One British Child dies every month on holiday whilst abroad

[Jacqui Harvey]

Shocking figures reported in the Sunday Post.  The blame is being laid at the door of pools not having lifeguards.  One couple feature whose 4 year old was found at the bottom of a pool in Turkey are annoyed there was no lifeguard.
As the kids in Scotland are now on holiday and the English/Irish/Welsh kids will also be on holiday soon, this is a warning to all parents to be careful.  I wonder, do any pools in and around Calis have lifeguards?
This is the article
http://www.sundaypost.com/news-views/scotland/parents-call-for-urgent-safety-review-after-swimming-pool-tragedies-1.469211

[Highlander]

Makes me mad - I want to respond now but will sleep on it first 

[Jacqui Harvey]

Me too, I know what you are thinking, perhaps our generation was different.

[Susiepink]

Quote  "the travel agents need to take responsibility"  ?
Not the parents then ?
What sort of parents leave such young children around swimming pools unsupervised?
I could go on....  It's all tragic, but don't blame it all on the hotels please.

[WordBird]

I agree, Susie.
Absolutely there should be lifeguards and precautions in place, but no parent should ever let their young child play in a pool - or in the sea/on the beach - unsupervised and unwatched by themselves or another responsible member of their party.

[tinkerman]

When parents let their children go swimming in the hotel pool, they should know if there are any lifeguards?
Same as on the holiday complexes.

[Lotty]

I have never stayed anywhere that had lifeguards, even if there were any, it was purely MY responsibility to care and protect my children. Terrible statistics. One of the first and best things we ever did was to arrange intensive swimming lessons. It doesn't take long when they are small, it's the biggest favour you can give your kids, they love it and helps you enormously too.

[Jacqui Harvey]

I was catching up with the Sunday papers last night when I read this article and there is a lot more in the paper than is on the net article.  I noted that each child's parents who are complaining about lifeguards did not say why their 2 year old, 3 year old, 4 year old... had managed to get into the swimming pool and exactly where they (the parents) where at the time.   It seems they have put the responsibility of looking after their child to the Hotel.  They complain about the lack of lifeguards.  However, personally, I would not have given lifeguards a though, because I would not have let a child out of my sight.   
I also agree with Lotty teach them to swim as soon as you can. I first took my daughter to lessons when she was 4 months old at a Mother and baby swimming group.
Incidentally,  the child pictured is in a coma and the parents have been told she is very unlikely to wake up.

[bewva]

Very sad stories and it is easy to get distracted but with kids and water it is time to have eyes in the back of your head.
We used to take it in turns to watch ours. I remember our youngest aged about 2-3 being pushed into the paddling pool by an older child and he went face down. I have never ran so fast in my life to get to him whilst Mrs B went to deal with the little sh1t that pushed him in.

[Highlander]

Well here goes - I make absolutely no apology for this response even allowing for hindsight.

"Steven said: “I completely disagree with the hotel only having one lifeguard covering both. That’s an impossible job. Every way you look at it, it’s wrong.”
 
Oh really - !!!!!!. Question: Did you check before leaving your child there ?. Every way you look at it, you have abdicated parental responsibility.

Exactly what responsibility did you take for your child's safety or did you concentrate on improving your tan and assume because you had paid for your holiday that your child's safety was someone else's problem.
I make absolutely no apology for this response even allowing for hindsight.

"Steven said: “I completely disagree with the hotel only having one lifeguard covering both. That’s an impossible job. Every way you look at it, it’s wrong.”
 
Oh really - !!!!!!. Question: Did you check before leaving your child there ?

And exactly what responsibility did you take for your child's safety or did you concentrate on improving your tan and assume because you had paid for your holiday that your child's safety was someone else's problem.