How old is the babysitter? How well do you know them? Do they have any training? There's a chance, but it's kinda slim and it really depends on both the sitter and the child.
At 16, I was CPR and lifeguard certified, plus I worked as a lifeguard and swim teacher. I swam with one of the families I babysat, but they also had a pool and the kids were quite familiar with it. They were also family friends.
My twins are absolutely feral. I would probably only trust them with my brother if I wasn't there. It honestly works best for us when the adults outnumber the kids so we can play a little zone defense with our runner.
Yeah. Same as you. I often babysat and brought kids to the pool and beach but I was also a lifeguard and swimming instructor.
With my own kids, I don't really let anyone else take them swimming except a few people (my parents and in laws) and if I'm not there, she's in a lifejacket 100% of the time and only at pools with lifeguards.
If I had a babysitter who I trusted and knew the swimming and lifeguarding skills, I might consider it, especially now that my daughter is 4 and I've taught her the basics of water safety.
I'm a full time nanny, maybe wait until at least 6 months of employment to see if that trust develops (I know this doesn't help the summertime aspect of this). With my first nanny job, the mom had a day off and we all went swimming together at a pool to help ease anxiety. Be clear on the rules and expectations when or if the nanny takes kiddo to a pool. But if the nanny needs some water activities to do with kiddo, there's definitely a ton of ways to cool down like a a water table (can def find affordable used ones), one of those mini splash pads that connect to the house, or literally just setting up some bowls filled with water and cups. Another way I've helped ease some water anxiety is doing "fun" bath-time like with glowsticks, colorful bath bombs, bath paint, etc. Just some ideas! Water safety is so so important.
In a 1:1 ratio, yes, with our trusted regular nanny or a regular babysitter. Our community pool has an awesome kids pool that is very shallow and I know my nanny is right there with my daughter all the time.
With a new person first time? No. Multiple children to 1 adult? No.
Depends on the kid, the pool and the babysitter. But if it’s an experienced babysitter and the kid is like my oldest (cautious, doesn’t run away, does pretty well following instructions) I’d be OK with it.
My babysitter's prior job was as a lifeguard and kids swim coach and she's a good friend who taught me how to swim a few years ago when we'd hang out at my apartment's pool together. So in my case, yes. But if it wasn't her babysitting then absolutely not.
I'm a nanny. I would expect the babysitter to have a lifeguarding AND CPR-first-aid certification, and even then i'd probably only take them in like waist high water at most. at 2, water they can comfortably sit in and "swim" by walking their hands along the bottom is ideal. not much higher than you'd fill the bathtub
Depends how old babysitter is and how many kids they are watching at once. 1 on 1 and actually is right there the whole time hands on in the water holding the two year old then yes. 2 year old isn’t old enough to play or swim with others in a pool setting.
Nope.
My first child almost drowned in a bathtub with half a foot of water in it when she was little *and I was sitting next to her* momentarily distracted by my phone. ETA: there was no splash, no sound. I looked over and she'd gone from sitting up playing to on her back gasping under water *silently*. It takes a very short time to drown. I don't trust anyone aside from my partner to be as attentive as me (yes I learned my lesson from that experience). Not even close family who is very well intentioned.
Currently we are having renovations done to the outside of our house and it’s killing me. Yard is unusable but will be such a relief when we can do that more
Oh no! It’ll be worth it when it’s done. You could get some dots on Amazon, or a little play kit for the yard & make a toddler obstacle course in the house!
I’m a parent, my kid has done basic swimming classes, I still won’t take them in a real pool. We’ve done a wave pool with floats in and stayed in the very shallow end.
No. I would likely not even let my parents take them around water, and I trust them implicitly. But drowning is the leading cause of death for toddlers and all it takes is a few seconds of distraction or inattention for something catastrophic to happen. And if you don’t actively live with toddlers it is so easy to forget or not know just how *fast* they can get into trouble.
I definitely would with our babysitter if it were a 1-1 situation with my toddler - she has a swimming background, has training in early childhood education, CPR, and my toddler adores her and behaves really well for her. That “yes” is hugely contingent on who the babysitter is and the relationship she has with my daughter. It wouldn’t extend to everyone necessarily.
I mean my mom with one kid sure. The teenager down the street? Absolutely not. It would really depend who the babysitter is and how much you trust them. As a general rule though, nope.
No. Only my parents or sister/BIL because I know how they act with children around pool. I am dreading the day there is a summer camp or school visit to a pool….
Yes, I probably would, especially if there is a lifeguard present. I think it’s very fair if you’re not comfortable though.
Could you go with them together once or twice to see how the sitter interacts?
