Swimming without lifeguard

[melrose7]

What age would you feel comfortable with letting your kids swim without an adult/lifeguard present?
We have a neighborhood pool open (1/2 mile down the street) and my younger kids age 10 &13 would like to ride their bike there and swim over the summer. I work from home so I can’t take them but am available in an emergency. I could give them my phone (theirs doesn’t have cell service) in case anything would happen. There is also a phone there in an emergency as well. There is sometime no one else at the pool or 10+ people at the pool.
My oldest (13) is very responsible. I wouldn’t worry about them misbehaving but more as a safety standpoint. I asked DH what he thought and he’s wasn’t sure either. We both had a lot more independence/freedom as kids that I feel our kid’s have now but I can make decisions on what I did as a kid for my own children.
Some of their neighborhood friends can go without their parents but that doesn’t influence my decision. I don’t know those parents at all.

[gymnbomb]

I would let them go if a friend’s parent was going to be there, but not with the possibility of no adults. I wouldn’t want my kids swimming without adult or lifeguard supervision until they were of an age/maturity/swimming level equivalent to a lifeguard, because that is essentially the role they would be taking on for each other.

I was allowed to go to the pool with my friends when I was 10, but it was staffed with several lifeguards.


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[Melaine]

I would be ok with it if there was other adults there but not if there were just kids or no one at all. Although, as a parent, I would be annoyed if kids showed up at the pool without their parents because I would be keeping in eye on them.

[SnuggleBuggles]

What age can kids get Red Cross certified to lifeguard? That's the age I'd feel ok being unsupervised. Definitely buddy system is a must though.

[lizzywednesday]

What age can kids get Red Cross certified to lifeguard? That's the age I'd feel ok being unsupervised. Definitely buddy system is a must though.

It used to be 15+ for pools but 16+ for open water, but the important part isn't the age, it's how long they've spent doing the course. Red Cross courses also required a certain number of hours of instruction, plus "continuing education" that would include CPR training.

More info: https://www.safeswim.com/lifeguard-training/

My biggest concern around water is supervision when a child is very young and safer swim practices when they gain proficiency and stamina. I am a fairly strong swimmer myself, but I wouldn't swim without a buddy in a pool and would absolutely never swim at an un-guarded beach, ocean or lakefront, because things can go really wrong really fast.

[MSWR0319]

What age would you feel comfortable with letting your kids swim without an adult/lifeguard present?
We have a neighborhood pool open (1/2 mile down the street) and my younger kids age 10 &13 would like to ride their bike there and swim over the summer. I work from home so I can’t take them but am available in an emergency. I could give them my phone (theirs doesn’t have cell service) in case anything would happen. There is also a phone there in an emergency as well. There is sometime no one else at the pool or 10+ people at the pool.
My oldest (13) is very responsible. I wouldn’t worry about them misbehaving but more as a safety standpoint. I asked DH what he thought and he’s wasn’t sure either. We both had a lot more independence/freedom as kids that I feel our kid’s have now but I can make decisions on what I did as a kid for my own children.
Some of their neighborhood friends can go without their parents but that doesn’t influence my decision. I don’t know those parents at all.

I don't have an answer to that actually. I do know that I wouldn't feel comfortable with my 11 year old going with another kid his age and he's a very strong swimmer.

[carolinamama]

Does the pool have any stated rules for unaccompanied kids? Our pool is 14 and we have lifeguards. My kids are 8, 11, and 14. All three have done summer swim team every year and are strong, athletic kids but I still wouldn't allow them to go at these ages without a designated responsible adult or sitter. DS1 is allowed to go with friends at 14. Accidents happen.

[jgenie]

We have a pool in our backyard and I won’t let my 12 yo and 10 yo swim unless an adult is swimming or parked in a chair poolside. I’m a strong swimmer and I won’t swim without someone else swimming or poolside. Accidents happen and things can go bad very quickly.

