Can we talk summer camps and swimming?

egpitt22 · May 2014

We've found a summer camp for Jake (phew!) and it seems like a great program with weekly themes, field trips included in the cost of the regular tuition, and swimming twice per week. I need someone to talk me down off the ledge about swimming (or tell me if you do or do not allow your kid to swim in a camp setting) I'm not sure if many of you remember, but we had an incident during swim lessons last year when Jake went under the water and no one noticed until I started screaming that pretty much traumatized me. it's really making me hesitate to give him permission to swim, but at the same time, I know I can't avoid it forever.

I've talked to the director already, who walked me through all of the safety precautions (they keep non-swimmers in only the shallow end, have a certain ratio of kids to adults in the pool and on the side, etc) but I'm still nervous. One thing I didn't think to ask but should is about floatation devices and whether or not I can send him in a vest or something.

Please share your camp experiences with me!

MrsAmers · May 2014

The summer camp through our daycare goes to the pool twice a week - ages four through seven. Heather actually taught herself to swim two summers ago from the constant exposure. They've been doing it for years and years and I know of no incidents.

I think this is one of those risk versus reward issues. The risk of anything bad happening is very small versus the reward of all of the fun Jake will have at camp.

The risks of letting him swim at camp are not any greater than letting him ski or letting him play other sports.

MrsAmers · May 2014

I'm not trying to dismiss your fears, just trying to remind you that what happened at swim lessons was a freak accident and not a common problem.

egpitt22 · May 2014

MrsAmers said:

I'm not trying to dismiss your fears, just trying to remind you that what happened at swim lessons was a freak accident and not a common problem.

Oh, I know, and I appreciate your input! Deep down, I know it was a freak incident and that by holding onto my own fears about it, I'll eventually pass those off to him and I really don't want to do that

Luckystar2 · May 2014

I just wanted to say that I would be nervous too. Dd's summer place just has a few field trips that involve water and I'm a bit nervous about those.

As nerve wracking as it would be, I know my dd would love being able to swim so much.

Jcubed2003 · May 2014

Will this camp be at Doodlebugs?

egpitt22 · May 2014

Jcubed2003 said:

Will this camp be at Doodlebugs?

No, St. Paul's.

lala5507 · May 2014

Camps with swimming make me nervous too. I would look at who is actually with the kids in the pool. Are they teenagers? Are they adults?

Can you talk to any parents who have done the camp before? Maybe they can ease your mind.

Jcubed2003 · May 2014

egpitt22 said:

Jcubed2003 said:

Will this camp be at Doodlebugs?

No, St. Paul's.

Oh, good. I will be anxious to hear how it goes. Evan's current daycare offers summer camps, but it is always good to explore options!

AmandaJLewis · May 2014

Your fears are very valid Emmy, but Amy brings up some good points. Would making some time to swim with him before camp starts help ease your concerns? To see how he has improved? Or to help enforce safe water play habits? If they keep him in the shallow, and he can stand I really think that would reduce the risk and your worry so much more too.

lala5507 · May 2014

AmandaJLewis said:

Or to help enforce safe water play habits?

The Sewickley ymca is offering a free "water safety" class coming up soon. It's just a one time thing free for members/non memebers. Maybe check out the ymca near you for something like that.

Meghan&Rich · May 2014

I have nothing of value to add, other than I would have your same concerns. Our daycare has a summer swimming lesson program that we could have signed Mason up for last year. I was not comfortable for him to take lessons at age 4 without us there, so I didn't sign him up. I was going to force myself to consider it this summer, but was secretly overjoyed when they announced that they would not be participating in the program this year! That is nice that they went over all of the safety precautions with you, hopefully you become more comfortable with the idea. Good luck!

waltsgirl102503 · May 2014

I would feel the same exact way. It's really hard to let them out in to the world without us - we haven't had a scare in the pool like you, and Noah is an awesome swimmer and I would really be worried if he was swimming without me. But, like Amy said, sometimes you just have to remember that the reward will outweigh the risks and it may be a way for him to get more comfortable in the water.

MrsAmers · May 2014

Let me also add that last summer I accidentally dumped Todd off a float and into MIL's pool.

Proof that even if we were able to stay within arm's reach of our kids at all times (which would be awful for us and them), that we can't prevent them from ever having an incident.

egpitt22 · May 2014

Thank you all for your input. I am, admittedly, a terribly paranoid person to begin with, and the swim lesson incident last year has made my anxiety over these types of situations a thousand times worse. So it's nice to hear from you ladies that I am justified in my thinking, but to also hear words of reassurance that it would be good for him (and probably me!)

There is a meeting for parents coming up soon before the camp starts, so I plan on attending that and getting more info at that time about who is doing the supervising and if they can have a vest or something. I think even that would make me feel a bit better.

This opens up a whole other can of worms, which is that I really need to get him back into swim lessons! I slacked this year because of my hesitation after last year...thanks for the recommendation about the free Y class, I'm going to look into that.

northhillsbride · May 2014

MrsAmers said:

The summer camp through our daycare goes to the pool twice a week - ages four through seven. Heather actually taught herself to swim two summers ago from the constant exposure.

I agree with Amy - of course it's going to be fearful of you, but we found the same thing with my guys. The constant exposure to the pool once we moved here to TX has made the boys more comfortable with the water.

In fact, the boys were playing around a pool at a neighbor's house back in March and Conall "accidentally" (I say that loosely with this kid!) fell into their pool. He never panicked and actually started doggy paddling to the side. The only thing that started to make him worry was that he was fully clothed and the weight of the wet clothes was more than he could handle; but I was over to the side of the pool by that time and managed to pull him out.

I think that this will be really good for him and, if it would help you, maybe take time off from work on the first swim day and be there to watch - even from a distance? Good luck with your decision!

sarahandtim · May 2014

Emmy, maybe shoot Kelly an email. Her kids go to St.Paul's preschool. I don't remember if she has ever done summer camp with them, but maybe she knows some of the parents who have.

egpitt22 · May 2014

sarahandtim said:

Emmy, maybe shoot Kelly an email. Her kids go to St.Paul's preschool. I don't remember if she has ever done summer camp with them, but maybe she knows some of the parents who have.

Thanks, Sarah! I didn't realize they went there. I need to talk to her about summer stuff in the 'hood anyway!

Can we talk summer camps and swimming?

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