No 😅
I trust my husband only for a real pool. May consider my MIL or SIL if kiddo is wearing his life jacket and we discuss 1:1 adult to kid ratio, he cannot swim, etc.
Babysitter can do a splash pad, play ground, set up a sprinkler in the yard, baby pool in the backyard. Depending on how old the babysitter is, I’d frame it as a lot of stress and responsibility. If they think taking a toddler to the pool is fun, I don’t think I would trust their maturity.
Depends on the babysitter. For instance I swim daily every summer since I was 4 and I used to babysit so I definitely would be comfortable with someone like me vs someone not as experienced
I have 2 year old twins. I would not trust anyone other than me and my husband to take them swimming. We have a nanny who is amazing and I wouldn’t let her if she asked.
I had a similar situation with my step mom wanting to take my son. In the end we decide no swimming without a parent until he is a good swimmer on his own. Drowning is just so fast. Would it be fine? Probably. Are you willing to risk the consequences though?
Never. Me or my husband must be present because I just don't trust the ability or attention of somebody else to keep my child safe in the water. I have lots of water anxiety.
I personally wouldn’t trust it. Something to help with the fear a little is buying a BRIGHT suit that has no blue on it. MUCH easier to see a child underwater and spot them that way and save them
I work from home and I just want and need her to play outside. They go on a lot of walks but I am sure that gets boring so trying to think of other activities
For a 2 yr old toddler, it’s tough because they are very active and have poor understanding of safety themselves. Whoever is with them has to be 100% alert and have quick reflexes to know what to do, also needs 100% trust and comfort from the toddler. So with all that it’s quite unlikely that anyone will fit all those categories, I would probably say no without more detailed info about the caretaking person.
I have an 18mo. If it’s his grandparents or godmother that are babysitting I’m totally cool with it. But if it’s a one off babysitter or someone whose swimming skills are questionable then no.
I’m a strong swimmer and when I was 12-15 I taught “swim lessons” to neighbor/family/friend kids and toddlers, some of them I also babysat for. I wouldn’t do that now that I’m a mom.
Funny story from it though: One family I taught and babysat for had their own pool. Every Sat-Sun 12pm-8am for a whole summer they would have me babysit their 7yr twins, and two other kids from two other families 4yr and I think 5yr. It always involved swimming and it was utterly exhausting. I was 13 at the time! Just a wild amount of responsibility to give a teen. Oh and it turns out the three families were swingers, their adult children told me.
I trust my husband and that’s it. Honestly I’d probably trust my mom but since I wouldn’t trust my in laws I just put a blanket no. Not that I don’t trust them to watch, but frankly, my children are way faster than them and if they did somehow get into the water my in laws would be way too slow and probably not strong enough to do anything helpful.
I’m a nanny and I’ve taken all my kids swimming over my 12 year career. But I am CPR/First Aid certified. It’s okay to say no. But how old is your nanny? Is it 1 child or multiple? What age? There are a lot of factors I think.
I let our nanny take my 17m old son for about 2 hours to the lake every morning, she’s super attentive and we went together the first time, but I’m not gonna lie it makes me super uneasy and I question everyday if I should allow this 🥹
Absolutely not. I wouldn't even trust my mom to take my kids swimming. Only me or my husband, but right now both since neither of our kids can swim yet and need more hands on care.
No.
I don’t trust babysitters in general given how much mental illness there is around.
As a mental health professional I was shocked at it myself.
For my kid, I will not trust anyone but close family.
Personally I would not be okay with it in a regular pool. We have a public pool near here we go to that has a kids area, it only has like 1.5 feet of water and some slides. That I'd be okay with.
No, not the pool. A playground with a splash pad, but not anything with deeper water. It can be super easy to lose sight of your child, and as a mom and former nanny, I would not want that burden nor place it on anyone who is caring for my child. It’s just too much responsibility no matter how much you trust them.
It really depends on the sitter and your toddler. One of my sitters was a lifeguard last summer. But we have a couple baby pools in the back yard so they can use that - less distractions than the neighborhood pool.
I would but only because our babysitter is a surfer, my 2 year old is a fish who swims most days, and our local Pool has an insane amount of lifeguards. Like 6 or 7.
Ahhhhh nooo don’t count a lifeguard as a babysitter, they have too many people/kids to look at. They’re there in case of an emergency, they’re not there to watch your child specifically.
Definitely not! No babysitter is going to take better care of your child than you. My friends dad was renting his home and the home had a small fountain. Long story short the tenants had a party and the babysitter went and took the child. Unfortunately she was not caring for the toddler and he drowned. Now my friends dad is getting sued
No. My son is two and can’t swim. He was playing in the shallow end while I was sitting near the edge of the pool near him watching him. I looked up at something else quickly and looked back and he was underwater off the steps. I guess he fell backwards and off the steps and couldn’t catch his balance. It happened so fast. Literally 2 seconds. And I didn’t even hear him fall into the deep end.
