# kiddie pool safety - update: drowning mentioned



## applecider (Jul 16, 2005)

Help me solve a disagreement...if you have a kiddie pool in the backyard (4-5 inches of water) and a 20 month old who is very physically active (started walking at 10 mos) who likes to do everything his 5-year-old brother is doing (ie jumping in the pool) do you feel it would be safe to leave them alone for a few minutes to go to the bathroom, get a drink, etc...?


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

No, I don't think I would be comfy for a few minutes if they were out of sight. Our backyard where our kiddie pool was set up is right by the kitchen backdoor and windows - so, I could easily grab a glass of water while still watching and hearing them.


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## seagull (Jun 29, 2005)

I wouldn't leave either child with a pool nearby. If I need to go back in the house, my kids come with me.


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## ivymae (Nov 22, 2005)

Nooooooooooooooo. Nope. No way.

For what it's worth, we had this disagreement in our house recently. DH came in from the yard and was talking to me while I nursed the baby inside, when i realized he had left the 2&4 year olds outside in the kiddie pool by themselves. I flipped, he was shocked I was so angry. After i started pulling up CDC stats (A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child age 4 and under; Of all preschoolers who drown, 70 percent are in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning and 75 percent are missing from sight for five minutes or less) he agreed that I had a point.Now the rule is one parent outside at all times, or kiddos come stand on the porch while the attending parent takes care of something inside. Annoying/inconvenient, yes, but so are carseats.


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## marinak1977 (Feb 24, 2009)




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## applecider (Jul 16, 2005)

Even with just a few inches of water?


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## delightedbutterfly (Oct 5, 2006)

Yes even with just a few inches of water. A few inches of water is enough to cover a childs mouth and nose. And that is enough to drown in.


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## jlasserton (Jul 10, 2010)

Not too sure about this. If you take the younger one inside with you then I would say it is fine to run inside for a few minutes. This will also work better if it is the backyard too. I do get nervous leaving young children alone. I think these kind of situations should be judged by the mother in the situation because they know their children the best.


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## Mama Mko (Jul 26, 2007)

I would not. Never.


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## Anastasiya (Jun 13, 2006)

I won't let our three year old or the 16 month old out there unattended, ever. The 4.5 and 6 year old, yes, but only for me to run in to check on a napping child, go to the bathroom or grab some water. We're talking 1 minute or less.

The way our house is set up, I can see or hear them at all times anyway (including while I use the bathroom), but regardless, I have the two big kids sing the ABCs out loud while I'm inside and they are swimming. If one voice drops out, then I'm ON them in an instant!


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## leighi123 (Nov 14, 2007)

I would probably not worry too much about it. I'd leave ds in the bath alone for a short time at that age (to take something out of the oven for example).

The kids who drown in a few inches of water are either unconsious, or something is preventing them from getting up. IMO not too likely in the 2min it would take you to pee, I wouldnt leave them longer than that though. If its on the grass, there arent really any hard surfaces for them to hit their head on and pass out face first. With a couple inches of water, if the little one falls in, he could just stand up again.


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## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

If I could hear them the whole time than yes, if not, too be honest if I was gone less than 2 mins than yes as well.


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

No way, no how. My son is 3 and 3 months and is an extremely strong independant swimmer and I let him wander my apartment complex unsupervised frequently. I would NEVER let him near a pool of any kind or any standing water without supervision. What if he falls in and gets stunned or knocked out? Drowning can happen in a blink of an eye.

Maybe I am just a nervous nelly around water, but my vote is a big NO.


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## Latte Mama (Aug 25, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *leighi123* 
I would probably not worry too much about it. I'd leave ds in the bath alone for a short time at that age (to take something out of the oven for example).

The kids who drown in a few inches of water are either unconsious, or something is preventing them from getting up. IMO not too likely in the 2min it would take you to pee, I wouldnt leave them longer than that though. If its on the grass, there arent really any hard surfaces for them to hit their head on and pass out face first. With a couple inches of water, if the little one falls in, he could just stand up again.

Apparently not.. I need to get to sleep but I went searching because I knew there had to be a reson why todllers did drown so easily in just inches of water.

http://childrenshospitalblog.org/wat...-for-toddlers/

They don't think to pull themselves up.
Sounds weird but it makes sense that not all toddlers that drown in these situations are all unconscious.


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## happysmileylady (Feb 6, 2009)

I don't even let my 20 month old across the pool without me. If her face gets wet, she flips out and has trouble catching her balance. If she falls and her face goes in the water, she's too startled and freaked to get herself upright in enough time. Now, she doesn't cry or scream, and she is far from scared of the water-when we are in deeper water, she literally jumps in with 100% faith that whoever is there will keep her safe. But her instant startled reaction is to suck in a huge deep breath and obviously if she's gone down with her face in the water, that's a bad thing. And despite the fact that she's been walking since 10 or 11 months, she's still prone to crashing pretty frequently, most often from trying to move too fast. So the likelyhood of her going down face first into the water, is pretty high.

