When Can A Baby Get In A Pool?

Even the safest and cleanest-looking swimming pools can be very dangerous for babies if you’re not careful enough. However, babies do can swim, and it’s possible for them to do so. Swimming helps a baby be safe. If your baby ever comes in contact with a pool of water accidentally or purposely, he’ll know what to do. There are several things to keep in mind before your baby can go in a dip. Your baby’s age, the things you will need to help your baby in his/her swimming and what swimwear is your baby supposed to wear.

Read on further to know all about this.

When can my baby go swimming?

A baby under 2 months or 2-3 months should not go swimming. Babies this young have very weak immune systems and are highly vulnerable to a number of diseases, conditions and surroundings. 

You can let your baby in a pool after he or she turns 4 months, with parental guidance, of course. At this age, your baby is supposed to be vaccinated for diseases such as diphtheria, poliomyelitis and tetanus. This is also necessary to have if your baby is going for a swim. When your baby turns 4 months, he/she knows how to move in water naturally and hold breath underwater for a few seconds. However, these aquatic capabilities your baby has, do not make him aqua man. Always keep an eye on your baby, and your baby should always be in arm’s reach. Most doctors recommend that your baby needs to be 6 months before they go for a swim. If your baby is under 6 months, avoid public pools or big pools with very cold water. Your 4-month baby can move around in water only if it’s warm enough and is a small private pool with parental guidance.  

Swimming classes for babies usually start when babies turn 6 months. Your 6-month-old baby is strong enough to bear exposure to the chemical contents found in most pools and all other related risks as well. Babies don’t know how to swim. They just have naturally born reflexes to just stay or move in water and hold their breath for a lil while. Don’t expect babies to learn everything quickly, give them time as babies need time to learn how to swim properly. 

Swimming pools that have things placed in them specifically for children are perfect for babies, things like little water games, slides or paddling. The water is also pretty warm there and not too deep either. You can also get a small baby pool for your garden so your baby can start off and get used to swimming from something small at first. 

When should my baby be taught to swim?

Baby swimming classes usually start after 6 months. Babies have swimming reflexes like holding their breath and floating or moving in water mentioned above. These can be further improved with these classes. Your baby’s reflexes stay till the age of 1 year. There are various advantages and pros for baby swimming classes. You, the parent, will stay with your baby in arms reach throughout the classes, and your baby will evolve his or her natural born swimming reflexes. Your baby will be used to various surroundings and environments. Your baby’s senses also improve from time to time. 

Where should babies swim?

Your baby’s first swimming place technically is the bath tub, your baby can get used to an aquatic environment from here. They can get used to it by just staying in the environment and playing around. Feeling water against their skin is a good introduction to babies, so when you will later bring them to a pool, they will be at least a little familiar. You can move from a bathtub to a tiny pool that is heated enough for your baby. At this point, your baby needs to be 2 months or older. Don’t let the baby stay in the water for too long. Only 10 minutes are a lot for your little aquatic baby. If your baby still gets really cold and starts shivering, you can pull them out of the water and help them get dry with a towel. Your baby can slowly and gradually increase the time he stays in the water every month. You can keep your baby in water for 30 minutes when he turns 12 months with this strategy. Try not to increase the limit for more than 30 minutes.

Lakes, oceans or rivers are acceptable too, where you can keep holding the baby while they’re floating in the water. As you can’t change the temperature of these waters, always remember to pull them out before they get cold. Avoid areas of water where the current is fast that you can’t safely hold your baby, also avoid colder areas and never let the water get inside your baby. Salt is bad.

Risks and precautions

Temperature

Babies aren’t able to regulate body temperatures are too sensitive to very cold water. Always keep the water warm enough for the baby to swim in. If the pool’s water is cold to you, it will be double the temperature for your baby so always be careful about what the water’s temperature is. Heated pools, saunas, and hot tubs more than the temperature of 100°F are dangerous for babies to swim in if the baby is under 3 years of age. 

Chemicals

Almost all of the public pools have chemicals that are used to keep the pool clean and safe from various bacteria. If there are no chemicals present, algae and bacteria will start to form inside the pool. If your baby gets exposed to chlorine, there is a chance your baby could get bronchiolitis. According to various studies, this is for infants, young babies in their early days. Always be careful and stay with your baby, so your baby does not take in any pool water, because there are a lot of risks that come if your baby swallows too much of the saltwater from the pool, it has chlorine in it, and chlorine can affect your baby in a number of ways if you’re not careful. Chlorine water in pools, however, is still way better than untreated water in oceans, lakes or rivers. These waters have several microbes, algae and bacteria in them because there is no chlorine in them. 

Always wash your baby when you take him/her out of the water, dry him properly and moisturize the baby’s skin. You can also put on a bathing cap on the baby’s head for further protection. 

Do not ever let your baby stay in the chlorine waters for too long, a baby above 6 months can stay in water per year for a total of 20 hours. Private pools are a much safer bet for babies as they have bromine rather chlorine which is much softer for baby’s sensitive skin. 

Infections 

No matter how clean a pool may seem, there might still be things can be infectious which are invisible to us. Many types of these infectious things are bacteria that can affect your baby with several conditions, like diarrhea, ear or eye infections, skin conditions or respiratory conditions. 

Babies that are younger than 2 months are very vulnerable to almost everything, and they are very sensitive. Diapers you normally have for your baby can hold in piss, but when it comes to poop, the situation can get stinky, and poop in pool water is very dangerous for your baby’s health for obvious purposes. Be sure to never let your baby poop in the water. Take care of all that before your baby goes for a swim. 

Safety 

Never let your baby be alone in the pool of water. Always be near the baby and at arm’s reach to prevent any inconveniences from happening. 

The pool of water should be shallow enough so your baby can’t drown, and the water should also be warm enough as babies can get cold too quickly.

Introduce the baby in water for about 10 minutes and gradually increase the time slowly every month. Get your baby be used to the water surrounding him. 

Be sure that the baby takes in water as little as possible. The pool’s chlorine-filled water can cause the baby to fall ill if he has swallowed a lot of it. 

Conclusion

Technically a baby can be in water at any age, their natural reflex actions can help them keep floating and breathing only for a little while, but it’s still something. Before 2 months and around 2 months, only a bathtub is suitable for a baby as babies are super fragile at this time. After 4 months, babies can baby can swim in bigger pools of water and has a much improved immune system. After 6 months. Your baby’s immune system has improved gradually more, so it’s safer. All these precautions and tips seem to be a lot, but they’re necessary for your baby to be safe and also be a good swimmer.