[lizzywednesday]

What age would you feel comfortable with letting your kids swim without an adult/lifeguard present?
We have a neighborhood pool open (1/2 mile down the street) and my younger kids age 10 &13 would like to ride their bike there and swim over the summer....

For me, I wouldn't want my 13-year-old to have to supervise their 10-year-old sibling, especially if the 10-year-old's friends were also playing/horsing around in the area.

I would be more OK with a 13-year-old swimming with a buddy, but most OK with the 13-year-old swimming with a buddy AND there being some kind of adult supervision (marginal as it may be.)

I'd want more hands-on/guaranteed supervision for the 10-year-old and their friends. (And, although you didn't ask, for my own 10-year-old, I wouldn't be comfortable allowing her to go to an unguarded pool at all if I couldn't be there.)

[gatorsmom]

For me, I wouldn't want my 13-year-old to have to supervise their 10-year-old sibling, especially if the 10-year-old's friends were also playing/horsing around in the area.

I would be more OK with a 13-year-old swimming with a buddy, but most OK with the 13-year-old swimming with a buddy AND there being some kind of adult supervision (marginal as it may be.)

I'd want more hands-on/guaranteed supervision for the 10-year-old and their friends. (And, although you didn't ask, for my own 10-year-old, I wouldn't be comfortable allowing her to go to an unguarded pool at all if I couldn't be there.)

This is me too. I wouldn’t let my 12yos go to an unsupervised pool but I would let my 14yo with a friend. I wouldn’t ask any of these kids to be in charge of their younger siblings. They can’t have fun if they are life-guarding someone else. And if anything happened to their younger sibling, how would they get over that?

I actually don’t like the idea of the kids being in an unsupervised pool at all. We have a pool in our backyard. Even with parents watching their own kids, near misses happened and quickly. It’s just a huge risk. I can easily see 8-10 kids playing chicken and without the watchful adult eye, it escalating into something violent.

Is there a way to trade off with other parents in the neighborhood pool supervision duty? It take up a collection to pay a lifeguard a few days a week?

[sf333]

I wouldn’t allow that. I’m not sure at what age I’d be comfortable allowing my kids to swim alone but I think it would be late teens (depending on the child).

I am comfortable swimming alone at a lake without a lifeguard but I’ve grown up around water and am a strong swimmer.

[jenmcadams]

I'm surprised a neighborhood/HOA pool would allow unaccompanied kids under 14. My DD is a lifeguard and both my kids have always done swim team (since age 5), but other than at hotel pools, I've never had to decide about public pools without lifeguards. It's only been the last year or two that I let my then 16 year old take her 12-13 to brother to a hotel pool without me. All of our neighborhood pools here have lifeguards and very few people have pools in their backyard, so this one really hasn't come up for us

[mom2binsd]

Is there not a minimum age for kids to be at the pool unsupervised?

I don't think I would feel comfortable with my two who are the same space apart (and were on swim team at that age). That's a lot of responsibility on both of them, and add in other kids, some pool toys and no way. I'm usually one to allow things at a younger age than many on this board, but not at a pool unless I was there or the older one was at least 14, with life guard experience.

[newnana]

I'm surprised a neighborhood/HOA pool would allow unaccompanied kids under 14. My DD is a lifeguard and both my kids have always done swim team (since age 5), but other than at hotel pools, I've never had to decide about public pools without lifeguards.

Same. Our HOA pool specifies a homeowner must be present for pool use, meaning no unsupervised kids because the kids aren't homeowners. Lots of neighborhood opinions on this, but it comes down to liability. Even if this wasn't the policy, like pp, I'd never want any kid to be in the horrible situation if something goes wrong. As an adult, I don't want to be responsible should something happen to unsupervised kids not my own while I'm there unless it's an offer I've made to watch a friends kids during a specified period.

In a previous HOA pool experience, some unsupervised kids showed up and started seriously roughhousing. Blood in the water within minutes. We told them to knock it off, left, and called the HOA company to let them know unsupervised kids were there and acting dangerously. It felt gross. Turns out it was the HOA president's kids... It's a lot easier for me to have the defensible position of, nope, wasn't our kid, she isn't allowed unsupervised than the finger pointing that happened after that. I definitely don't want DD to have try to mitigate that sort of situation.

