My 2Yr Old Gets Cold Very Quickly in the Pool

My son is almost 2 and he gets colder faster in the "cover-all" SPF 50 2-piece suit I would rather he wore to help shade his skin from the sun. He does a lot better in a swim diaper and sunscreen, so that's what we do now. I've never seen an actual "wet suit" for kids, one that traps water between the skin and the fabric so the body can heat it up, is that what you have?

ETA: After reading the other posts, my son is also little. 26 pounds at 22 months. I looked at the link you PMed me of the suit, I say try going without it and see what happens, because the only way that would help keep him warm was if it trapped water. Quick-drying fabric is still cold until it's dry, IMO. Good luck!

Hi S.,

It sounds as though your little boy is one of those "lucky" people who has very little body fat... aka insulation. His body composition may change with time, but then again, maybe not. My little boy is 3 and he can play in the water for about double the time your little boy does before his lips are blue and he's shivering (which doesn't necessarily mean that he wants to stop playing). Your little one might be able to increase the time he spends in the water slowly as he "acclimates". Good luck... and keep an extra towel ready for him! If he's anything like my little guy, he'll want to go back time after time (after warming up, that is). ;o)

Is he slender? My oldest has a very slim build(very little body fat) and he has had a lot of trouble regulating his body temp. He is the first kid shivering at the beach and then the first one to get a heat rash playing at the park in the sun. I haven't found a fix for it other than the usual responses. Have hope though. My son is 7 now and seems to be getting better regulation as he gets older.

That was my son at that age. This year (almost 4) is the first time that he can stay in the water for more than 10 minutes. It actually did make a difference for us to put him in a tight fitting long sleeved shirt, but it only gained us another 10 minutes (fortunately swim class was only 25 minutes long. This is very typical for little boys (that was his swim teacher's experience anyway).

My daughters lips actually used to turn blue when she went into the water. Babies or toddlers can loose their core temp very fast so it may not be a good idea to let your toddler go in. They do grow out of it though. Or atleast my 8 year old did.