When can children go swimming alone?
Drowning is the second most common cause of accidental death in children up to the age of 15. Between 2007 and 2016, 127 people under the age of 24 drowned in Switzerland. The shocking fact is that 54 of these were young people between the ages of 10 and 24 who suddenly drowned. In other words, young people who could actually swim, or at least should have been able to. This unsettles parents and as the head of a swimming school, I am often asked when a child can go to the swimming pool or lido on their own.
Three considerations seem sensible to me:
- How well can my child swim?
- How responsible is my child?
- Who does my child want to go swimming with?
1. how well can my child swim?
Children should not go swimming alone until they have passed the water safety check (WSC) organised by the bfu, SLRG and swimsports.ch. In order to pass this test, the child must make an uninterrupted roll into deep water, stay afloat for one minute and then swim 50 metres. This test checks the most important basic requirements for safe swimming: Underwater orientation, diving, coordination, breathing, propulsion, endurance and strength.
Not every child of the same age is equally mature.
The aim is for all children to pass the WSC by the age of nine. From the age of 12, your child can also complete the SLRG Brevet basic pool, and from the age of 14 the SLRG Brevet plus pool and the lake module. In my opinion, this is an extremely sensible thing to do. I recommend these swimming tests to adults in particular.
2. how responsible my child is
If your child has passed the WSC, this does not mean that they feel able to go to the swimming pool on their own. As a mum of three very different children, I know that not every child of the same age is equally mature. While one child is still very playful and dreamy at the age of ten, another child of the same age is already happy to take on responsibility and is very reliable.
The child should know the bathroom well, be able to find its way around on its own and feel comfortable there. For a smooth transition, parents can stay in a different part of the pool for the time being. This gives the children the space they need and they can still call their parents if necessary.
Explain the swimming rules to your child and discuss with them what to do in an emergency. Find out whether a supervisor is present in the swimming pool or at the lake. Many swimming pools no longer have permanent pool attendants, but only a bell for emergencies.
I only recommend unsupervised swimming in the lake from around 15 years of age with very good swimming skills and only if accompanied.
3. which friends does my child want to go swimming with?
When I think back to my time at the pool without my parents, I remember many dangerous situations, such as pushing each other under the water, diving tests of courage or jumping from the three-metre tower together. Talk to your child about such dangerous situations.
Prepare them for the fact that they will feel peer pressure and reassure them that it is okay and even brave to say «no» to tests of courage or daredevil jumps. Also talk to your child about the experience after the swimming pool visit.
Important to know:
- The responsibility lies with the parents, not with the lifeguard. Even if children are alone in the pool, parents are responsible and must fulfil their duty of supervision.
- There are cantonal bath ing rules that stipulate when a child is allowed to go to the municipal bathing centre alone. You can find the respective bathing regulations via Google by entering the canton and the term «bathing regulations». In the city of Zurich, for example, children aged 10 and over are allowed to go to the swimming pool alone. In the case of privately run bathing establishments, it is best to enquire directly.