[smilequeen]

We have a pool in our backyard and I won’t let my 12 yo and 10 yo swim unless an adult is swimming or parked in a chair poolside. I’m a strong swimmer and I won’t swim without someone else swimming or poolside. Accidents happen and things can go bad very quickly.

I feel the same way with my younger 2. I’d let my 15 year old swim with a friend as long as I was home. If I’m not home, no swimming. Maybe I’ll reevaluate after he takes CPR. It’s his P.E. requirement for sophomore year...first aid and CPR

[gymnbomb]

The thing to remember is that you aren’t just having the older one responsible for the younger one. If something happened to the older one, in the absence of an adult or lifeguard, you would be making the younger child responsible for handling the emergency.


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[TwinFoxes]

I've never heard of a neighborhood pool without a lifeguard. Our (lifeguarded private neighborhood pool) has a minimum age of 10 for kids to come unaccompanied. Our guards/board (I'm on the board) will send kids home who are misbehaving. There haven't been problems. My kids are very strong swimmers, but I don't know if I'd send them to a pool without lifeguards yet. They just turned twelve.

[mmsmom]

How deep is the pool? If they can touch the bottom in the whole pool I may consider it. But if there is a “deep end” then no. Of course accidents and injuries can still happen in a shallow pool but I wouldn’t be as concerned. We have a pool at home and I still watch our 13 and 11 year old in the pool and they are both strong swimmers. Options I would look into: Can you work from pool with a hot spot?; can you work out a schedule with another parent or parents to alternate supervising at pool; hire a 16+year old to take them to pool; get together with neighbors to hire a lifeguard for 3-4 hours a day.

[Liziz]

I've never heard of a neighborhood pool without a lifeguard. Our (lifeguarded private neighborhood pool) has a minimum age of 10 for kids to come unaccompanied. Our guards/board (I'm on the board) will send kids home who are misbehaving. There haven't been problems. My kids are very strong swimmers, but I don't know if I'd send them to a pool without lifeguards yet. They just turned twelve.

In my area, neighborhood pools are super common and I've yet to find one with a lifeguard. Must vary by area! Our pools around here all have "pool attendants" but they make a big deal about saying that they are NOT lifeguards and will NOT save anyone if there's a problem, other than calling 911. I wish we did have lifeguards! I watch my kids very closely, but always appreciate having a second set of eyes.

OP, I don't know the right age, but I wouldn't be comfortable with the ages of your DC. In a true emergency, a cell phone call to you will be too late. A big part of my answer is for what a PP said -- thinking of the 13 yo being there for the 10 yo starts to sound like it might be okay, but considering the 10 yo responsible for the 13 yo if something happened is way too young.

[KpbS]

The problem in my opinion isn't related to swim abilities it's horseplay and accidents that need an adult present to prevent/handle.

I would need to know an adult was present to feel remotely comfortable with the situation. With a lifeguard and no parent, our local pools let you swim at 13.

[melrose7]

Thanks for all the replies. I knew the right answer was no they can’t go by themselves but it was good to hear others agree.
I can’t take my work with me as I run an in home daycare. If I don’t have a lot of extra kids I’ll take a couple kids with me and then we can all go to the pool. Or we just wait until they leave and then we go.
They are just trying to be more independent and riding their bikes further through our neighborhood. But besides the fact they don’t goof off when we are there who knows that would happen if I wasn’t.
Our rules just state not to swim alone. The pools deep end is 5 ft and my kids can’t touch at that part.

[Gracemom]

Our HOA pool does not have a lifeguard and requires teens to be at least 14 to swim unsupervised. I wish they required all teens to have an adult present because there have been many incidents of teens making bad choices, including rough housing, throwing chairs into the pool, doing flips into shallow water, etc. My 13 year old and his friends are not ready for that kind of freedom. Their judgement just isn't good yet.