Less Stressful Pool Visits with Multiple Kids

Nervous about swim time with multiple kids? It’s understandable—pool time requires your constant, undivided attention, and it’s not easy. Here are some tips that I find helpful for supervising more than one child while swimming.

Review the rules first

Designate a time beforehand (maybe during the car ride to the pool) to review the rules. It’s more fun for everyone when the expectations are clearly laid out. Set the expectation: “If you can’t be safe, you can’t swim“, and stick to that boundary if kids aren’t following the rules.

Get ready before you enter the pool area

Supervision needs to start before you get in the water. It begins as soon as you’re near the water—whether unlocking the gate, opening the back door, or walking through the locker rooms. If your kid could potentially gain access to water, you need to be focused. Finish all distracting tasks before anyone is able to get close to water: apply sunscreen in the house, change diapers in the locker rooms, put on lifejackets on the porch.

Rope off boundaries

When you are supervising multiple weak swimmers, they should all be within easy arms’ reach. By roping off a smaller area, you are able to keep everyone close while giving them freedom to move around. If you stand with your pool back to the wall, no one can swim behind you.

In the pool or out, but not both

Do you have kids that love to climb up and down the stairs, or walk around the pool deck. That might be fine when supervising one child, but when you’ve got your eyes and attention on 2 or 3 kids it’s distracting. Instate an “in or out” rule to make supervising less stressful by keeping everyone together.

Take frequent breaks all together 

Sure, breaks are important for kids, but they are even more important for you. Supervising kids in the water is draining. Take periodic breaks away from the water (with the door locked or the gate latched) to recharge frequently.

Lifejacket are not awful

Swimming with a lifejacket is better than not swimming at all. If you need your kids to wear lifejackets for you to feel comfortable, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that—don’t feel guilty. Not every pool visit needs to be a swim lesson.