Swimming

A child (esp. his age) should ALWAYS be well-supervised around water (pools, lakes, etc.). There should not be a situation where he would be able to get to the pool when no one was right there with him.

If you are afraid that while watching other child(ren), you might not get to him as quickly in order to keep the others safe, you should consider also putting him in a life-jacket when you are outside in a location that has a pool. They make them for children and it is well worth the investment. Although you should note that the life-jacket does NOT remove the need for supervision.

Hi O.,

My son is the same way - fearless. What I suggest is getting a Coast Guard certified life jacket (the kind that flips them onto their back automatically). Whenever you are around the pool, put it on him. Also, it is a good time to start swimming lessons with him, but this is not an assurance that he will know what to do when he falls in. The life jacket is really the best assurance. My son slid himself in the pool at a friends just yesterday and I was so thankful I had put the jacket on him. Not only that, but it acts as sunscreen on his back and belly too :)
I still make my almost 4 year old wear one (not the flippy kind though), if I know that I can't put my concentration 100% on her when she is in the pool. And she is a pretty good swimmer. +

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You just never know!

Keep the fear is my advice...better to be on your toes about this. There is no way to prevent anything from happening other than not letting him out of your sight when there is water around if he is that attracted to it. There are swimming programs though for babies. Maybe find a program in your area so he could actually learn how to swim so if an accident happens he will have some tools to keep above water.
Okay I had to come back and edit my response because I just read someone else's advice about the bracelet that makes a shrieking noise. What a great idea that is!!!!!!!!! Also, I forgot about this swimsuit I had for my son that is one piece with floatation strips down the front and back so it's like a flotation swimsuit...kind of looks like a surfer's wetsuit. I believe it came from Babies R Us, but can't be positive.

There are definitely swim classes for that age- they actually start at 6 months at this place called Little Otters (I think that's the name). It's off Sardis Rd. North.
Secondly, there is this apparatus that you can buy from Sky Mall (only place I've seen it) and it is a wrist band that once it touches water the land device sends out a shrieking noise to notify anyone and everyone around. You would have to bring both thing (wristband and land device)wherever you went swimming or wherever there was water, but it might be worth looking into for your little daredevil. Just remember to take it off him when you're bringing him in the water with you :)

Sign him up for swim lessons . . . then he'll know how to swim

Hey
Try to put him in swim lesson, charlotte aquatic ###-###-####.
G.

Hi O.,

You should check the Y. They offer baby and mommy swimming classes for that age (I think). There may also be some other swimming schools that do that and only that. If you belong to a pool, a lot of the lifeguards will teach swimming. You'd feel a lot better if you knew that your son could swim enough to get back to the edge of the pool.

Good luck!

Oh boy... You have a fearless child, don't you? If this is not the first time he has given you a scare like that, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that he is likely going to turn you gray before your time. The good news is that a strong sense of curiousity is usually a sign of intellegence. It might be a good idea to take him back to a pool regularly and start teaching him how to swim. He will not have the body strength and coordination to swim until he is older, but it may teach him that he doesn't want to be in the water alone. From their perception, they often associate the pool with a bathtub, and don't understand that the pool is deeper than they can stand up in. I know my daughter developed a false sense of security in the water because I let her swim with floatation devices a lot. Imagine her surprise the first time she dove into a pool without one. Try this web address for some helpful tips: www.aap.org/family/tipppool.htm

Good luck!

I am only saying what you already know - NEVER take your eyes off your child. I had a similar experience a few weeks ago. My daughter (3 years old) and I were at Busch Gardens, she was riding kids rides. I turned my head for a few seconds to make a phone call - when I turned back she was not on the ride. I panicked and staring screaming where is my daughter. Someone finally spoke up and said she decided to get off the ride. I ONLY TURNED FOR A FEW SECONDS. Luckly she was very close by, but a few seconds more she would have been deeper in the catwalk maze of metal. The new rule: She can not get off a ride until mom or dad come and get her. I know 18 months is a big difference in age but a rule may be able to be made that your son understands.

Make sure he is never in the pool area unless you are present, do they have a gate around the pool? That would help him from getting in the pool unsupervised.I also think swimming lessons would be a good start in helping him get used to swimming in the water.

Obviously NEVER let your baby near or around water by himself - not even for a second. My son does the same things as yours - will jump into any water...so I bascally just watch him like a hawk. I also would enrole your son into float safety classes - they teach infants/toddlers how to coap with falling/accidentally falling into the water and how to float on thier backs for up to 2 min at a time (with winter and summer clothes on) - also some classes can also teach your child how to swim to the edge if they fall in. I have not taken my son yet to classes but I plan to this summer and my friend did and she really liked the results she got for her daughter.

One last thing - if you don't already have them - I would put chain locks/alarms on ALL doors so your son can not sneak outside without you knowing....when I was 2 years old - I got out of the house and fell into our pool with no one seeing me and I almost drowned.

Hope this helps.