Many youngsters find swimming to be a rewarding hobby. It exemplifies the ideal summer day in every way. Many kids would spend all day in the water if they could. Many parents, however, are unsure about how long their kids can stay in the water at the pool.
The maximum amount of time a baby under 12 months old should spend in the water is 30 minutes. Two-month-old infants are considered safe for public pools. Children who are a bit older can enjoy the water for longer.
Babies still have trouble keeping their body temperature steady until they are 12 months old. Because of this, the chance of them getting cold rapidly increases.
How long is too long to be in a pool?
It is advised that swimmers not spend more than 24 hours in one location. When you swim for 24–48 hours straight, you lose the top layer of skin that protects you from getting sick. This makes you more likely to get sick. Fatigue, sunburn, dehydration, and an irregular body temperature are also issues.
What Are the Consequences of Prolonged Pool Time?
What, therefore, is the impact of prolonged immersion in pool water? If you spend the day in the pool, the water will only cause you these problems:
Pool water’s high chlorine content and lack of moisture can cause damage and dry out hair. When too many of the natural oils in your hair are taken away, a number of bad things can happen. The color of your hair may fade, and the strength of each individual strand may diminish with time.
Wrinkled Skin: After being submerged in water for a long time, the skin of your fingers and toes will naturally begin to wrinkle as a protective mechanism. People think that this is an evolutionary change that helps us keep a firm grip on things and surfaces that are wet.
Can kids get sick from the pool?
Most public pools are in good condition. However, there may be bacteria and other contaminants if the pool has been overused or hasn’t been treated with the appropriate pool chemicals.
Swimming pool bacteria can lead to gastrointestinal disease, ear infections, eye infections, skin infections, and chest infections. Furthermore, the harsh chemicals used to treat pool water can irritate the eyes and skin.
There are numerous entry points for these microorganisms in a swimming pool. Babies and youngsters who have not yet learned to use the toilet have a high propensity to defecate in the pool. Even if they are wearing a swimming diaper, the water can still become contaminated with their feces if they have recently pooped. If you change a sick child’s diaper near a pool, the dirty diaper will spread germs to the water even if the child does not go into the pool.
Things You Should Never Let Your Kid Do at the Pool
Having fun unattended in the kids’ area
This area may be fun and full of water-spouting gadgets, but if it is not kept up well, it could be dangerous and slippery. The water used by spray jets may be used over and over again. This increases the chance that your children will be exposed to harmful microorganisms that could cause a wide range of symptoms if they accidentally drink some of the water, from stomach cramps and nausea to hives and skin irritation.
Swim in a place where you can’t see them.
At the swimming pool, it’s tempting to let your mind wander and close your eyes to enjoy the tranquil atmosphere. Most parents assume their child will make some sort of distressing noise, like splashing or screaming, if they are in danger, but this is not always the case. Safe Kids says that parents should keep a close eye on their kids at all times because drowning is often hard to spot. Make sure they are frequently checked on and that an adult is never more than a few paces away.
Hopping into the hot tub
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that children in hot tubs are at risk of both overheating and drowning, as well as getting a lung infection like Legionnaires’ disease from breathing in the mist or steam. Even though this disease is very rare in children and their symptoms are usually mild when it does happen, it is still a good idea to take precautions.
Sharing goggles with other kids.
If two youngsters want to share a pair of goggles, what’s the big deal? To be sure, it is not always the case. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that children can spread the viral skin disease Molluscum contagiosum by sharing things like goggles.
Try to sway you from wiping their ears out.
Wet ears are an inevitable consequence of swimming. However, many parents are unaware of the need to teach their children to dry their ears after swimming. Children’s ear infections (sometimes called “swimmer’s ear”) account for 2.4 million annual visits to the doctor’s office, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To avoid this, make sure your child’s ears are completely dry after swimming by tilting their head back and wiping out the canals with a towel.
What are the five rules for swimming?
If you’re just learning to swim, you shouldn’t go out there by yourself.
First, let’s focus on keeping everyone safe. Do not swim alone if you are a beginner or intermediate swimmer. If you must go swimming, do it at a public pool or other area with other people nearby. In addition, if you plan on swimming in a location that isn’t a pool, like the ocean or a lake, it’s smart to bring a buddy along. Having a companion while swimming in open water is also recommended.
Get the Hang of It: Technique and Form
You should also review your swimming technique and form to make sure you’re doing everything correctly. Once you get used to how your body moves and where it is in the water, you will be able to swim better and feel safer. If you want to stay afloat while you’re breathing, move your head to the side to inhale and submerge your head to exhale. Having good swimming form and technique also involves:
Do what you’re told and follow pool regulations.
The public pools have regulations in place to ensure the safety of all swimmers. Adhering to them is crucial. Some of these regulations may restrict the use of particular equipment by swimmers. Adhering to them is crucial. Some of these regulations may restrict the use of particular equipment. Maintain proper conduct at all times.
You shouldn’t dive into the shallows.
Jumping into the pool without thinking could hurt you badly or even kill you. So, you should probably just explore certain niches.
Above-ground pools are not safe for diving. This is a single essential piece of advice that should not be disregarded.
Keep away from drain covers and other such areas.
Drains and covers for swimming pools pose risks even when properly maintained. No one should ever go near a drain or a suction device.
Someone or something can become entrapped if they get stuck in one of these openings, also known as drains or suctions. Small children who can’t get away from them are in grave danger.
As a pool owner, you should check the drains and covers on a regular basis to make sure they work.
What should you do if your child swallows too much pool water?
To put it simply, relax. Typically, drinking pool water poses little threat. Most of the time, it just means that not enough chlorine or other pollutants were taken in.
Although it is quite unusual, you should go to the emergency room if your infant or toddler has accidentally inhaled water. No matter how old the child is, you should also think about how much pool water they drank. Rapid ingestion of pool water can cause headaches, nausea, and even death; however, this is quite unusual.
Your toddler may experience chlorine poisoning if he or she consumes too much chlorine. There may be a variety of symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, a cough that sounds wet, exhaustion, and even difficulty breathing. This can also make it hard to see and irritate or burn your eyes, nose, throat, and ears.
Children who show any of these signs should be taken to the emergency room of the nearest hospital right away.
What should a baby wear in the pool?
Every child who hasn’t mastered the art of using the restroom on their own should wear a swim diaper when splashing around in the water. Most structured infant swimming classes require these as part of a double-layer diaper system.
All-in-one thermal swimsuits
Dress your infant in full-body, fleece-lined swimsuits to keep them as toasty as possible. This will keep them warmer and allow them to swim for longer periods of time. All-in-one swimwear is great for babies because it keeps lotions that keep chlorine from making their skin irritated from washing off.
Baby wetsuit wrap
A baby wrap is an excellent piece of swimwear for your infant because it will keep them toasty and is simple to put on and take off. They are made of neoprene, which is the same material that is used to make wetsuits, to add an extra layer of warmth to the baby’s core.
Baby wraps have openings on both sides, allowing you to put your child on top of the cloth before wrapping it around their body and locking it with the Velcro fasteners. This gives your child the freedom to move around freely, whether in the pool or not.
