Pool Questions

right from the get-go you need to teach her pool safty, NO RUNNING whatsoever, no going near the pool without an adult, etc. good luck and have fun!

I always used the "sun hats" on my kids. It's a floppy hat you can get at Target or Old Navy. They have a velcro strap so she can't take it off...my kids would initially try & then forget about it once they were in the water. Good luck!

Many pools and splash places don't allow shoes in the "wet" areas. IF yours does, I would get her some of the little slip on booties with the non-skid bottoms. Without non-skid bottoms, it's probably safer in bare feet.

My kids don't keep hats on very well. When we use them, we use the beachy looking floppy hats with a velcro strap that goes under the chin. I'm all for liberal application of sunscreen to face, shoulders, neck, ears and scalp -and no worries about the cap! I would keep her hair pulled back in a soft pony-tail holder.

There are many recommendations about how long people and kids should be in the sun. As long as she's well-hydrated, has on a high power sunscreen (and you should re-apply frequently, especially after she's been in the water), she should be fine for any amount of time. I have a 4 year old and a 19 month old, and we first went back to the beach when the 4 year old was 5 weeks! We go once or twice a year, and we stay on the beach all day every day and have umbrellas so the kids can get in the shade if they want. Everyone has always had fun and been just fine! Staying hydrated really is key!

My kids are water babies in the summer. My dad has a pond and we spend a LOT of time there!
Chances are she's not going to need shoes in the splash area. If she does, you're going to want to get water shoes. Don't put her in flip flops or sandals. They are REALLY slippery when they're wet. She'll probably want something on her feet to get to and from the pool and sandals or flip flops would be fine for that, just make sure you dry her feet off before putting them on.
You shouldn't need a hat to cover all of her hair. Just pull it back in a pony tail or pig tails before you go.
Personally, I dont' see the need for a hat. My kids won't even keep them on and their heads get HOT underneath of them. I doubt she'll even keep the sunglasses on. Mine don't, but I know some that do.
Make sure that you religiously re-apply the sunscreen, every hour to hour and a half if she's in the water. And don't forget the part in her hair! We've made that mistake a few times. Sunburned scalps are no fun!
As long as she's hydrated and has sunscreen, she can stay out all day. I don't know how old she is, but if she's little then a few hours will probably be all she can take. Being in the sun and water makes kids TIRED!
You might also want to look into getting a life jacket. They make some really nice ones that are made of neoprene (the material wet suits are made of). They don't ride up and don't leave the rash on the cheeks. We found ours at a sporting goods store, but WalMart has them too.
Have fun at the pool!

I didn't see this on your list.... PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE remember Swim diapers.

When I go to outdoor pools or the beach, I try to go around 4pm. My kids have fair skin and blue eyes. The sun bouncing off the pool water and sand hurts their eyes. They were sunglasses, but can't keep them on in the water. Going later helps, the sun isn't so bright, don't have to take umbrellas to the beach, etc. We just end up having a better time.

Also, consider getting her a life jacket. They can be worn in the pool. You will still need to be with/near her, but it helps. My kids both where them and they are 9 and 3.

M.

You can buy the good cloth swim diapers off of swimoutlet.com that are much better than the disposable ones. I think they have the bigger floppy hats too. And, those aquasocks are awesome. Speedo makes some that you can find at Target.

Shoes would be good. Years ago we used to go to a pool my kids always had raw feet. It never seemed that rough but maybe chemicals. Water shoes, may find them at Sports Authority. G. W

Sunburns happen most often in the middle of the day, so if you are going at night, like around 6:30 or 7:00pm then she can stay longer. At 2:00pm only 30 minutes.

Sunscreen must be applied 30 minutes before entering the water to achieve maximum effectiveness. Also if you reapply onto wet skin the sunscreen won't work. So if you are going to stay for a while and want to reapply the sunscreen thinking that your child will be protected, you have to dry her off, reapply, and wait until the sunscreen dries before going back into the water. My son learned this lesson because of my impatience.

I agree that most kids won't keep a hat or sunglasses on. You can always try it, because she might be one of the ones that likes them. It depends on your child's coloring as too how badly her head needs to be covered. My youngest had very white, thin hair, so I had to put sun screen all over his head until he was about 3 years old. It was a pain to wash out, but he was so fair that I knew his head would get burned and he would not wear a hat. Water shoes are nice to wear, even in the pool. My kids would get blisters on the bottom of their feet from the rough concrete in and around the pool.

