Taking a baby swimming worries…

[Catk34]

I have a 6 week old and he loves his baths so I’d like to get him to swimming as soon as we can. He would love it/ something for us to do together/ gets us out the house…
it just occurred to me that couldn’t it be dangerous incase he swallows the water?…I’ve been so super careful at making sure his bottles are completely dry with not even a tiny drip of water, and making sure not to get any water on his face when he’s in the bath…
I know that many people take very young babies swimming so I guess it must be ok. I’m just worried due to the fact drinking water can be fatal for a baby his age

I took my babies swimming. I’ve never heard that drinking water can be fatal.

Don't worry, it's fine. You sound like you might be struggling with anxiety? If you're in the UK, water is safe to drink. Babies shouldn't drink water because they need to get their hydration from milk, but a few drips on their face is absolutely safe.

Of course, if you are somewhere where the water is NOT safe to drink then that's a different question

I suppose I should caveat that if you're making bottles you need to use sterilised water. But don't worry about drips from the bath etc.

Drinking a bit of water is not fatal. It could only be fatal if a baby was consistently given water rather than milk. I’m sure it’s common for babies and toddlers to ingest a little bit of water while swimming and it doesn’t hurt them despite the water inevitably having wee and who knows what else in it.

That said there’s no harm in waiting a bit to take them swimming. Personally I was happy to wait until wake windows were a bit longer and feeds less frequent to start swimming. Tiny babies can also get cold easy and it’s a pain in the arse to wrestle them into a wetsuit type thing.

I took mine swimming at that age,the water rocked her to sleep lol

i recommend these helps keep them warm and easy to get on/off

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/112452483562?_skw=baby+wetsuit&itmmeta=01JXKYPV1AMSATDAVM2SC2N1MV&hash=item1a2eb0b9ea%3Ag%3Ak3MAAOSwMUxlN9ES&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1d%2FHdRIdAGUUBPQZ2cD3PxCrryuxPWFV1jJhDiAuZHYddPpXRCqs0m9%2BQeCio3pchvjXcV7emMK81iIpYuc5hUfaIn3T0hR%2Fs%2FZC3PutAQnIVXl%2FiNBWOcczBTMU8KHfRaoz1Q16LNtDl7CJA%2FJ5rJgZAmG2b2Yxjy2mODBsKHAUaXSiPE9I60MFon45ZmPsuFJIO%2Fd57%2F7OzI9FkrJVc6XWEOXv44j7NGhSsDTEb0RRmO656qdUfWrB%2BxoTM88251dDPVyfvw%2BxgE5p9CJgEbk3YMGNMbzuyY7rc0GzWmzOw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBM-rDb_uxl&var=415538968897

I think baby is too young. I’d wait until a few months old minimum really. Just take them in the bath with you at 6 weeks if you want them to enjoy the water.

Don't worry about swallowing water, it's absolutely not a problem. Taking babies swimming is great, it makes being in water so familiar and fun that learning to swim will come naturally.

The bigger issue is getting cold. Find the warmest pool you possibly can, babies get cold fast!

You’ve misunderstood about water. Being given water to drink in place of milk isn’t good for babies because it doesn’t provide the nutrition they need. It doesn’t mean getting any water in their mouth can be fatal. Go swimming and don’t worry about it.

Babies have a 'dive reflex'. Link to an Australian site, Australians are almost like mermaids when it comes to swimming.

www.aquanat.com.au/post/when-is-it-safe-to-submerge-my-baby#:~:text=What%20Is%20The%20'Dive%20Reflex,and%20open%20their%20eyes%20widely.

As other PP say the water is fine if they ingest a small amount, but I would wait until after his first jabs at minimum, loads of germs while swimming x

A pool has so many germs, I'd wait until 4-6 months.

Mine started taking big gulps of bath water around 4-5 months FYI, don't be shocked when it happens 😅 he used to turn into a pretzel shape to reach the bubble water with his mouth, take a sip, and look up at me and give me a cheeky smile 😃

I would wait until after the first set of vaccinations but you'll be fine after that.

Having a tiny drip of water in his bottle will not be fatal, OP. We are luckily not in a country where water is contaminated.

I think you need help with your anxiety if you’re panicking to that extent.

To answer your question, I’d take him once he’s had all his vaccines. Then just hold him so you can keep his face away from the water if you want to. Please try to relax and enjoy motherhood instead of panicking so much!

Where did you get the idea drinking water is fatal? That's not true.

I took my youngest swimming after her first vaccinations. She went to a baby swimming class it was great. Got photos of her swimming underwater as well.

I took mine after his 6 week injections. He had a great time, then slept really well. We used to stay in around 20 mins at that age. Check what the pool's requirements are regarding swim nappies, then have a great time.

You should be making sure you splash water on his face gently whilst you’re bathing him. That way it won’t be such a shock when you do take him swimming. I would definitely take him after his injections. I used to love taking my son swimming when he was a baby.