Swimming

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I'm taking my 11 week old dd swimming for the first time today. Any tips?

She's happy being swooshed about the big bath and having water on her face so I'm not too worried about the actual being in the pool bit, more all the before/after faff!

Thanks :)

don't expect to be in the water more than about 15-20 mins unless it is heated to 34 degrees as she will get cold very fast! take extra towels to wrap her in afterwards. otherwise have fun and enjoy

May need to feed as soon as you get out. Don't stress if she doesn't enjoy the first time - it took time for my boy to get used, but he loves it now.

We took our 8 week old swimming for the first time today. He went very quiet in the water but seemed to enjoy it. We even had some smiles while he was floating on his back having a kick about. We had about 10 mins in the water until he got cold. He started to shiver. What I want to do next time is take 2 towels for DS. One for him at side of pool so we can scoop him straight out into something dry and warm and then one to dry him off properly. He fell asleep in DPs arms on the way out of the leisure centre and has now been sleeping for about 3 hours. We may be doing this more often!

If heard babies can't shiver so you need to watch their lips - if they turn blue it's too late ;)
Take lots of towels, I often had to put DS1 on floor of cubicle when the larger family ones with changing mats weren't free. Bring a towel to pool edge if you can so you can wrap as soon as you're out.
If you're going alone make sure you pee before you go - being in the pool always makes me need to pee and when you've got nowhere to put your baby in changing rooms going to the loo is a problem. I once had to pee into one of DS1's nappies I was so desperate....

Take car seat into the changing room if you can. Get baby dry and dressed and fed then pop in car seat. My dd used to fall asleep immediately.

If you get ears wet make sure they're really dry after and pop a hat on.

YY to all above about feeding after and two towels. A hooded towel is a good idea for pool side.

Enjoy!!

These are good for giving baby something to lie on getting in/out of the pool and in the changing room, and these are great if the pool is on the chilly side. You can buy reusable swim nappies (wear under a neoprene swim nappy, Happy Nappys are really good) which will work out much cheaper than disposables if you're going a lot. Enjoy!

I get dd changed into her swimming nappies under her clothes and put my own costume on under mine before we leave the house, and just pack the fresh nappy and my underwear in the swim bag. If you live close enough to the pool to make that possible, I'd recommend it.

YY to 2 towels and immediate feed. Expect her to be very tired afterwards.

Wear clothes that are easy to get on and off to make your own change as quick as possible (eg slip on shoes)

Allow loads of time. I go swimming with my dd (same age) every week and with the feeding it can take at at least half an hour to get us both ready afterwards (though maybe I'm just massively inefficient!). It's like a military operation.

You can wash disposable swim nappies and reuse them (provided no poo obviously). I've found they survive about 3 washes at least before the sticky strip goes on them.

I wouldn't recommend putting swim nappy on first as they are not designed to hold wee so it will leak straight thru!

I use bambino mio reusable ones as we go 1-2 tines a week and saves me a fortune

Don't bother with the floaty inflatable chairs as theyare half out of the water andget cold quicker, just hold them in the water, try to keep their shoulders in water so they stay warmer

Our instuctor told us to blow in their face as that makes them hold their breath for a couple of seconds and you can dunk them in the water!

Yes to putting your costume on before you leave the house, no to swim nappy - they don't contain wee.

She will likely be cold, hungry and tired afterwards.
Enjoy it - and don't spend too long in the water. less is more!

I would really recommend the little body wrap things you can get like little wetsuits. They fold flat then wrap around baby so easy to get on and off. It means you can stay in a bit longer without them turning blue!

Re the nappy on first - that was on the assumption of using a double nappy system with a neoprene outer layer, which does contain everything (if the swim nappy doesn't contain wee, surely you wouldn't be using it on its own in the pool??) The neoprene layer fits under a babygro too but is a pain to get on as it's very snug to prevent any leaks, so I find to get it on properly you have to hold the waistband and kind of bounce the baby vertically into it once it's half on, and I personally wouldn't want to be doing that in a slippery and crowded changing room with lots of kids running around etc. Started doing the home change instead on the advice of one of the local baby swimming classes. But obviously depends where you live - we are only a 5 min drive from the pool, whereas if you've got an hour to get there it might not be practical. And also depends how baby-friendly the facilities at your pool are.

Babies as young as 11 weeks still have an automatic dive reflex so they will instinctively hold their breath underwater. But if you dunk her, bear in mind she may be frightened by the sensation of water round the face and so might cry. So if you do it, do it right before you plan to get out.

Thanks all, good advice :) pool is right at the end if our road - 5 min walk - so got us both into our cossies at home with track suit on too (very glam!) She seemed to enjoy it. Only stayed in 15 mins and didn't dunk her under but she enjoyed floating and was unbothered by getting a bit splashed by bigger kids (very glad I'd tried splashing water on her face on the bath so she was used to it!)

if the swim nappy doesn't contain wee, surely you wouldn't be using it on its own in the pool??

If a swim nappy could contain wee they would also absorb the pool water, until they exploded like a standard nappy. Swim nappies are poo catchers. Wee isn't a problem in swimming pools as icky as that might be to think about.

Even with neoprene happy nappy or similar over the top they will leak urine - I get my son ready for swimming lessons with daddy and have been holding him when he's wee'd in a disposable swim nappy with happy nappy over the top. Whilst it didn't soak me, I did get urine on me - it kind of seaps/soaks through the elasticated bits on the leg cuffs.