to take my baby swimming?

[SoyaSoy]

My DS is 7 weeks.

I LOVE swimming and want to take him next week.

DH says I should wait until he's 1 because he's 'too small' and 'no point In taking him now' - he thinks it is dangerous. He has no evidence to back this up but really doesn't want me going.

I'm a strong swimmer and would only be in the baby pool...

Anyone take their babies swimming and get on fine?

If so, any tips?

Thanks.

Our HV said no need to wait until jabs. Is this wrong then?

Double check current advice but we were told to wait until after 2nd round of vaccinations.

You can normally pick up happy nappies and other swim nappies (I use a reuseable bambino mio one inside a reuseable tots bots wrap) cheap second hand if that’s something you’d consider.

No of course not, I started water babies at 8 weeks and some have started sooner!

"You can take your baby swimming at any age, both before and after they have been vaccinated. It doesn't matter if they haven't yet completed their course of vaccinations."

That's NHS

I also think boots do a swimsuit/ happy nappy combo. Or if you go to a warm hydro pool you can get away with just taking them in the happy nappy- so you won’t have to buy a swimsuit too every 3 months.

I've been going to waterbabies since DS was 7 weeks old, it's great and he loves it, it is very expensive though
3!

It's in a hydrotherapy pool so lovely and warm. He wears a disposable swim nappy (Can buy in Tesco, asda etc) and a happy nappy. Look on eBay for the happy happy if you don't mind second hand. I got 3 pairs of shorts and 2 of the wraps for £20, in different sizes so it'll last him for ages!!!

We don't bother with the wrap in the hydro pool, but it will be really useful when we go to the normal pool. As a bonus, my DS sleeps for ages after a swim, it's great sensory stimulation!

Have a look on Facebook marketplace for happy nappy / wetsuit there are some good deals and good condition

Our HV said no need to wait until jabs. Is this wrong then? no that’s right. no need to wait at all

Definitely grab a second hand happy nappy, they don't get worn much especially in the smaller sizes. Facebook marketplace has loads for £4/5. But they're not really comparable to an adult swimsuit, they have a very necessary function to perform!

We did Turtle Tots, but had to wait until DS was chunky enough - a tiny baby who doesn't have enough fat will get cold quickly in the pool (unless the pool is an extra warm one).
He loved it.

We started at 8 weeks and just used a disposable swim nappy to begin with - less faffing about as the happy nappies have to be quite tight to seal anything in.

Try council owned gyms for baby swim classes? They are cheaper and it's not about teaching them anything (after over a year, DS only kicks and splashes when he wants to) but giving parents confidence.

If you can convince your DH then get him to come with you the first time to help with changing the baby. Once you've done it once you'll be able to plan out how you want to do things on your own.

Yes you can take them as soon as you feel comfortable. Ds was really tiny when I first took him, he always loved it. We went to a baby sing and swim class organised by our local sure start enter. Fast forward six years and he's really confident in the water so it did a lot of good.
The main thing, as pp have said is to keep the baby warm. So, nice warm pool, baby wetsuit, fluffy towel on the poolside, keep the sessions short. You'll have a great time

Took both mine after first vaccinations
They loved it
Now 25 and 27 and love swimming as do I 😊

@LearningToDrive do the disposable nappies keep everything contained? If you know what I mean... I'm not convinced!

I waited til LO was around 6months and at least had a few jabs. we took him on holiday and he loved floating aroung the pool with his dad, took him again on holiday when he was 9months this time he splashed away in the baby pool by himself unaided absolutely priceless watching his little face worth it.

Ds loves swimming.some public pools recommend after first jabs (8weeks) before you take them but water babies and puddleducks take them from.four weeks.
Baby will be fine

@SoyaSoy I'm lucky we never had an accident but I doubt they keep things contained before weaning.

The happy nappies should be tight enough to form a seal around the legs as well as the waist, otherwise they are no better than disposables. Maybe have a go putting them on and stripping them off after a bath. I found when they were wet they were hard to pull off.

Swim nappies only keep in poo not wee, thats what the chlorine is for. The happy nappy on top is for extra protection.

Get a 2nd hand one off of facebook market place, they're normally about £5, or £11 brand new.

I've taken my dd since she was 6 weeks old. We did waterbabies at 6 months which was brilliant as does all the underwater elements.

I have no recollection of actually learning to swim as my mother took me in the pool at three months old, back in the early 60s. I've just always been at home and safe in the water. Water is natural for babies - there's some fantastic photos of babies swimming happily underwater. Mind you, Mum did speak with horror at one woman she knew who just dropped her babies in to test their natural swimming reflex; they did all survive though.... 😲

I've heard it said that a fear of water doesn't usually kick in till a child is nearer two so it's safer and easier to teach them to swim before that. Our local pools all have warmer, shallow babies and toddlers' pools beside them.

Took DD since 16 weeks.
Youngest baby in our class was 4 weeks old then and shes coming along wonderfully.
There are certain commands the instructor uses that my DD now understands which is brilliant, so she shuts her eyes in anticipation of either going underwater or us pouring water in her head/face in the bath.

Happy nappies are cheaper in ebay. I bought one on amazon then optes to buy 2 more in a swinsuit style off ebay.

You will LOVE it.

(I bought nearly new/used happy nappy swimsuits on ebay, both under 7 quid)

I wouldn't be taking a tiny baby into a normal baby pool without a wet suit as baby will get too cold. DD was in tiny baby clothes and became hypothermic after birth (thanks to our crap midwife) so it's a very real risk. However, there are lots of lovely purpose built pools around for babies that are heated to 34oc and use a UV filter rather than tons of chlorine. Can't DH come with you to help if he's worried?

7 weeks in a normal pool is a bit young in my opinion. Waterbabies wouldn’t let us start until 12 weeks as our pool wasn’t a hydrotherapy pool. They do really feel the cold. Most of the babies in our class needed a wetsuit or wrap to keep them comfortable for the first few months. Even up until around 2 my little one didn’t last as long in the leisure centre pool as she did in the private pool as a few degrees seemed to make quite a big difference.

Also please do get the happy nappy. They do work and the pool has to be shut if there is poo leakage. We have had a few occasions when the happy nappy contained watery poo that the disposable did not. There is a reason the swim schools are so strict about using them.