my six year old was at teh pool tonight and is haveing a miserable time with his eyes buring from the cholorine. We flushed his eyes with water, and resorted to visine but nothing much has helped. He seems to be more sensitive to this. The rest of us were there too and aren't having any trouble. Obvisouly goggles might help. Does anyone know a brand that is very good, or any tricks for keeping them on. He has tried them in the past but they would always fill up with water, fogg up or fall off. obviously not a great fit. we'd like to be able to enjoy the local pool this summer but if we can't find something that keeps the cholorine from bothering him so much, i can't take him.
Speedo has goggles for different age groups. Avoid the cheap dollar store kind. They don't work. Ask a swim coach or local YMCA for advise.
When I was a child, my mom used to put cucumber slices on my eyes after I came home from the pool if I was complaining about my eyes burning. I have no idea if it really works, but it seemed to make me feel better.
My kids have been on the swim team since they were 5. We use Speedo Hydrospec Jr. The Jr. goolges are perfect for little guys. Meks sure you fit them to his head with the straps.
I usually purchase these goggles at Kohl's when they are half price and I have a 30 percent coupon and end up paying about only $5.00 a pair. Be sure to stock up because kids lose googles unbelievably fast.
We really like the speedo futurity jr goggles. They're pricey, but utterly fantastic. If you have a swimshop nearby (with 30-40 different styles and brands of goggles) I'd recommend going there for a "try 'em all on" run. These though, have worked well for us and his friends (we have 5 pairs) since kiddo was 3... and he's about to turn 8.
http://www.shop.swimmisports.com/Speedo-Jr-Futurity-75743...
It may not have been the chlorine but the ph of the water that was so irritating, in which case flushing with tap water wouldn't have done much to relive his discomfort.
You should beable to find better quality goggles at a sports shop. I have a good pair from a pool store, I think they are speedo brand. Next time, don't use Visine, Visine has alot of chemicals in it and can further irritate the eyes. Try Refresh tears they are preservative free.
Speedo kids vanquishers are the best fitting goggles. i teach swim lessons, and that has been what has worked best for kids in terms of fit, etc. they come in some fun patterns and colors, too! www.swimoutlet.com has the best prices, too.
but when you put them one, make sure the straps are over the ears and at the top of the head (the largest part of the head) so they fit right. if you let the straps drop below the ears, the goggles will not fit properly. they also show this on the packaging so follow it!
then when you put them on, push them in slightly to get the suction. don't press too hard as they will then suction out the whole eye. well, not that bad, but it won't be comfortable. but if they fill up with water, either the straps are in the wrong place, or you did not create that seal to keep the water out.
hope that helps!
J.
nutrition and swim coaching
www.nutrition-in-motion.net
At the swim school my son used to go to (it's an indoor pool with year round lessons) just about EVERY kid wore a goggle that looked almost like a snorkel mask. It DOES NOT go over the nose, but has just one big lens for the whole face. My son wore them at 19months and had no trouble keeping them on, and there were kids as old as 14 wearing them as well. They sold them (and other varieties) there in the proshop, but this was the style they recommended for young swimmers.
Okay, I found them on the swim school webpage. I'm sure they're available locally, but here's the link so you can see what they look like.
http://www.dolphinscuba.com/Aqua_Sphere_Seal_Kids_Swim_Go...
Speedo does sell a model similar to them that I've found at target, but I found them to be a bit leaky (not horrible, like maybe one leak in a few hours, but the others never leaked at all).
HTH.
