Swimming tips!

[billystrikes2]

I'm thinking of taking my 6 week old swimming tomorrow for the first time. Any helpful tips to make the event as stress free as possible?! X

Take a dressing gown for you to wrap up in immediately so you stay warm whilst you sort baby out after.

@FusionChefGeoff good idea thank you!

Make sure the pool is warm enough, or have thermal clothing for baby

I've just read this and had no idea you didn't have to wait until after jabs to go swimming!!! Has this changed recently?

If you can have a towel at the side of the pool ready instead of in a locker it always helps.

I don't know when advice changed but been at least 3 years.

I took my LO at 6 weeks. Take 2 towels for baby. One to wrap up as soon as you get out water, then a clean one to dry them with

Only branded swim nappies are any good! The supermarket versions are grim

@chchchchanger I have a little wetsuit type thing for him so hopefully that will be ok, plus it's at my local children's pool.

@OrgyOfSpookiness I asked our HV and she said it's fine to go swimming before jabs!

I will take a good couple of towels with me. Just wondering wether to shower him off there or wait till we get home. I can't imagine he will enjoy a shower 😬

@Lazypuppy

Ahh yep my DS is soon to be 5 so the recommendations have changed since then.

Op not sure how you're feeding but I'd recommend about half an hour after last feed and not to anticipate staying in too long. Whatever you do don't wear jeans either it's a right pain getting dressed afterwards.

We have a fab inflatable baby swim seat which is a ring with sort of underpants in the middle to hold the baby. You can put baby in it and push it around.

By wetsuit you mean like a neoprene one? If so, guidelines say water temp should be 30 degrees min. Suits like the uv protection ones don't give any warmth at all. But if it's toasty warm, relax and enjoy!

@chchchchanger yeah we have a neoprene one 😊

Don't expect to have a long luxurious shower after your swim...it's a case of getting baby sorted first then shoving your clothes on! (Unless you take someone with you). Dress baby in something easy eg sleepsuit.

Take baby to changing room in car seat if you can. After swimming line it with a plastic bin bag and sit baby in it wrapped in towel, get changed yourself before changing baby. That way you don't drip on them.

Agree with all of the above.
Ask the oool for their rules on swim nappies. Most want you to have a swim nappy plus another layer, but check. Most pools sell the Huggies swim nappies individually, or include them in parent/child entry.

Don’t expect to be in the pool for much longer than about 20 mins though.

Double nappy definitely (as someone who spent a large part of her early adult years working in the health and fitness industry and has a husband who still does) - there is nothing worse than being that parent who’s baby poos in the pool! At 6 weeks tbh it probably wouldn’t even be noticeable and would be pretty inoffensive but I would just get in the habit. By double nappy I mean disposable or reusable swim nappy with a neoprene happy nappy type nappy over the top.

I’d also highly reccomend a babywarma type neoprene swimsuit or wetsuit. And even with this, expect to spend a lot more time changing than you do actually swimming!

I took my dd swimming for the first time at 8 weeks... she spent most of the time screaming. It was a small private pool that was very heated and I ended up bf at the side for most of the lesson 🤷‍♀️
I put her swim nappy on before leaving the house (mistakingly thinking it'd save time) - had to have disposable plus reusable swim nappy and then she had a body warmer over the top... those swim nappies are not absorbent at all and her clothes and the car seat were covered in urine.
For most of the first 8 months of her swimming life I never actually got to use my own towel as by the time of got her dressed I was mostly dry and she was usually crying. She loves it now and is a true water baby.
I now take (she's 2 so easier) 2 towels for her, one for her to lay on and one to be wrapped in.
If you are bf you can do this straight before swimming, if ff they advise to wait 30 mins. If baby had a dummy to settle you can take that in with you.
If baby will tolerate the shower it'd be good to wash them off straight afterwards but mine never did like it (still doesn't.) she's never had sensitive skin and had always been fine to wait for her bath til the evening. I know the chlorine will give some babies a rash.

DS is 7 and we began swimming at 5 was with a baby swim group. No issue with jabs.

We used a happy nappy neoprene swimming nappy over the baby swim nappies from the supermarket.

It was such a lovely bonding experience, DS still loves hugging me in the pool and holding on for a swim.

If there is no baby change in the changing rooms, make sure you have a change mat with you and wrap baby in a towel to keep them warm. Then get yourself changed first. It take longer to get your baby ready and you'll get cold, but baby stays warm under the towel. Dressing gown is ok, but just means carrying even more crap with you and washing at the other end.

Have a lovely time today!

My dd is 3 months and I've only taken her once so far but whether you're bottle feeding or bf, give some milk before you get in the pool otherwise you run the risk of them having a meltdown after 5 mins because they're hungry lol. And also take 2 towels, I wrapped her up straight from the pool and by the time I got her onto the changing table it was soaked through so I had to use my own towel to dry her while I stood shivering. And also something easy to put on after, I'm going to buy a fleece one is with a zip and good for my dd as getting her dressed after is such a nightmare it puts me off going

Def two towels, or even better a hair turban thing for you, a big towel to wrap round you, and one for baby.

Out of pool, whizz through shower to rinse off. Then take the neoprene wetsuit off them, and wrap them up in towel, put them on changing unit. Strip your cossie off, put hair up in turban, wrap self in towel.
Put nappy and clothes on baby.
Put their towel on the floor so you can stand on it, get dry and dressed

I take the towel with the hood on for DS, ( since he was 6 months) I also take a muslin as its not as big to fit in a bag but still good for taking excess water off baby and one to throw on floor.

Go with your costumes on underneath ( both of you ) as you strip off put the clothes in your bag in the order you will need them when getting dressed

Try and leave the towel by the pool,

Dress you both in easy throw on baggy clothes ( warm hat and jumper in this weather for after )

Always dress baby 1st so as not to get cold.

As soon as you get in cubicle after swimming, strip you both off in one corner so all the wet stuff is away from you, then dry and dress baby 1st

Enjoy, enjoy enjoy my DS loves it. It is definitely worth the military operation getting ready after.