Newborn in Pool

I don't know what the doctors would say, but I put my daughter in the pool when she was 3 months old. She was just fine, other than the fact that she didn't really like it. She didn't really start enjoying the pool until she was closer to 1 year. But I think it's safe to take a baby in the pool. Have a great vacation!

I don't know the technical answer, but I can say that both my children were in pools before they were three months old. My youngest was in the pool frequently by that age.

She's still too young. The chlorine will damage her skin's balance,a nd her pores are still very open, so she could very well absorb the chlorine through the skin. Also, Absolutely do NOT put her in a hot tub. even at cooler temperatures, they have been known to stop baby's hearts... Children under the age of 12 should not be in hot tubs. That's not my opinion, that's according to the California State Health Department.

I had my 3 month old in the pool. Whether or not people would say it is safe, I don't know. I needed to add something to our day to break it up. It never seemed to bother him. Even diapers have chlorine in them, so if she was sensitive to chlorine you probably would have already noticed in her diaper area. I would say that as long as you aren't in it for a long time and it doesn't seem to bother her, you are probably fine.

ABSOLUTLY NO HOT TUB!! Hot tubs are extremely dangerous and deadly for babys and sometimes toddlers. Even if they are cooler they can do damage. When it comes to the pool your little one should be just fine.I used to teach mommie and me classes and the rules of thumb were to just be aware of your babys temperature. Keep them moving in the water and hold them close to you. Both of these things will keep your babies temp up while you swim as well as as soon as you get her head wet she will get colder quicker. This dosent mean you cant get her head wet but it will cut your swim time down. The other trick is once her body is wet above the shoulders if you keep her in up to her shoulders this will keep her temp up as well.

As for the chlorine it shouldnt harm her at all just make sure you wash her off with soap and shampoo and lotion her up well.

Good luck and have fun most babys love water and will do just fine.

In high school (approx 10 years ago now - boy how time flies!), I was a lifeguard, and we had a water babies program where children (some as young as your daughter) came and "got used to" the water. They didn't dunk them under or anything, but they were able to get into the pool, and they really enjoyed it. Like anything else, you'll want to regulate how long she's in (water CAN be exhausting after a while), and give her a bath afterwards (especially if her hair gets wet, if she has any) so her skin doesn't dry out. Just make sure that her ears don't get water in them, and she should be fine!

My pediatrician said we could put our baby in the pool as long as her umbilical "stump" had fallen out, so I am sure your baby is ready for a dip in the pool! I would not recommend putting you baby in a hot tub at all, not even for a second. Hot tubs and spas can cause permanent liver and kidney damage extremely quickly in children under 13. The water is just too hot (104 degrees is considered too hot by some sources). Even pregnant women should avoid hot tub use. Speak to your baby's pediatrician for advice.
But have fun splashing around in the pool!! After swimming with our baby I give her a bath to get the chlorine off her skin.

Hi T.,

Unfortunately, the high levels of chlorine in public pools is very harmful to babies. Pediatricians typically say 6 months or older...at least that's my past experience. You definitely do NOT want to put her in the hot tub, which would elevate her body temperature.

If you do take her in the pool, be sure to wash her off immediately after.

Have Fun! :)
G.

I agree with the previous poster about the hot tub. Don't even try that, IMO.

As far as the pool, some of it depends on your child and how long you are planning on staying in the water. To allow her a few minutes to "dip" in and cool off with you, no big deal, but I would not let her stay in the water for an hour or even thirty minutes. I would recommend you just talk to your pediatrician.

have a great vacation!

We put our daughter in the pool at about two months old. Our pediatrician said it was okay, but to not stay in too long because she was still too young to wear sunscreen. That was his only concern. We also rinsed her off well after getting out. I definitely would not do the spa! My daughter didn't even like the pool her first summer, so the time she spent in the pool was very limited. Have fun!

