is one near us but it is $115 per week, 40 miles away







With classes only 10 min each day, it's very expensive. I am bummed, I really want to take DS.


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