And I would not trust a five year old to be able to right a 20 month old in enough time. Now, I have a 14 year old, I am totally confident in her ability to assist the 20 month old when she goes down, so I am comfortable leaving the two of them out of my sight, in fact, I am comfortable the teen take the toddler to the neighborhood pool alone.


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## astra (Jan 21, 2006)

No way! I would not leave them unattended with water at all!! Not even for a minute.


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## St. Margaret (May 19, 2006)

No way. DD was over 2 by a lot before I'd leave the bathroom while she was in the bath just to grab a book and run back, in like 15 seconds probably (I'd have her sing to me). I can run to the bathroom and pee in well under a minute (I know b/c I always beat the microwave







) so if the pool was close and I could hear them it might be different, I might dart in, but I would more likely make DD come with me. I have the pool set up by the door of our house so I can actually go pee and still see and talk to her







.


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## Aries1985 (Feb 29, 2008)

If I can see/hear her the whole time and am just running in to grab a drink or snack, then yes. I'm gone about a minute and I time it for times when she is NOT in the pool, but running around the yard. I've felt safe doing it, but as I said, I leave the door open and can see her the whole time.


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## Violet2 (Apr 26, 2007)

No.

I would run in to grab my keys or a pop simply b/c our fridge is right next to the door. 30 seconds and I'm back.

But no, I basically stay outside with Dd until we come in, I don't leave her as a general rule.

My rule of thumb is, if once it goes bad, it can't be undone, I am super anal about it.

V


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Absolutely not. DS 1 is 2 today. I took him to the pool today and he had a blast crawling through the water, then flopping on his belly, then he lost one hand out from under him, and his face went in the water. He froze, and did not think to lift his face out of the *maybe* three inches of water. I did give him a few moments to right himself, but he did not do so, when he did start to move, he kept his face in the water, and headed down to deeper water (we have a very gradual slope from nothing to a couple feet in the shallow end of the community pool.)

Most kids would lift their faces out, but some will not, and my son is one of those kids. I've had some others in swim lessons who were older and also froze when water hit their faces- it is just not safe.

FWIW, I am a lifeguard, and a WSI. My son has been exposed to water and swimming early and often, and is very comfortable in and around water. I don't know why he reacted as he did today, but if he had been out of direct sight and easy reach (about 5 feet away), the outcome could have been very bad.


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## Ornery (May 21, 2007)

I would say definitely not. There was a mama on MDC a long time ago who left her 18 month old alone in the bath with only one or two inches of water and her older child in it for just a second. She thought her husband was on his way and he thought she was in there. The 18 month old went under water and had to be resuscitated. I believe the baby survived but can't remember the details.

It only takes a minute for very bad things to happen, especially with water.


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## lifeintheslowlane (Mar 16, 2010)

Nope. Never. It takes just an inch or two too drown if the child panics.


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## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

No. I never left my dd alone in shallow water at that age. I started running short errands inside when she was three, but I could still see her the whole time because we have a glass door looking out on the porch.


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## applecider (Jul 16, 2005)

Thank you all for your replies. I was the one who thought it would be ok, but I just found out that my friend's 3-year-old drowned in a hot tub yesterday and I am in shock. Obviously I knew nothing about water safety and what I thought was being non-over-protective was really not safe!

This is an awful accident that happened and makes me really think about how safe my kids are.


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## GreenGranolaMama (Jul 15, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cody'smomma* 
Thank you all for your replies. I was the one who thought it would be ok, but I just found out that my friend's 3-year-old drowned in a hot tub yesterday and I am in shock. Obviously I knew nothing about water safety and what I thought was being non-over-protective was really not safe!

This is an awful accident that happened and makes me really think about how safe my kids are.











So sorry for your friends loss Mama, I couldn't even imagine. I life guarded all through college and had to jump in after little ones twice- it is completely terrifying. Again, I am so sorry for your loss.


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## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

Oh no, that's awful about your friend's child.
I did want to add that I understand where you are coming from with not wanting to be *over*protective, but IMO, when it comes to WATER, there really is no such thing. I deliberately do not have a pool because I WANT to be able to run inside the house to go pee or whatever, and with the kids on the swingset or in the sandbox, I can do that.....if there were a pool, even a tiny plastic with 2 inches of water in it, I absolutely could NOT leave them, not at all.


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## ivymae (Nov 22, 2005)

Oh mama. We do better once we know better. Be there for your friend, and say her baby's name often. Hold your babies tight.


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