would/do you take your twins to the pool by yourself?

We have a neighborhood pool, kiddie/wading pool, and splash pad. I'd like to take them during the day sometimes, but I get nervous being outnumbered. Have any of you done it? Any tips? Or is this a terrible, no good idea? What do you think?

 

I would take mine to the splash pad or the wading pool by myself because it would be similar to taking them to the park (just with water). I wouldn't attempt an actual pool where they would have to swim.

 

My dh took them to the park the other day where there's a swimming hole......they splashed around, but didn't really get in. And they both wore life jackets. I'm way to scared to try it on my own. We have wading pools & that's about it.

 

I wouldn't. But I'm a water wuss.

 

I did not until mine were 4.5.

 

I would - you and they need to learn how to handle it when it is just you and them or you will be in your house forver! If they sense you are worried, they could act up.

 

Splash Pad yes- Pool no.

I am not a good swimmer so anything that would involve swimming is a no alone for safety reasons. But the Spash Pad is pretty much a 'wet' park.

I take mine to the park, shopping, Dr.'s, just about anywhere but I draw the line at a pool deeper than a few inches.
But if I was a good swimmer or a lifeguard was also there I may feel differently.


KC

 

QUOTE(serranoboys @ Jun 4 2008, 03:47 PM) [snapback]809460[/snapback]
I wouldn't. But I'm a water wuss.

Me, too. It scares me with two.

 

Nope, not me.

Mine are runners (usually in the opposite directions!!) so I don't take them to parks or pools by myself. I am too nervous they would run in different directions and get hurt somehow.

Plenty of time to do that later, IMO!!

 

I do - I put them both in water vests and bring the kind of floats they can sit in.

Best,
Mia

 

I haven't yet, but it depends on the situation. I'm nervous about it, but mostly because I haven't tackled it yet. I don't know if I would go to a public pool ... I would be afraid that they would both take off in different directions, and then what? But if I was at a friends house, I would do it. I think for my open peace of mind, I would need a place to put the twins that was safe if need be ... like a play pen, pack n play or play yard ... This way if they started taking off in different directions, or not listening, I could plop one in the play yard while tending to the other ... does that make sense?

 

It really depends on the circumstance. I set up a plastic wading pool out back when they were little. If you have floaties, you could do that too. Things just get dicey fast with too, and you will never know how it's going to go unless you try it. So, maybe try it and be prepared to just leave if necessary! (It's a LOT of work to get all that stuff together for the pool - so it's something that practice will help with!)

Good luck!!!

 

I do take them to the pool by myself. I haven't tried a water park type thing yet, but probably will this summer.

 

I think something like this depends on what kind of kids you have. My sons, for example, like to run...really fast...in opposite directions - I can't even bring them to a playground unless it's fenced in. A friend of mine, however, has twin girls the same age, and they stick close together and close to their mom - the polar opposite of my boys. You know your kids best, so make your decision based on your past experience with them.

 

I was glad that my kids love 'water. So we went to a indoor water park where it has a gate for the little ones (my twins were 17.5 mos old) at the time. We had so much fun as they have 2 slides that they go down on their own! Yup!

A friend of mine has a really nice clubhouse in her subdivision and they have a gate around the kiddie pool w/0 zepth. We'll be hanging out with her this summer.

D, w/Rianna and Justin

 

I take them to the pool with " the wings" or how do you call it .

 

If it had a wadding pool then yes I would. But the ones that have regular pools with no wading area-- no I do not take them by myself. I am too petrified one would escape too quickly and jump in. They both LOVE the water.

 

Sure! I always put on their wings/life jackets before we got near the pool just in case one got away from me though.

 

We belong to a pool and I go with my 3 kids almost everyday in the summer since the twins were newborns. We love it. I stay in the baby pool a lot with the twins. But I actually did go in the big pool with them a lot last summer too. One would be on my back and one on my front. My DD helped out a lot too. I have a lot of friends that belong to our pool too, so all of the kids have a great time.

 

i wouldn't just because you need too much stuff to bring then the babies too. UGGHHHH
i bought a kiddie pool and they can use that. i set it up on our deck and they love it. it's the blow up kind that has 3 rings so it is safe for them. they do have blow up pools that you and DH can even fit in it with them that are nice. if you have the back yard there is soo much you can do with them but like PP's said it is how your children act. i don't know what i am going to do when they start walking and running

 

We live in Guam, so I've been taking them to the pool for the last year now. But when I say 'pool' it's only just the kiddy pool. The kiddy pool is chained off from the regular pool and it's only 3 feet at it's deepest in the middle. I always put their lifejackets on and my two are so painfully shy that they usually look like two pieces of velcro attached to me, usually whatever they can get ahold of. So make sure your top is securely attached! I've had some close calls. The one time I thought they were okay not to wear the life jackets we didn't stay long and I vowed I'd never let them get back in without them. It was too crazy for me trying to keep an eye on both of them at the same time. When you're child can drown in a five gallon bucket, I figured I'd better not mess around.
They don't mind the life jackets and we most of the time leave the pool having had a good time. Good luck, don't be scared to do it, just make sure you get some life jackets for them and if yours are runners, that it's a contained area for the little ones.

