Babysitter - Germantown,OH

My mother used to live in an apartment complex that was okay with me bringing my daycare children. I don't see too well without my glasses. So I required all the kids to wear bright blue vests both for their safety and so I could easily spot and count them constantly. Every child in my care learned how to swim nicely with those vests on and went in the full pool including the deep end. They had tons of fun, was able to use the diving boards for straight jumping in. I didn't allow anything fancy. It was fine and we never had any accidents or mishaps.

I suggest you allow him to use the big pool with his babysitter. He can wear a PPD float vest. You can see about signing him up for swim lessons at the time/days they go or you can talk to her about giving him a swim lesson each time. He is at the perfect age to become a GREAT swimmer and with all that time in the water he is sure to get good at it! They will have a lifeguard and you can talk to your babysitter about how worried you are. Your son will have a wonderful time!

If they will be 1 on 1 in the pool then I see no cause for concern. At 6 almost 7 your son is old enough to know how to swim AND to understand and follow your rules regarding the pool.

You say she is going to the pool 2 days per week - does tha tmean she has other kids to watch? How will that work? How many kids? How old?

Off the top of my head, I would have a much harder time trusting a single adult to watch my child than a more commercial day care setting. I especially worry when it sounds like you didn't so much choose her as she is the only person you could find. You have no experience wiht her judgment, caution, discipline, etc. by which to evaluate whether she could keep your child safe at a pool.

Around 6 years old is a dangerous pool age - kids are often most vulnerable when they are learning to swim, because the child and the adults are overconfident in their abilities. Also, "knowing how to swim" doesn't imply the child has safe judgment about how to behave around the pool. I don't know the pool situaiton in your area, but lots of kids have drowned in pools with lifeguards and parents all around.

So all in all the idea of a sitter at a pool with my child would terrify me in general. (I have a 7 year old and 3 year old). All the worse that you dont' hav eany experience wiht this sitter and you seem a bit desperate in picking her. Sometimes the devil you know (day care) is better than the devil you don't (the sitter).