11 answers

Swimming with Baby?

When is it considered 'safe' to bring a baby into a chlorinated public pool? We have been invited to a friend's neighborhood pool with thier children but I have a 3 month old. Any advice?

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Lots of "waterbabies" and you will be OK. I wouldn't stay out to long if it's really HOT. You can take the baby in the pool, it's OK.

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I think it's ok once the baby is 6 months old. You aren't supposed to put sunscreen on a baby until then . I would not take her in the pool but keep her out of the sun at the party.Also, is someone going to help you? How are you going to go in the pool with your son and watch the baby too?Good luck!

I think it is OK to take the baby in a pool but I don't think you can put sunscreen on the baby at that young of an age so I would only consider am indoor pool for a child that age.
Maybe you or your husband can sit out with the baby while the other goes in the water with your son and then switch so you all get time in the pool.

Good Luck

We've been taking our son in a chlorinated pool with us since he was just 4 months old. I think the issue is the sun exposure. We don't use sunblock yet so we keep him in a long sleeve onesie with a swim diaper underneath and a sun hat for his head. We also don't have him in there for too long. And, now that he's a few months older, we have one of those covered baby floats. He just loves it!

All of my children have swam literally since birth. We spend as much time as possible at the pool every Summer

Indoor pools generally have a higher concentration of chlorine since the sun is not able to "burn it off", so they have found some links between indoor swimming and allergic reactions and asthma in small children.

With a 3-month old, you're probably going to be spending more time with her sleeping than actually swimming. When my kids were that young and we'd go to the pool they would stay in their stroller, covered up taking naps most of the time. I'd keep the stroller right next to me while the older one would swim. When I took the infant in the water, they would be covered with a hat and SPF protective suit or in a float with a shade over it (Target and WalMart usually have these). I always make sure to rinse them off after swimming as well as applying lotion.

That all being said, you definitely don't want to take an infant into a pool if you don't feel comfortable with it. If they can feel you're nervous, they won't have a good experience and you definitely don't want that. You may want to find out a little bit more about the pool to feel comfortable. The pool we belong to actually has a shaded area over the pool, so that people who don't want to be in the sun can still swim.

I don't know what the experts say but my boy was born in early May (ten years ago) and my M. who lived across the ally from us had a pool. On hot days, we definately took him in the pool. Try to go when there isn't alot of direct sunlight. Also, it's not safe to put sunscreen on a baby younger than six months old so dress your baby in a shirt and always put a had on, wide brim is best. Good luck and happy swimming.

Lots of "waterbabies" and you will be OK. I wouldn't stay out to long if it's really HOT. You can take the baby in the pool, it's OK.

Talk to your ped about what kind of sunscreen is safe and GO FOR IT! Babies love the water and it is a great way to get them used to swimming so they are not scared as they get older. We have a chlorinated pool in our backyard, and have taken our kids (21mos, and 3 mos) swimming in the lake by my father-in-law's farm. I use neurogena oil free spf 45 on both my kids. Hypoalergenic and really soft and sensitive. does not leave that sunscreen film, but works really well.

Go for it. We took our baby in at 2 months. He just layed there and looked around, and it was only for about 10 minutes max in the shade, but he is an absolute fish now and I think taking him swimming early played a part. My ped. said it was ok too.

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