Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Original poster

Would you take your child swimming if they had diarrohea?

42 replies

Blu · 16/03/2009 12:14

Because the pool at our gym has had to be closed for a week because of 'an incident' involving a parent who took their child swimming, despite the fact that they knew s/he had a stomach upset!

Because the child was ill, there have had to be all sorts of cleaning procedures and lab checks.

It must be costing the gym a fortune - we were upset because DP has joined solely to take DS so that he can regain strength and flexibility following 8.5 months of orthopaedic operations.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
RubyRioja · 16/03/2009 12:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MmeLindt · 16/03/2009 12:16

That is terrible. They should charge the parents for the cleaning costs.

I do not leave the house if my DC have an upset stomach, unless we have to go to the docs.

themildmanneredjanitor · 16/03/2009 12:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General parenting
pagwatch · 16/03/2009 12:17

No - of course not. I can't imagine a child with diarrhea would want to go swimming.

How annoying for you and DS. Hopefully it won't take too long though?

herbietea · 16/03/2009 12:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster
Blu · 16/03/2009 12:24

We are cross - the (expensive - well, for us) membership was due to start yesterday, and they tried to say the rest of the gym was open - but DP persisted and they will delay taking payment until we can use the pool.

The gym has a creche and 'junior club' so v popular with parents who want to work out...I bet some took the risk rather than lose their gym time .

Poor child.

If I was the gym, I would ban them and / or send them the bill.

Guess we should feel MOST sorry for the people in the pool at the time

OP posts:
diedandgonetodevon · 16/03/2009 12:30

I just can't understand why a parent would want to take a sick child swimming. I wouldn't want to end up in a pool with my DS's poo in it and the thought of someone elses DC's mess makes me feel a bit ill [boak]

Glad the gym saw sense and delayed taking your payment.

traceybath · 16/03/2009 12:31

That is utterly vile - how awful for that poor child too.

belgo · 16/03/2009 12:32

presumably the parents thought that the child was better- that can happen with a tummy upset- the child gets better, the eats something that sets off the diarrhea again.

Should wait a good few days before going swimming after being ill.

SoupDragon · 16/03/2009 12:32

How do you know they knew their child was ill? I can't imagine anyone deliberately taking a sick child swimming and then admitting to the owner that they knew the child was ill. thoughtless and stupid! I hope they get the bill.

Lizzylou · 16/03/2009 12:34

I have just bathed DS1 after he had a spectacular case of diarrhea at school, his clothes are in the washing m/c, gawd only knows what I will do with his shoes.

So no, I would not take a child swimming when they have an upset stomach, can't imagine taking DS1 now and wouldn't want to inflict that on another child/parent (and teacher and TA [blush).

Original poster
Blu · 16/03/2009 13:59

Soupdragon - the staff told DP (probably indiscreetly, but obviously not names) . I think there was a Public Health questionnaire of procedure or something, and it all came out. As it were.

And I suppose the parents didn't realise what havoc it would create.

I agree that you might think a child was better, and be wrong - but if you had any sense you would wait until they really had been completely better for a few days, wouldn't you?

OP posts:
Original poster
Blu · 16/03/2009 14:00

LizzieLou - hope he recovers soon.

OP posts:
paranoidmother · 16/03/2009 14:22

We took DD swimming when she was 1 and she did poo in the pool (no signs before that she was ill). Was horrified as pool had to be closed.

We took her again the following week and this time she started to do one in pool but we took her out before it could leak from nappy and into pool. She had toddler diorihea and we couldn't take her swimming for a year.

If the parents knew kid would be ill they shouldn' have taken them. There is no way I would have taken DD if i'd known what would happen.

applepudding · 16/03/2009 14:49

No way should they have done this.

I am surprised that the pool will be closed so long through. This has happened on more than one occasion at a pool I used to use (I think rather the child becoming shocked at the cold water rather than dioriheah) but the pool was only normally closed for a day or so.

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 16/03/2009 14:52

If they really did know their child had a stomach upset then that's very wrong of them, but if it was an unexpected incident then they have my sympathy.

My DD pooed (big floater) in David Lloyd swimming pool. Thankfully she was with the childminder not me. Pool had to be closed for 24 hours.

Original poster
Blu · 16/03/2009 16:57

I must confess that I avoid swimming pools because I see them as soups of filth...and can't see that babies can control themselves, or that swim nappies do anything more than strain out the bits!

OP posts:
bellaboobum · 16/03/2009 20:57

I thought the chlorine killed all the germs - when a child vomited in our local pool they closed it for an hour while they ran the filter then re-opened it. Surely it is not that uncommon for babies to poo in the pool - the nappy would catch the worst of it. I'd always assumed so long as you got them out quickly the chlorine etc would deal with any infection risk.

I suppose an un-nappied child might be different, but a week?

Flibbertyjibbet · 16/03/2009 21:10

I didn't take DS1 with us when I took ds2 swimming last week, because DS1 had thrown up the night before.
He hadn't even had any signs of runny bum but I thought best to be on the safe side out of consideration for others.

Desiderata · 16/03/2009 21:14

I don't understand why anyone would take small kids swimming.

I never did. Not a popular view, I understand, but I pay taxes so that schools can teach my kid to swim.

Blu, I understand that your reasons are exceptional, but generally speaking, I don't see that a public swimming bath is a good place for pre-schoolers to be.

hester · 16/03/2009 21:14

How is your ds doing, Blu?

FAQinglovely · 16/03/2009 21:22

Desi - ermm perhaps because some children enjoy swimming, perhaps for some because 2 terms (or however ridiculously short period of time it is) of swimming lessons to make sure they can "swim" 25 metres is rather pathetic and inadequate for many children. Perhaps they live near the sea/other body of water and want their child to be able to at least swim a short distance if the worst should happen.

Original poster
Blu · 16/03/2009 21:32

Hester - he's doing REALLY well! the frame is off, he was in a full-length cast for a month, and now that is off and it's just a case of intensive rehab. Which will take a while. 8.5 months!!!

I don't enjoy swimming pools at all, chllorinsy smell, clammy atmosphere, echoey noice - but I love swimming in the sea, and would like DS to learn to swim so that he can swim in the sea too. But I never took him as a pre-schooler.

The weeks closure maybe because the child had a particularly virulent infection of some kind. I don't really know.

OP posts:
MerlinsBeard · 16/03/2009 21:35

it may not have been IN the pool, it could have been in the changing rooms etc

Desiderata · 16/03/2009 21:45

Indeed, FAQ, but they should start at five, no?

It's a bit dubious to suppose that a child under five (in the UK at any rate) would be so confident that they would swim unsupervised ??? I don't see the benefits. I just see crap water, and boredom.

Save the verucchas, I say