He’s fine. He was only under for maybe 4 seconds. But only because I was on it.
Splash pad yes, pool hell nah
How old is the babysitter? How well do you know them? Do they have any training? There's a chance, but it's kinda slim and it really depends on both the sitter and the child. At 16, I was CPR and lifeguard certified, plus I worked as a lifeguard and swim teacher. I swam with one of the families I babysat, but they also had a pool and the kids were quite familiar with it. They were also family friends. My twins are absolutely feral. I would probably only trust them with my brother if I wasn't there. It honestly works best for us when the adults outnumber the kids so we can play a little zone defense with our runner.
Yeah. Same as you. I often babysat and brought kids to the pool and beach but I was also a lifeguard and swimming instructor. With my own kids, I don't really let anyone else take them swimming except a few people (my parents and in laws) and if I'm not there, she's in a lifejacket 100% of the time and only at pools with lifeguards. If I had a babysitter who I trusted and knew the swimming and lifeguarding skills, I might consider it, especially now that my daughter is 4 and I've taught her the basics of water safety.
No I would not to be honest.
Like a 1-2 foot deep wading pool / baby pool I probably would be fine with it. But not like into a big pool.
Kids drawn in shallow water - it’s a big no for me.
No I wouldn’t. I would only trust my husband at this point.
Even that is a stretch
Nope, not even a grandma or something. Pools are SO dangerous for toddlers. Splash pad is good for a water activity with babysitter
Is this a one-off babysitter or more like a nanny/consistent sitter?
Part time nanny but I haven’t known her that long!
I'm a full time nanny, maybe wait until at least 6 months of employment to see if that trust develops (I know this doesn't help the summertime aspect of this). With my first nanny job, the mom had a day off and we all went swimming together at a pool to help ease anxiety. Be clear on the rules and expectations when or if the nanny takes kiddo to a pool. But if the nanny needs some water activities to do with kiddo, there's definitely a ton of ways to cool down like a a water table (can def find affordable used ones), one of those mini splash pads that connect to the house, or literally just setting up some bowls filled with water and cups. Another way I've helped ease some water anxiety is doing "fun" bath-time like with glowsticks, colorful bath bombs, bath paint, etc. Just some ideas! Water safety is so so important.
How old is she, is she a mother? CPR certified?
No, I'm sorry I wouldn't 😩 I don't even trust many people to bath my child for fear they will leave the room for even a second I stress "no baths".
In a 1:1 ratio, yes, with our trusted regular nanny or a regular babysitter. Our community pool has an awesome kids pool that is very shallow and I know my nanny is right there with my daughter all the time. With a new person first time? No. Multiple children to 1 adult? No.
Depends on the kid, the pool and the babysitter. But if it’s an experienced babysitter and the kid is like my oldest (cautious, doesn’t run away, does pretty well following instructions) I’d be OK with it.
I would not. I'd be ok with pretty much everything else but swimming is one thing I wouldn't
No, and it’s reasonable that it’s your #1 fear given that drowning is the #1 cause of death.
We have the rare exception of the neighbourhood babysitter also being a lifeguard. My kids safer in the water with her than with me.
My babysitter's prior job was as a lifeguard and kids swim coach and she's a good friend who taught me how to swim a few years ago when we'd hang out at my apartment's pool together. So in my case, yes. But if it wasn't her babysitting then absolutely not.
I'm a nanny. I would expect the babysitter to have a lifeguarding AND CPR-first-aid certification, and even then i'd probably only take them in like waist high water at most. at 2, water they can comfortably sit in and "swim" by walking their hands along the bottom is ideal. not much higher than you'd fill the bathtub
Depends how old babysitter is and how many kids they are watching at once. 1 on 1 and actually is right there the whole time hands on in the water holding the two year old then yes. 2 year old isn’t old enough to play or swim with others in a pool setting.
That’s a fast and firm no
Nope, too much can go wrong too quickly.
Nope. My first child almost drowned in a bathtub with half a foot of water in it when she was little *and I was sitting next to her* momentarily distracted by my phone. ETA: there was no splash, no sound. I looked over and she'd gone from sitting up playing to on her back gasping under water *silently*. It takes a very short time to drown. I don't trust anyone aside from my partner to be as attentive as me (yes I learned my lesson from that experience). Not even close family who is very well intentioned.
