Taking 13wk old baby swimming any tips?

[sharond101]

Going to swimming pool tomorrow night with DS. Any tips or forewarnings?

Take two towels for him. I assume you have a swim-nappy? If not, they sell them at most pools. Don't forget to take a clean normal nappy for afterwards either like me. I put my DS in an all-over suit over his nappy, one that covers him down to his elbows and knees. Just be relaxed with him in there, sing songs (row row is good in the pool) and dunk him if you dare! He won't breathe in the water, not at that age. Have fun.

Some pools wont take children younger than 6 months. Call and ask before packing your gear and making the trip, nothing worse than having to turn back disappointed. (Unless you know for a fact that such young babies are welcome.

Assuming your baby has had all the relevant jabs. It used to be polio that was the vital one when babies were given the live vaccine. Happy to be told I'm dreadfully out of date

If you put your swimming costume on before you leave the house, remember to put your underwear in your bag. The first time I took DS swimming, I forgot my underwear and had to go commando on the way home.

Bear in mind that he will probably get cold very quickly unless you are in a very warm pool. I would probably aim for no more than about fifteen minutes the first time but obviously it depends on how he copes with it.

I agree with the 2 towels thing, so you have one by the side of the pool as soon as you get out. I went with my dh and he sat onthe side. I sorted my son out to begin with and took him swimming and when we were done, i handed him to the dh who went and dressed him whilst i had a swim on my own which was a real luxury.
Don't expect to be in the pool long as babies get cold quickly. To help this i found the hot water vent on the side of the pool and stood there so the water was warmer.
Also my baby was a bit wide eyed the first time we went, but loved subsequent trips!

I wouldn't do it. Why risk him picking up an infection needlessly? And I say this as someone who did do it and ended up with a four month old in hospital with an ear infection.

Most children (and some adults) piss in the water you want to immerse your 13 week old in.

Some people go in with oozing infected wounds. I saw one woman with a 20 cm raw scar on her hip, oozing green goo, "boasting" about not missing her swimming even if she was so ill and on antibiotics....

My ds picked up molloscum the one and only time we took him swimming as a baby. Not serious, no, but it was a real pain for the year he had it and it looked awful. Apparently notorious for being picked up in swimming pools. At 9 weeks old I wouldn't, but I am basing that only on my own bad experience. Ds himself loved it, though did get cold very quickly indeed.

13 weeks, sorry

Jabs don't matter because the infections/diseases you are vaccinating against cant be transmitted in chlorinated water. Also chlorine should kill most bugs and germs. I've been taking DD swimming since she was 5 weeks old and she hasn't had a bug yet. Have fun, sing some songs and swish them around. Once I was out the pool, I stripped DD, wrapped her in a towel and gave her a feed before anything else.

Go to a warm baby pool. Don't expect baby to necessarily coo and splash. Expect him to cry when you are dressing him. Go with another adult if you possibly can.

If he or she has eczema anywhere the chlorine can sting it, but a nappy cream applied over the sore bits acts as a barrier cream. It can make them slippery though!

Don't do it. Wait till 6 months. Not worth picking up a big for 15 mins of novelty value that can be achieved in the bath.

Look for a hydrotherapy pool. Ours is heated a lot warmer than the normal pools. They have hourly slots and the pool is quite small and they only allow 3 babies in at a time, so its not too overwhelming.

The have gentle music and lights (overwhelming ha ha) and lots of things floating on the water to use like baby floats etc.

We always take a ruck load of towels with us.

30 mins max in the water, and that is in the hydropool so id say, if its a normal pool, dont stay in any longer than 15 minutes.

Good luck x x

Remember you will feel more knackered afterwards than if you'd gone on your own and swum 50 lengths!

Agree with the poster who suggested going with another adult, will make it so much easier.

Take lots of towels. The floor of the changing room will be wet, so you'll need one to lie your baby on too.

Don forget money for the locker!

Best of luck, it will be fine!

Another one who has taken baby swimming from 12w, and to classes that have always been full of wee ones after they've started their jabs. (Honestly quite surprised how many people on here are saying to wait!)

Put your swimming costume on at home.

Three towels, if you can - yours, one to wrap baby in when you get out the pool, and then another one to actually dry baby with. Or your dressing gown, you do freeze slowly while getting baby dry and dressed!

If your pool lets you take your buggy to the poolside, put at least one towel under baby as swim nappies don't actually hold pee (learnt that one from experience!)

Several swim nappies, just in case.

Be prepared for them to not seem to enjoy the experience the first time or two, and for a lot of screaming when you are getting them dressed.

And if you are bottle feeding, have a bottle or carton to hand as they're often starving straight afterwards.

Enjoy it.

I took dS swimming from around 4 weeks and we still go once a week, and I know babies who have joined water babies classes from 1 week!

Def two towels and a feed for after.

And first couple of times will probably only last 15-20 minutes.

It's great to get babies water confident from a young age

We took dd at 11 weeks last week. She screamed getting changed but loved the water. It was easier as we both went so one got dressed while the other dried and dressed dd. Then while I was feeding her dh got dressed.

I took both of mine from about 8 weeks, seconding all the 2 towels/swim nappies/dry nappies stuff and at all the posters who say to wait. If your baby has general good health they will be absolutely fine. Fifteen minutes max unless pool is very warm is a good guideline. My DDs both loved the water and were very strong swimmers at a very early age because they started swimming lessons completely water confident - happy to go under, ready to start learning proper strokes.

Ear infections are usually viral and caused by the complications of the common cold, absolutely nothing to do with swimming at all.

Obviously a pool that will let someone with a clearly infected injury swim is one to be avoided. Really, people - the alarmism is unnecessary, a bit of common sense is all it takes to enjoy swimming with your baby.

Oh, also if you haven't bought a costume yet, DD has been much happier in a wetsuit-type costume, she seems a little warmer in it.

And if you don't have an opportunity to go to any classes where they will teach your baby to swim underwater, we've been taught to go "1-2-3", then blow gently on their face before dipping them carefully underneath (or just covering their nose first if you want to build up), then as soon as they come up catch their eye and give a big, happy smile to show them that everything is fine. They don't appreciate it at first, obviously, so be prepared for that!

I took mine from about same age. Keep her moving in the pool -swish around etc.
Also, keep it short and be ready to leg it from pool to changing room - mine had a v short timeframe from leaving pool to wanting to be warm fed and asleep NOW MUMMY.
So it really helps if you've got yourself sorted out that you can do a very sharp exit.