Camp field trip to beach/lake/pool for 2-4 year-olds. Would you go with your dc?

[Hazelnut]

If you could?
My son's day camp that he's in for three weeks went to the beach today. The kids are mostly 3 and up, but a couple were two. I planned on going with them b/c it was no trouble to do so and I am just not comfortable letting him go swimming with people I don't know well. I thought for sure that a ton of parents woudl go, but I was surprised that I was only one of two parents who went. The teachers were super careful, but it wasn't really about not trusting them specifically. I just felt better going- I mean, lots of kids, a few adults, large body of water.

I honestly don't feel judgment toward parents who didn't go (well okay, maybe a teeny bit wrt the two year-old) but was just surprised that no one did. I guess I'm overprotective.

So, would you go? Or would you feel totally comfortable sending them off with the class?

[boatbaby]

For me... at that age... there is NO WAY I would let him go unless I was there.
In my opinion when you're around water there needs to be a grown up on every kid until they are very competent swimmers. Kids go down fast and quiet.

[MomInCalifornia]

Not in a hudred million years.

I'll be very honest and say I DO feel judment towards parents that didn't go.

[Lesley77]

Originally Posted by boatbaby

For me... at that age... there is NO WAY I would let him go unless I was there.
In my opinion when you're around water there needs to be a grown up on every kid until they are very competent swimmers. Kids go down fast and quiet.

Ditto.

[sunflowers]

I'd go. But I do not feel judgemental about those who cannot go. I picture a 2yo in a day camp probably has working parent(s) and they may have no other option. I do wonder if those parents had the opportunity to decline signing the permission form for the field trip and still have child care for the day (as opposed to the child having to stay home instead of going).

[Hazelnut]

It's just for three hours in the a.m., so I think it's mostly SAHMs. The 2yo's mom wasn't working.

[lilyka]

depends. public pools in my town - yes. They must have one adult for every 5 children and the pools are zero entry. when daycares and day camps go the kids are all in bright t-shrt so they can be easily identified by group leaedrs. the pools force 10 mimnute breaks every hour and all kids must stay with their group and be supervised during breaks. There are life gaurds stationed every 10 feet and two standing in the deep end.

to a lake or ocean? not in a milion years. to a pool without zero entry? no . inadequate adult to child ratio. no.

I would definitely volunteer to go along and help though. Probably not to a lake or ocean though. that is a disaster waiting to happen. Even at girl scout amp where the girls were cnosiderably older than this the counselors were all trained life gaurds and there was a bagillion safety procedures in place any time we got any where near the water (buddies, in/out tags, counting off every 15 minutes, swimming lessons for everyoneno one in over three feet unless you had passed a certain level swimming lesons - denoted by the color of your swimming cap which would also help pull your to the surface and make it easier for rescuers to find you without actually being a floatation device). there is no way my kids would go to the lake without me and i don't think I would be willing to be responsible for anyone elss kids inthat environment.

[Jwebbal]

I would need to go for my child to go.

[Hazelnut]

Do you mean you wouldn't want to go at all, lilyka? I tried to help a little, but my primary concern was keeping an eye on my son, obviously. I don't think I would feel overly responsible (not that I'd feel good, if a tragedy did happen) since I was there to accompany my child and not as a teacher. I admit that despite their precautions I was a weensy bit concerned that they'd go at all without requesting more adults. They also have just a water play day in the playground which seems sufficient to me. Not likely to drown on the slip n slide. They didn't keep the camp shirts on. I think colorful visors would help a little bit.

This was a lake- albeit one of the great lake varieties, so there are waves and stuff. Our local pool lifeguards are great, but even there I think an accident can happen. There was one drowning in my parent's neighborhood pool when no one saw the toddler fall in. Not very likely, but hugely tragic to those who fall in that small minority.

I was even thinking back to camp when I was a pre-teen and how we had to swim with a buddy and they blew the whistle every few minutes to check to see if you had your buddy (you had to be close enough to hold hands and put them up with each whistle). Even that makes me a little nervous now. The whole instant, silent thing.