 

Well I'm glad to see I'm the only one scared to do this! But I think it'll be good for all of us, so I'm VERY glad to know it can be done safely! I like the life jacket idea- I've seen those swimsuits w/ the built in floats... maybe those would be good. And EMc2-- GREAT tip about the top! Ok-- now I just need to get the energy up to tackle this project!

 

I take my two to my SIL's to swim. She has a nice kiddy area attached to the pool. I keep the kids in swim vests with rings around their belly. I do my best to keep my eyes on both of them at the same time. I was very nervous about taking them all by myself. However, my DH went with me the first time and I realized that I could do it alone. It is not a relaxing time; however, it is somewhat refreshing.

 

Last summer, at age 3, my girls played together in our plastic pool wtih 6" of water with only one adult around.

I did not, however, bring them to a public pool or beach alone. The one time we went to the pool, my au pair came and we each dedicated ourselves to one kid. My then 9yo was off on her own (she's a good swimmer).

My girls have taken swimming classes since September, but I still won't bring them to a public pool alone this summer. It's too easy for something to happen to one when the other is demanding attention.

A couple yrs ago a 10 yo boy drown in the gym pool. There were people, even lifeguards, all around...and his dad was even present. So sad.

 

We have our own little wading pool at home. That is as far as it's going to get this summer.

 

I wouldn't, but that's just me.

 

I've been taking them to the pool by myself since they were one and a half. I love swimming and I love the water. I did take them to a water pad and found that to be too hard as they are runner's and were all over the place.

Last summer I began taking them to a smaller neighborhood pool and they would swim in the baby pool. Very relaxing for me since it was fenced off and had a sand box as well! Then they asked to go in the big pool so I decide one day that we would try it at safety break when no other kids were in the pool. One would sit at the edge and the other would get to swim with mommy. The lifeguards were very good at helping me as well. If one did not follow my directions we left the pool.

 

I am soooooooooooo suprised to see so many of you take them by yourselves, especially when I remember the park thread and how many don't take them to the park alone. I guess I am just waaaaayyyyy too scared of them drowning, it only takes a min of them running away and your attention being pulled in another direction, and my pool even has a life gaurd, I still wouldn't do it on my own until they can swim. This is one reason we are doing the ISR classes, safety first!

 

I have and do

 

I took my girls to the pool by my house once last summer. And I met friends at one of their swim clubs. (figured more eyes were better).

This summer I plan on taking them to the pool a lot by myself. They both have water vest.

 

Almost every day...my older girls are on our neighborhood swim team and we have been at the pool every day in the summer since they were born.(so this is year 3) This year has been more challenging since they are a lot more mobile, but they are learning. In the big pool, they hold on to me, in the baby pool, they run around alone (we have a jr. olympic pool, a slide with pool, and a "baby pool" that's 1.5 ft.) If they do the slide, it's on my lap. They are runners, too, so this year, I bought the BodyGlove float suit. It's been good so far, but we haven't had to use it. They've learned to go to the edge of the pool, sit, and wait for me to get them to put them in. It's exhausting, but I always make sure that we do it before nap!
With the older kids, the choice was pretty much taken out of my hands, so we've made it work for us. It's not impossible, but it is exhausting!!
Nicole

 

We spend alot of time at the water park at the amusement park nearby. I used the first years (might be safety first) strap harnesses so that they could explore and play in the water but couldn't get too far from me. If we were in the shallow part of the wave pool, they had the life vests on (I even hooked the straps of the harnesses to the back of the vests!), in the sprinkler areas where they could run around I made sure to use them every time. It's not exactly relaxing, but it is fun.

 

My friend and I are actually teaching swimming lessons to our kids (each have 2). She paid for lessons for her 3.5 year old son the last 2 years so she knows what to teach. We put 2 kids in the PNP and each of us teach the other 2 then we swap. Having this experience, I would be nervous to have them at the pool all by myself with no other adults around.

 

To add to my post earlier...DH is at the pool today with all 3 by himself. We have always taken the kids everywhere alone when the other parent is working and such..never thought much of it...I guess we are just used to it. I have always taken mine to the park, mall, zoo, shopping, pool..etc. by myself.

 

I've been taking all 4 to the pool alone since day 1 (well, about month one really!). It is getting harder now that they walk but I still feel safe doing it.