My husband & I have a hot tub & a 23 month old. I thought it would probably be okay to have our daughter in the hot tub with us if we kept the temp at about 97-98. I asked the advice of my brother that is a doctor at the Mayo Clinic. He made the following comments:

Never at a public pool or hot tub regardless of temp due to bacteria & chemicals

Not advisable at home (it's NOT like a bathtub) Chemicals are harsh. It can cause breathing problems due to jets and bubbles. Risks associated with filtration suction, bacteria and tender skin of a child under 48 months.

Bottom line, my brother's concerns went way beyond water temperature, but more about the chemicals, bubbles and fine mist, causing quality of air problems. His advice to us was even if we addressed those issues, to wait until our daughter was above 4 years old and limit the time to 10-15 minutes @ 97-98 degrees.

He said don't think of a hot tub as just a large bathtub, it's not..

Putting your 3 month old in the chlorinated water is just fine in my opinion as long as you bathe her when she is done being in the pool for the day. Getting all the chlorine rinsed away is the key to avoiding any skin irritations. A little moisturizing lotion following the bath wouldn't hurt either.
Don't forget to use an organic sunscreen on her while she is exposed to the sun's harmful rays, and a hat is always a good idea for both of you. Keep the water out of her mouth, and ears. Just as a precautionary measure, clean the wax out of her ears prior to getting in the pool. If any water happens to get into her ears, at least you will know that it won't get trapped behind some ear wax and ultimately cause an infection.
I guess the hot tub may not be such a good idea though at this young age.
Have fun and enjoy your get away!

we had our son in the pool early!! Our doc said no sunscreen before 6mos though.....have fun

Hi Tiffany, this response comes all the way from New Zealand. I am living here with my NZ hubby, but have lived in Phoenix and have family there so I am in the mamasource circle.
I am was a Red Cross Water safety instructor and needed to respond to your question.
It is absolutely NOT safe to put your child in the hot tub! Children below the age of about 4 are not able to regulate their body temperature as their system are not as delveloped as an adults. The problems that could develop could require emergency room intervention as serious problems can arise. As for a swim in the pool, that is not a problem. Make sure that the time is very limited that is under 30 minutes, you need to hold the baby so that you can see its' mouth and nose and know it is not submerged. Infant & parent swim programs are available, but I don't think they start until the age of 6 mos. Contacvt the YMCA or your local cahpter of the Red Cross.Spending time in the water safely with your children can be a wonderful bonding time for you both Regards, Debra

rinse rinse rinse and repeat. anytime anyone goes in the pool you should always take a showr afterwards to get all the chemicals off. Don't let her drink the water -i know you know that but had to put it ;) and then after the bath/shower just put a good moisturizer on her. and watch her skin to ensure that she doesn't have a reaction.
Happy Swimming & enjoy your vacation!
A.
www.romance2nite.com

T., My husband and I build pools and we advise against chlorine systems, because there are lots of studies that indicate some serious issues.
Just remember whatever goes on the skin is absorbed in the blood stream. In addition to absorbing the chlorine through your skin in a swimming pool, breathing it is also not good for those little respiratory systems. If it is your own pool, I recommend putting in either a salt water chlorinator or some other alternative sanitizing system. If it's just on vacation, then I recommend limiting the time you are in there iwth your daughter, and look for any signs of distress or labored breathing. I'm not a medical professional or scientist, but this is certainly my recommendation based on the studies I have seen.

We started taking our daughter in the pool when she was about 2 months old. We made sure to keep her ears out of the water, to not let her head get too wet, and to take her out after no more than 10 minutes or so because she would get cold quickly. We always brought a hat and big towel to get her warmed up right away, and then put lotion on her after swimming. She had really dry skin when she was a small baby (we live in a dry area), but Eucerin lotion has helped that a lot. I hope you enjoy many fun days of swimming with your daughter!

I have my six month old taking swim lessons at Hubbard Swim School. They do not offer classes to younger babies, but that could be an insurance thing. I would call them to ask their thoughts.

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F. G