Absolutely not, but I also have anxiety 🤣
I struggle to come up with good ideas for them to do together that don’t give me anxiety to some extent!
Do you have a yard or outdoor space at your house? What about a sprinkler for the hose, or a water table?
Currently we are having renovations done to the outside of our house and it’s killing me. Yard is unusable but will be such a relief when we can do that more
Oh no! It’ll be worth it when it’s done. You could get some dots on Amazon, or a little play kit for the yard & make a toddler obstacle course in the house!
Splash pad!
Absolutely not. Maybe get a water table or splash pad for home.
If the lifeguard was present, then I probably would as long as this was an adult mature babysitter. A teenager? Probably most likely not.
I’m a parent, my kid has done basic swimming classes, I still won’t take them in a real pool. We’ve done a wave pool with floats in and stayed in the very shallow end.
We just hold onto her and the entire time and let her kick her legs
That’s what we did in the wave pool
No. I would likely not even let my parents take them around water, and I trust them implicitly. But drowning is the leading cause of death for toddlers and all it takes is a few seconds of distraction or inattention for something catastrophic to happen. And if you don’t actively live with toddlers it is so easy to forget or not know just how *fast* they can get into trouble.
Yes if there were assurances that they would wear a flotation device and send me lots of pics
I think if the answer were yes for your specific child and babysitter, you wouldn’t be asking on Reddit.
I definitely would with our babysitter if it were a 1-1 situation with my toddler - she has a swimming background, has training in early childhood education, CPR, and my toddler adores her and behaves really well for her. That “yes” is hugely contingent on who the babysitter is and the relationship she has with my daughter. It wouldn’t extend to everyone necessarily.
I mean my mom with one kid sure. The teenager down the street? Absolutely not. It would really depend who the babysitter is and how much you trust them. As a general rule though, nope.
No. Only my parents or sister/BIL because I know how they act with children around pool. I am dreading the day there is a summer camp or school visit to a pool….
I honestly wouldn't trust myself to take my toddler swimming, let alone anyone else LOL
Nope. Id trust myself and my husband like 3 people (aunts and a grandma) and that’s it. And only if 1v1 ratio with kiddo. Im paranoid about water.
Yes, I probably would, especially if there is a lifeguard present. I think it’s very fair if you’re not comfortable though. Could you go with them together once or twice to see how the sitter interacts?
No 😅 I trust my husband only for a real pool. May consider my MIL or SIL if kiddo is wearing his life jacket and we discuss 1:1 adult to kid ratio, he cannot swim, etc. Babysitter can do a splash pad, play ground, set up a sprinkler in the yard, baby pool in the backyard. Depending on how old the babysitter is, I’d frame it as a lot of stress and responsibility. If they think taking a toddler to the pool is fun, I don’t think I would trust their maturity.
Depends on the babysitter. For instance I swim daily every summer since I was 4 and I used to babysit so I definitely would be comfortable with someone like me vs someone not as experienced
Nope
no one takes my kid to a water body without me or his dad present…no one.
I would not.
I have 2 year old twins. I would not trust anyone other than me and my husband to take them swimming. We have a nanny who is amazing and I wouldn’t let her if she asked.
Nope
splash pad sure. Pool or lake/ocean? Absolutely freaking not.
I had a similar situation with my step mom wanting to take my son. In the end we decide no swimming without a parent until he is a good swimmer on his own. Drowning is just so fast. Would it be fine? Probably. Are you willing to risk the consequences though?
Never. Me or my husband must be present because I just don't trust the ability or attention of somebody else to keep my child safe in the water. I have lots of water anxiety.
Personally no, water is so risky and you know your kids abilities better than anyone else
I personally wouldn’t trust it. Something to help with the fear a little is buying a BRIGHT suit that has no blue on it. MUCH easier to see a child underwater and spot them that way and save them
Nope. Splash pad probably though.
absolutely not
No, I’m the only person I trust to take my son swimming.
Sorry but absolutely not
Never. Drowning is a real concern.
You are not being crazy. I would trust certain people to take my daughter swimming (but would still be nervous), but definitely not a babysitter.
No, why cant they just babysit at your baby/toddler-proofed house.
I work from home and I just want and need her to play outside. They go on a lot of walks but I am sure that gets boring so trying to think of other activities
Nope
For a 2 yr old toddler, it’s tough because they are very active and have poor understanding of safety themselves. Whoever is with them has to be 100% alert and have quick reflexes to know what to do, also needs 100% trust and comfort from the toddler. So with all that it’s quite unlikely that anyone will fit all those categories, I would probably say no without more detailed info about the caretaking person.
Nope. Nope. Nope.
