I blinked and it is mid Summer already. I have gotten several questions lately about babies and swimming, prompting me to update my swimming post. Participation in formal swimming lessons is absolutely associated with a huge reduction in the risk of drowning, but all the lessons in the world cannot take the place of having a designated adult keep a constant, watchful eye on anyone in, or around water. That being said, I don’t usually recommend lessons until your child is at least 6 months old. Swimming lessons for children under 3 years are mostly about getting them comfortable in the water. Water play is also a fun and healthy form of exercise for the entire family. As a bonus it may improve strength and motor skills. I give swimming with your kids a big thumbs up. Recent AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) guidelines actually suggest that all children over the age of one take swimming lessons. At the bottom of this post is a list of swimming options for families in the SF Bay area Even if you aren’t looking for local pools or classes, many families might have some opportunities to swim during summer travels, or even a visit a friend's pool. One of the most common questions I routinely get is the one asking how old a baby needs to be before it is safe for them to go into the water. I am assuming that you are sensible enough that you aren’t planning on taking your one month old on a tropical vacation. If your baby isn’t brand new, then generally my answer about getting into the pool is “sure!”, but there are several factors to consider. For young babies, a little splashing is okay, but I wouldn’t let them submerge their heads until they are old enough to keep their mouths closed. There are claims that very young infants are natural swimmers and don’t take in a lot of water; I prefer not to test that out. A big gulp of chemical filled water is yucky at any age. Is the pool outdoors? We all need to be careful with the sun, but a baby's thin skin is especially vulnerable. Young children need to have a big floppy hat and perhaps sunglasses and sunscreen. Remember that sunscreen needs to be reapplied even more often if the kids are getting wet. Get in the habit of doing a sun assessment at least every 15 minutes. If they are getting pink, it is time to get out of the sun. Don’t wait until they are bright red. While it is true that my fairest patients are the most at risk for a sunburn, all skin pigments should be protected. Shade is best! There are some cute little umbrella baby floats that offer quite a bit of shady protection if you are in a pool. But be aware that the reflection from the water can add to the risk of burning. The next factor is the water temperature. Young babies don’t regulate their body temperatures very well, so make sure that any pool water is nice and warm and that the outside temp isn’t too chilly for them. As an advice nurse I have all sorts of swimming related issues to share that go beyond safety. Here are some other considerations: Hot tubs Most hot tubs and jacuzzis are too hot for kids under 5 years old because they are at greater risk for overheating. For kids over 5, if the temp is 104 degrees, a child should be in for five minutes or less. If the temp is between 98 and 102 you can let them hang in there for 15 minutes at a time. Be warned, if the hot tub isn’t clean, people can get a pimply rash called folliculitis. Most of the time this is self resolving, but it is worth checking with your doctor if it isn’t resolving. Foot fungus Anytime you are hanging out at a pool please wear flip flops when wandering around poolside or in the locker room. Fungal infections and athlete's foot are fairly common from public locker rooms.! A spray bottle with some diluted vinegar solution to spritz on the feet, followed by making sure that the feet are very dry before putting shoes and socks on, are good preventive measures. Yeast/irritations Little girls that spend a lot of time wearing a wet bathing suit can also get irritations. It is a good practice to get the kids out of the wet suits as soon as possible. Do a good rinse off as soon as you can and then apply a nice moisturizer to avoid exacerbating dry skin. Ear issues If your child has had a recent ear infection, it is okay for them to swim as long as the tympanic membrane is intact. If your child has had ear tubes or a recent ruptured eardrum, they should NOT be submerging their ears in the water (or the bathtub for that matter) without having protective ear plugs. Sound Speech and Hearing makes custom ones with sparkly color options that may help with compliance. If your child has been doing a lot of water play, they may be prone to otitis externa (better known as swimmer's ear.) As opposed to an inner ear infection that requires an otoscope to make a diagnosis, an outer infection is often visible to the naked eye. The ear looks red and sore and may have some drainage. If that is happening, it is worth a visit to your pediatrician so that they can see what’s happening and prescribe some antibiotic ear drops if warranted. Keeping the ear canal as dry as possible may help prevent this condition. There is a simple proactive measure that can be cheaply and easily made by mixing equal parts of rubbing alcohol and white vinegar (50:50 mixture). This solution will increase the rate of evaporation of water in the ear canal and has antibacterial properties. Using this solution to rinse the ear before and after water exposure can help protect against infection. Hazardous Algae Blooms If you are planning on swimming in open water (lake, river etc) make sure you check ahead of time to make sure there are no advisories. There are some local lakes and rivers that occasionally have some toxic algae blooms that I would not want any of my patients to get near. I mentioned that drinking pool water is not ideal, but I am going to double down on the yuck factor in some lakes and rivers. These are the kids that end up with giardia. Try hard to make sure they aren’t getting any water near their mouths. Basic water common sense Most of my local families know to be very wary of our local Ocean Beach, but if you are traveling to a place with a warmer and more inviting ocean, never turn your back on the water and beware of currents and strong waves. When you are near water, it is important to make sure that one adult is the appointed water Guardian. If you are looking for swim lessons, here are some of the great options here in SF. Here are some of the more popular options La Petite Baleen Swim School . They have several different sites. The one in SF is in the Presidio at 933 Mason St. 3200 California St San Francisco, CA 94118 Phone number (415) 292-1200 Mission Bay 1675 Owens St Phone number (415) 514-4545 There is an indoor and outdoor pool here with all sorts of options for just swimming with your baby or doing classes. YMCA There are several branches in SF that offer swim classes. sessions are likely full already, but if you plan ahead you may be able to join some July classes. Stonestown 415-242-7100 Presidio 415-447-9622 Embarcadero 415-957-9622 The city pools also have some classes available but they also fill up fast. Register at www.sfreconline.org to sign up for swim lessons (and other great classes). This website will also give info about the city pool hours if you are interested in just having some pool time with your kids and skipping the expensive lessons. You may want to go by yourself first to scope out the water temperature. My kids grew up going to the Janet Pomeroy Center. This is out by the zoo at 207 Skyline Blvd. It used to be called the Recreation Center for the Handicapped. The lovely thing about it is that the pool is very warm. They have several slots every week where you can go and play in the pool with your child. It is reasonably priced, but you need to call to enroll in advance, They don’t have any drop in sessions. The phone number is 415-665-4241 Do you have a pool that should make the list? Please share the info and I will add it to the post. If your child is enrolled in swimming classes and they have a mild runny nose, they can probably still go swimming if they are feeling up to it. If they are vomiting, have diarrhea or a fever, do everyone a favor and keep them out of the pool! Swim classes are NOT a reason to take your eyes off of your child in the pool; no one should ever have a false sense of security! ----------------------------- Dr. Ted’s Tidbits: It always bums me out to talk about summer pool safety. I don’t like feeling like I’m ruining your ability to relax by telling you your kid might die on vacation. But I couldn’t agree more with Nurse Judy’s advice above. The most important part is the designated water guardian. Every time I take care of a young near-drowning child in the hospital (it happens at least annually), I hear the same refrain “I just went inside for one minute.” When liquids enter the lungs, seconds matter. The longer liquid is in there, the more reactive the lungs become. After children inhale water, they need to be monitored in a hospital setting for a number of hours, as their blood oxygen concentration can change hours after being rescued. It’s a big to-do, and easy to avoid with some vigilant oversight! |
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