If you use a waterproof, 50+ Baby Sunscreen, you should not have to reapply it if you are only out for a few hours. Our favorite is the Banana Boat brand, because it does not sting their eyes. We always put our sun screen on before we leave the house, because it works best if you give it at least 30 minutes to dry. I see people come to the pool and put on sun screen, then the kids run into the water and it washes right off. I think that if you reapply at the pool, you are simply washing off the good sunscreen that was already there. Most of them claim to last for up to 8 hours. Unless you can dry them off, reapply and wait at least 30 minutes, then it is worthless. At your daughter's age, you really should not be at the pool long enough to need to reapply. I would say no more than 3 hours.

Look for pools that have a cover over the baby pool. Many of them have this now and that helps a lot to keep them out of the sun. Also, avoid the middle of the day. Go in the morning or late afternoon. When my kids were little, this was a fun thing to do when my husband got home from work. We would go to the pool, eat dinner there and then they would go right to sleep early! I must admit that often during the summer, we considered swimming in a pool to be their bath for the night!

I know that their are lots of thoughts on the life jacket and arm floaties. Most swim instructors will tell you to avoid these crutches. With young children YOU MUST WATCH THEM AT ALL TIMES! Do not assume the life guard or a life jacket will do the job. Children that depend on a life jacket will have a false sense of security in the water. They need to learn early that they will not float in water. Allow your daughter to go under the water a time or two. You pull them right out, but they begin to understand what it is like to step off into deep water. The little baby swim rings that they sit in are nice for young kids and usually have a cover on them also.

I can't tell if anyone has answered this yet, but Hannah Andersson has some super-cute water-sock type things that make great water shoes for toddlers. Ours wore hers everywhere last summer! Concrete can get very hot, and as a former lifeguard I can tell you that it's very easy to pick up fungus' from a public pool's floors. Yuck!

If you like, get her little water shoes, they have them at Wal Mart and Target. And maybe a little ball cap you could pull her hair through the back. I've found my girls won't keep anything on their heads including their sunglasses. So I just make sure they have lots of sunscreen on. I really really recommend the "stick" sunscreen for the face. I don't care how "tear free" sunblocks claim to be, they all sting my girls eyes, so I only put the stick on their face and shoulders. We will stay out a couple of hours, usually nor more than three hours, because I am so tired at that point. The kids need the sun light for vitamin D.

You could probably use a ball cap for her hair. Probably a set of water shoes would be good to use in the baby section. Remember that the sun is most dangerous between 10:00am and 2:00pm. Re-apply sunscreen every hour during water play and remember to keep her hydrated. Help her enjoy the summer safely.

I put aqua socks on my little guy and it allows him to keep his traction and protects the botttom of his feet. We have a pool at home and we go swimming almost every day during the summer. We normally keep him out there about 20-30 minutes then have him take some water table time then give him the option to play in the pool again. We usually gauge how long we stay out by the sun. One of the sun screens we bought came with some stickers you could put on their arm and it will tell you when the sun exposure is too high. We used those all through the summer. That would be a good way to gauge it too. As far as a hat goes, get her hair wet then use a floppy cap it should cover all her hair then.

Good luck..it sounds like you will have a ton of fun this summer!

I am thinking that T. is a lot more like Arizona then some would think. It gets HOT and sunny. All of the suggestions below are great, but with baby skin, I would reapply sunscreen about every half hour to the prominant parts, nose, cheeks, ears and shoulders. If the pool has good cool-decking, you should probably be okay without shoes, but have her wear something in the bathrooms (where the water and bacteria can collect) to avoid athletes foot. I may be nuts, but I also tended to introduce my kids to longer times in the sun gradually.

I'd definitely get her some type of shoe for the pool just because I know the aggregate around ours it get's HOT, like blistering hot. If you can find true water shoes she might keep them on while in the water but my son always hated walking in wet shoes so we stuck with flip flops with the bands on the back. The shoes really won't help with keeping her from falling so I wouldn't be so focused on that, you can really start with teaching her your pool rules- no running, only in the water when mommy is in the water etc.
As far as a hat if she truly has that much hair (lucky G.!) I wouldn't worry too much about it other than trying to keep her in the shade when she's not in the water. And remember LOTS of sunscreen starting at least 30 minutes before going out (if you can or at least 15 minutes) we apply before leaving the house. Also make sure you REAPPLY, that is the number one mistake everyone makes, that includes if she gets out for a snack etc and you towel her off.
I think the longest we ever really stay at our pool is maybe an hour and a half and we usually go before lunch and the major heat of the day or late in the afternoon when the kiddie pool is in the shade just before dinner.