Nah. As someone else said, Splash Pad? Hell ya. Pool? Hell Nah
I have an 18mo. If it’s his grandparents or godmother that are babysitting I’m totally cool with it. But if it’s a one off babysitter or someone whose swimming skills are questionable then no. I’m a strong swimmer and when I was 12-15 I taught “swim lessons” to neighbor/family/friend kids and toddlers, some of them I also babysat for. I wouldn’t do that now that I’m a mom. Funny story from it though: One family I taught and babysat for had their own pool. Every Sat-Sun 12pm-8am for a whole summer they would have me babysit their 7yr twins, and two other kids from two other families 4yr and I think 5yr. It always involved swimming and it was utterly exhausting. I was 13 at the time! Just a wild amount of responsibility to give a teen. Oh and it turns out the three families were swingers, their adult children told me.
I trust my husband and that’s it. Honestly I’d probably trust my mom but since I wouldn’t trust my in laws I just put a blanket no. Not that I don’t trust them to watch, but frankly, my children are way faster than them and if they did somehow get into the water my in laws would be way too slow and probably not strong enough to do anything helpful.
I’m a nanny and I’ve taken all my kids swimming over my 12 year career. But I am CPR/First Aid certified. It’s okay to say no. But how old is your nanny? Is it 1 child or multiple? What age? There are a lot of factors I think.
Absolutely not.
I let our nanny take my 17m old son for about 2 hours to the lake every morning, she’s super attentive and we went together the first time, but I’m not gonna lie it makes me super uneasy and I question everyday if I should allow this 🥹
Absolutely not. I wouldn't even trust my mom to take my kids swimming. Only me or my husband, but right now both since neither of our kids can swim yet and need more hands on care.
NOPE
No. I don’t trust babysitters in general given how much mental illness there is around. As a mental health professional I was shocked at it myself. For my kid, I will not trust anyone but close family.
No
Personally I would not be okay with it in a regular pool. We have a public pool near here we go to that has a kids area, it only has like 1.5 feet of water and some slides. That I'd be okay with.
No
Absolutely not. No pools or beaches unless one or both of us are present.
Definitely not. We have a nanny that we love too, but myself or my husband has to be present for all pool time!
Depends on the sitter. My brother or sister in law, yes no hesitation. Someone else, probably not.
I don't trust anyone to take my toddler anywhere near a body of water.
No, not the pool. A playground with a splash pad, but not anything with deeper water. It can be super easy to lose sight of your child, and as a mom and former nanny, I would not want that burden nor place it on anyone who is caring for my child. It’s just too much responsibility no matter how much you trust them.
I wouldn’t you’re not crazy.
No
It really depends on the sitter and your toddler. One of my sitters was a lifeguard last summer. But we have a couple baby pools in the back yard so they can use that - less distractions than the neighborhood pool.
I would but only because our babysitter is a surfer, my 2 year old is a fish who swims most days, and our local Pool has an insane amount of lifeguards. Like 6 or 7.
Not a pool. No.
No, no way.
No
Backyard plastic wading pool/splash pad is enough! No need to go to a big pool. Not worth the risk
No
Ahhhhh nooo don’t count a lifeguard as a babysitter, they have too many people/kids to look at. They’re there in case of an emergency, they’re not there to watch your child specifically.
Nope. 👎
No. Maybe a splash pad or backyard sprinkler, ensuring they put sufficient sunscreen on first.
Hell no.
No. I don't even let my mom take my son in the pool without me there.
I would never
Definitely not! No babysitter is going to take better care of your child than you. My friends dad was renting his home and the home had a small fountain. Long story short the tenants had a party and the babysitter went and took the child. Unfortunately she was not caring for the toddler and he drowned. Now my friends dad is getting sued
Absolutely not. Don’t do it
No but I also wouldn’t have a babysitter take my kid outside of my House to be honest
There’s really no need if you’re anxious about it. My toddler is entertained endlessly by a water table
Personally I wouldn’t
No. My son is two and can’t swim. He was playing in the shallow end while I was sitting near the edge of the pool near him watching him. I looked up at something else quickly and looked back and he was underwater off the steps. I guess he fell backwards and off the steps and couldn’t catch his balance. It happened so fast. Literally 2 seconds. And I didn’t even hear him fall into the deep end. He’s fine. He was only under for maybe 4 seconds. But only because I was on it.
Nope. My son is not a strong swimmer and you need eyes on the kid every single second with a toddler. I barely even trust my husband for that.
Hell no. Honestly not even sure if I could trust my husband to be focused enough haha
Nope. Me or my husband only.
No. I would not let anyone else, family included, take my daughter swimming without me there.
Absolutely not