Well at least I'm not the only one who would go. I was starting to think I was weird. I'm not really sending him off on any large group field trip without me. I know the older camps regularly leave the premise and go to the pool, and I'm pretty sure I just won't send him to those. I'm sure some are super precautious, but still. And I've seen some very unprecautious kid/counselor groups at the lake. Made me nervous.

[lilyka]

i don't think I would go with a large group. Just by being there you are sorta responsible. I would rather just take my kid with our families or a couple of other families.

I am really surprised more parents didn't come. when the preschool I worked for went to the apple orchard they had one parent for every 3-4 kids.

[SquishyKitty]

I will be honest and state that I'd feel a little judgemental towards the parents, but I also say that knowing that I'm not always able to get time off to go on DS's field trips. For trips involving water, I'd have to say he probably wouldn't go if DH or I were not there just because it's a huge safety issue. But I also know that DS's school doesn't do trips anywhere without qualified teachers for each situation. They won't do a swim trip because they have no lifeguards available to them, and not enough teachers to supervise kids in a pool or lake setting.

[arlecchina]

I'd go. beach is scary for little kids to me. I wouldnt trust only a couple adults to watch that many kids, I really think it should be at least one adult per child.

[OakBerry]

Originally Posted by boatbaby

For me... at that age... there is NO WAY I would let him go unless I was there.
In my opinion when you're around water there needs to be a grown up on every kid until they are very competent swimmers. Kids go down fast and quiet.

Yup, same here!

[Jessy1019]

I wouldn't have sent a child that young without me to any public place apt to be crowded. We saw very young children at the crowded aquarium last summer, and I remember wondering how any parent could be okay with their two year old going on an outing like that.

That it was the ocean would have only cemented my unwillingness . . . a private pool, and I would likely have been okay with it, especially once dd was 3 -- she could swim well then.

[GranoLLLy-girl]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am SHOCKED SHOCKED that any day camp would take kids that age to such a place---that's a drowning and law suit waiting to happen.
I would never allow my child to go--and I would have to be the beee-yoch mom that would seriously question the adults who thought this was a good idea.
I mean--seriously--how many posts have we seen on this board about parents or other supervisors right there while children drown---not to mention other basics--who will watch all the kids if one needs to go to the restroom? Who applied and re-applied all the sunscreen? What on earth were these people thinking?
INSANE.
You were wise to go--but if I were a parent who could not go--I would not allow my children to go and I would have to make a scene about the whole thing.
How many kids were there to number of adults? I am afraid to ask.

[jillmamma]

For MY kids, I would let them go only if I went as well. Partly because I know my DS especially can get really impulsive and needs a lot of supervision.

[Hazelnut]

There were 6 adults I think (plus the two parents) for two classes- don't know how many kids. It wasn't an ocean it was a lake. They were very careful and attentive, applied sunscreen, had someone in the water at all times, two others bordering the area, standing guard essentially.

But yes, I was also shocked that no parents went and was the teensiest bit uncomfy that they went at all- but it's not like they'll go without advance notice, so I plan to be on all field trips with my kids til they're like 80. I agree about the crowd thing. The water just makes it more of a big deal. And I would feel this way about any school or camp.

It's just that I've met like 1 parent in real life who said they don't like to send their kids to camps where they go to field trips and go swimming and what not. I just don't really get it. Three and four is so young to me. And my son is really not impulsive and is not likely to wander off, but still. I'd worry.

[Parker'smommy]

I didn't enroll my 5 year old son in the local Y camp because they would be taking a trip to the beach. He's just too young for that kind of stuff and I don't think it would be a safe enviornment. I mean, geez, it exhausts me to just watch him and his 2 year old sister to the beach, and I know the ratio would be much higher. I'm not comfortable with it, so I didn't enroll him. When he's older? We'll see how mature he is, how great a swimmer he is, and a myriad of other factors will play into the decsion. But now, at 5, no way!

[Jennyfur]

I'd have let my 3- and 4-year-olds go without me, because I know they did similar trips in preschool. I wouldn't have needed to accompany them (though I can see offering).

I don't think I'd let my 2-year-old go.

[alegna]

I would not let my child go to a daycamp where they thought it was appropriate to have 2-4yr olds go to a pool with an adult/child ratio worse than 1/2

-Angela