To leave baby in pushchair, at the side of the pool, while I go swimming?

[Zootopia]

Hi, not sure if this would be unreasonable or not.

I have a son who has swimming lessons. It's at a country club, so you need a membership card to even have any kind of access to the pool and it's pretty small in there. Just some nice seating around the sides. I have a newborn baby who I'd rather not take swimming when DS is there as I like to focus on just him in the water (he is 3) and he is encouraged not to use floats, as he can swim underwater, but we're just getting him to do it on top, so not an option for the time being. Also, I'd just rather wait until I do baby classes.

Would I be unreasonable to leave baby in pushchair (asleep) while I go into the pool with DS? It's not mother and toddler classes, it's just him and a couple of other children but I can still use the swim lanes and would be nice to swim. Also, he likes to have a free swim before lessons start.

Thanks

I know someone who did this but used their car seat.

You'd need to ask the people at the pool tho.

I agree with Kittymamma and others, you should wait until your 6-week checkup so you can get the go-ahead for swimming. There is a risk of infection from swimming, even if you have stopped bleeding. Plus there is a good deal of lifting, supporting, and potential fast movement involved with a toddler in a pool. Are you ok to do all of that? I realise car seats weigh a ton and are very unwieldy, but they are still not the same as a wet, squirming toddler. Then you have to wrangle the toddler through the shower area afterwards (presumably, though I don't know the layout of your club of course), possibly deal with the toddler running off in a place with a wet floor while at the same time dealing with a stroller or carseat with baby inside. You will be wet too.

There is a reason most people only attempt swimming outings featuring toddlers and babies with a 1:1 child to adult ratio.

I brought a baby to the pool to facilitate swimming for an older child, and left her poolside in her carseat. The baby was fine - no overheating, no crying for the half hour, no accidents involving carseat in the pool. The toddler in the throes of reaction to the realisation that the baby was a permanent fixture was hell on wheels, and the excitement of the pool added fuel to the flames. I did it once and promised myself to be more sensible in future.

Not read full thread. Have you ever sat in the side fully clothed and dry while watching your child have a lesson? It's unbearably hot for a non swimmer. Far too hot for a baby.

I had the same dilemma as you OP but wasn't comfortable relying on the baby to always sleep. My ds isn't dependant in the pool and requires me to hold him so I couldn't risk having to jump out to attend to baby. I moved his lesson to the weekend so that OH could have baby. Is that an option?

This thread is all about the cult of the martyr mummy. pfft.

Well if what you say is the case then I'm sure you can imagine what it would be like to receive the above comment. Just because you aren't voicing your anxiety or don't have the same doesn't mean you put others down for it, especially if you understand it.

So you don't think some pf those posters such as saying how they souls worry about a baby dying if they were not right next to them shows their anxiety?

I agree that it's not neglectful. I admire op for being able to do this and to have the confidence to do so.

I will ask for my post to be deleted. I felt it had relivance as similar to other posts, the temperature in a carry cot or cars seat could be a risk in certain environments which is related to SIDS but as I was the one who spelt it out I got punched in. It can happen so easily with a newborn and if I were OP I would rather know the risks and then access as there may be some I have not thought about. That's how I work and so that's why I shared.

Other people have shared such stories. Like the thread about the children camping in the garden and someone bringing up a horrific case. If it came up on a thread I had posted I would look into it and make a rational decision of my own.

I will ask for my post to be removed. It was insensitive of me to put it up and I wasn't thinking it through at the time. The way some people spoke about it after felt offensive and crass. I honestly didn't think that would happen and I apologise for sharing someone else's tragedy.

I don't apologise that leaving a tiny baby sleeping in a car seat is a SIDS risk and if it saves one person from doing it and one death it's worth it.

Well no I'm never quite so direct I would only ever say 'there's a risk of' and leave it at that

I think mine came across more as the latter when my intentions were the former. Sorry.

It's ok. I know your posting and your pretty reasonable. I'm not always the best at articulating myself so I mess up sometimes

You're not your! Face palm

Haven't RTFT but I used to do this with my DS all the time. Members only pool in a hotel. Took the buggy a few times but once I was told not to because of the pram wheels may be dirty so I just took the car seat from then on. I would do a length and back then check on him. Once he was bigger and I couldn't predict when he would nap, I took him in with me but in a float and would still swim lengths just pushing him.

What. The. Hell.
This site is getting stranger and stranger.
OP of course this would be absolutely fine so long as the pool allows it. Enjoy your swim.

Not sure why you are asking MN. I think the country club is the place you should be asking. It doesn't sound unreasonable depending on where the baby is placed. That would depend on the design of the building/pool area and again would need discussing with the pool staff.

I have seen this a lot at my gym. The first time was while I was with my toddler at swimming lessons and most of us were just a bit jealous that none of our babies were predictable enough so we could have done the same!