What do you do after you take your DC swimming?

[mumat39]

Hello

We took our DC swimming for the first time yesterday. They are 4.5 and 2.5 so it's a bit sad we've left it so long but I've always been worried about DD's allergies and skin so left it until it seemed like her skin was ok-ish.

Anyway, they had a great time, but I was flumoxed about what to do when washing them. They both get washed in either Aqueous Cream or Oilatum, and I use a shampoo that is ok, once a week on their hair.

I didn't take aqueous cream with me as I was worried it would be too slippery. Are there any tips to washing them after swimming so we don't have to rinse them off there and then wash them when we get home?

Sorry if this is a silly question.

Many Thanks in advance.

It's not a stupid question, I wonder what to do too!

At the moment I rinse dc's off in the shower after then plaster them in diprobase. I have thought about putting cream on before they go in but was worried about them being slippery too!

I wasnt taking ds when his skin was really bad as i was worried about the chlorine drying the skin but I think I read on here that it can actually help?

Hopefully someone will have better suggestions :)

I forgot to add I don't really wash them with anything usually, just bath in dermol or oilatum. And hope the dirt soaks off!

The showers at pools are notoriously crap unless you have a super pool in which case I'm insanely jealous!

We have always done a quick rinse-off under the shower, just enough that we're not covered in pool-water but in normal tap-water, literally a 10-second splash, then had a proper shower at home. You can never have a proper shower at a pool anyway, the showers are useless and if you take too long you get tutted by everyone waiting.

Thanks MegMog. I'm glad it's not just me. :)

Oops, (we're ALWAYS late for everything too ) Do you shower your DC at home straight away? Or do you wait until their normal bathtime? My DC have a bath/shower in the evening before bed, but I ended up washing them as soon as we got back. DD has longish hair and I didn't like the idea of leaving it. I worry that maybe I'm a fussy fusspot sometimes. Thanks for your help too.

Hi mum, can't put my finger on any threads specifically but I have also read on here that pool water can actually benefit eczema-y skin. We are very lucky that ds has little to no eczema, but I do worry about it starting as I know from experience how hard it is to get rid of once it's there. When we started taking him swimming, I would cover him in epaderm ointment and dress him in one of those all-in-one swim suits so that although he was slippy, it was all under the suit and I could still keep hold of him. Now though, I don't put any cream on him til we get out and he's dry.

My dd has long hair and tbh I just tie it back in a plait so that when we come out I can leave it til the evening to wash it. We do have a massive local pool though, so there are decent showers (and I just stay in as long as we need whether anyone's tutting or not - the water is lovely and warm! )

My experience is that pool water is beneficial to my child's eczema. It is a newly built pool, and apparently the system uses a reduced amount of chlorine in combination with uv light to destroy bacteria. I was concerned, to start with, but I have found that as long as I cream her afterwards, her skin condition improves from a weekly swimming lesson.

Hi, I take ds swimming every week and put diprobase on before and after. Ds skin has been good since he has taken up swimming so maybe it has helped him.

We too put off my dd swimming but once we did take the plunge we purchased her a proper swimsuit with 3/4 covered arms and the little shorts or an all in one. Each time we covered her prior to swimming in Epaderm then put on her swimsuit to barrier her from the chlorine. Having longer legs than a costume it held the cream on the skin but also gave grip aswell as on the body and arms. After swimming she could rinse off under the shower but took her straught home for a soak in the bath. We used dermol 500 at the time afterwards to wash with and then once dry we used diprobase cream emollient but ensuring a good moisterise again shortly after as the skin tends to dry out so quickly after. I forgot to mention we use oilatum shampoo prescribed by doctor also.

Just to add, we never creamed up her hands or feet prior to swimming as like you say it goes very slippery!