Taking them to the pool

What age did you start taking more than one child to the pool if you were alone (just one adult)?

So far I have always only taken one of the twins to go swimming with me, the other stays at home with DH (who hates water, so swimming will never be a regular family outing). I used to be a life guard as a teen and have a very healthy respect of water. So I really work with the kids on water safety and swimming skills when we go to the pool. But now it has finally turned hot here and they both love going swimming so much, so I would love to take both of them as a summer treat.

 

Alone? In a regular pool after they could swim at 5. I did take them to a zero depth pool at 3 I think, but I had my youngest with me as well, so it was not easy. Getting them dressed afterwards was a huge pain! I guess it all depends on what time of the year and whether or not they stay in swimsuits afterwards. That is great that you are getting them used to the water.

 

I wouldn't dare yet honestly if it was a big pool. As long as I don't have to keep a hand on them at all times though, I started when they were 3 (taking them to Sesame place, where the water is about 2 feet deep).

 

My boys have been in swim lessons for almost a year. I take them by myself all the time. I swam on a swim team for 14 years so I have a healthy respect for water. I take them to a zero depth entry pool that only goes to a little over three feet deep. Started going last fall. They have a blast and so do I. We go to the community center so there are family dressing rooms with showers so getting them dressed is no big deal. I have also swam with them by myself in hotel pool that were over their heads. One would sit on the steps while I played with the other or they took turns jumping in to me. I try to avoid crowded pools.

 

I took them to a zero depth pool, or one where they could touch the bottom, by myself starting from 2, but not very often. They started swim lessons at 4 and my husband & I started teaching them around that time too, I've been taking them pretty much every day ever since! They jump off the diving board into the 12 ft deep end now!

 

I'm not sure but it had to be the summer they where 2 if not the summer before. I have a local community pool that usually has 2 life guards working and if there are 10 people in the pool that is alot. At age 5 I let them go in without me going in.

 

We just started Last week. The pool we go to has a kids pool that is about eight inches deep but I also take them into the big pool with their puddle jumpers. They stay very very close.

 

I take all three of my kids to the YMCA alone. My oldest is 4 and the twins are 2.5
The pool has a children's pool and then the big pool. I just reiterate the importance of safety with the kids.

The other day I was at my Aunt's house in her regular back yard pool and there was always 2 adults in the pool with me.

 

I take my three by myself, but they have to have on puddle jumpers and a ring when we're in the big pool as there are a lot of kids there and just one life guard. There's no way they can go underwater with those two floaties on. When we're in the kiddie pool, they can take their floaties off as it's about two feet deep. Also, we all have to be in the same pool together and go to the bathroom together. I make them all use the bathroom when we arrive, whether they have to go or not, and that has saved the back-and-forth dreaded bathroom trips for the most part.

We go a few afternoons a week, and I pack their pajamas in the car and they love to change into their jammies and night time pull ups for the ride home and that's one less step I have to do for the evening routine I just ignore the whole pool=germ thing and count the swim as the bath!

 

I take all 4 of my kids out to our pool myself all the time. But that's it. The pool is about 3 ft deep, my older 2 kids don't need floaties but the twins have their puddle jumpers on at all times.

My 10 yr old is finally able to float and swim a bit this summer. We can't afford swimming lessons and there is no open pools available to us.

 

I started taking all 3 by myself at 1.5 for the twins and almost 3 for big brother. Puddle jumpers were by best friends!!!

 

I think I would take the twins alone with their puddle jumpers, but I would be too scared to take the twins AND their big brother.

 

The main pool we have access to is the one at the Y, and our Y just has a big pool (starts at 3'6" and my boys are about 3'2"). I wouldn't be comfortable taking them alone yet. If we had access to a zero entry pool or a kiddie one that was like 2' deep I'd be OK with that. Otherwise I'll just stick with the wading pool in our back yard, or go on DH's day off.

 

My hubby HATES anything to do with water/swimming, so I have always taken the kids by myself.

We have a healthy respect for the water, but that doesn't stop us from letting the kids experiment with swimming, holding their breathe, getting things off of the bottom, etc.

Our pool does NOT allow any type of flotation device...no puddle jumpers, no water wings, no life jackets, no pool noodles, NOTHING.

There is a big pool that goes from 3ft to 11 ft (high dive and low dive) and a little pool (zero depth to about 18in) with mushrooms that allow water to cascade down into the pool.

Currently I still have 2 that cannot touch in the shallow part of the big pool, but that doesn't stop us from enjoying it. I just hold them, or hold one and allow the other to jump into the water and then I grab them, turn them around, they push off of my legs and get back to the side of the pool.

 

Gosh, I've been taking them for a long while...at least since they were two. I am sure I took them down to the beach when they were one as well, but kept them contained in a floatie if I was alone.

I made them wear puddle jumpers for the longest time. The last two summers they've really grown to be good swimmers, so I don't insist on the puddle jumpers anymore unless we are going out in the kayak (because they like to jump out in the deep part of the lake) or we head to the ocean (which we are doing next week).

Both DH and I swam competively when we were younger, and we really pushed our daughters to learn to swim as early as we could. They do pretty well now! They are almost ready to move the swim team level.