Babies in Hot Tubs/spas

Wow I didn't know that. Thank you for the information. Last Sept or Aug I was on vacation with my daughter,2 1/2 years old, while my husband worked (he travels for his job) and I used the hot tub there. I did bring her in with me but I don't remember it feeling really hot like there normally feel to me. I know she wasn't in for nearly as long as I was. I know the timer for the jets was 15 minutes and she sat on the edge with her feet in for most of that. She did come in with me to catch the bubbles the jets make. Soon after they were done we got out. I don't think anything bad happened to her because she seems fine now. She is doing pretty much everything a normal almost 3 year is doing. But thank you so much for the warning. I now will never let my child sit in a hot tub until she is old enough.

Great info! Nope, no one has ever mentioned it to me. I would think that more informative posted signs would do the trick, in "most" cases. Good for you for pointing it out to those parents that you saw; I know that can be a bit uncomfortable -- and you certainly did the right thing. Bravo!

I never knew the reasons why the hot tub was dangerous for my dd, thank you for sharing! I will tell EVERYONE I know. I have never personally taken her into a hot tub because I'm a "rule follower" and if there's an age posted I follow it. (I often get teased for my straight line walking, but I'm thankful in this case!) There should be more information out there and readily available for parents of young children.

We asked our pediatrician when we had a hot tub and would turn the temp in it down to 99* to take our son in. She said as L. as it was at body temp it was the same temp as bathwater so there was no harm in it and it was simply a way of taking a "family bath". We certainly didn't take him in when it was cold outside either because even though it was only a 10 ft walk from the hot tub to the house, we were scared of him catching a chill in those few seconds.

I will add that when I was pregnant my in-laws didn't understand why I couldn't get in the hot tub. I explained that it could essentially boil the baby and they never questioned it again.

For me, it would depend on the situation. If it is a personal hot tub and you know that the temperature is mantained (say less than 100deg), I might let my little girl in. I did take her in the hot tub at our condo when she was about 8 months old, but the heater was broken, so it was barely bathwater warm! And, the swimming pool was pretty cold, so I just took her in for a few minutes to warm her up after the pool.

Funny thing is, I DID have somebody say something to me and I explained that if I thought it was dangerous (hot), I would not have her in there. I guess they didn't believe me, because they stuck their hands in and "agreed" that it was barely warm! Next time we went back, the heater had been fixed so I did NOT take the girl back in--just wrapped her in a warm dry towel after the pool. (And the signs had changed from "All children must have adult supervision" to "No children in the hot tub"!!)

Good info. I had only ever considere the fact that it would be too hot for their skin and cause burns. I had read an article that did say that little boys routinely exposed to a hot tub can lose their virility, ie become sterile. Another thought.

I would have gone and talked to the person at the front desk at the hotel. Even if those people werent looking out for their baby, I wouldnt have been able to handle it.

Yeah--call me crazy but I actually obey the warnings posted...

the first time i allowed my daughter to go in a hit tub she was 2 this was last year. we went in the one that only went to 98 degrees (they had 3 different tubs and the hottest was 108). but i would never let an infant in a hot tub considering if you can do that damage to them while in utero being in a hot tub whats the difference out of the womb? shoot if your child likes to play in warm water then set up a warm bath for them...

Good info. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never took my daughter or son into the hotttub until recently (just my daughter who is 2.5). We took her into the hottub at my parents house 2x when the temperature was 103. We only let her stay in for 5-10 minutes and even then, she was red when she got out and I decided no more until she's older (she and her cousin played in there with my brother and I). I take pretty hot baths (not sure of temp) and my daughter loves to get in with me. I usually end up putting cold water in there to cool it down but she likes it hot also.

I do not think that it's okay for people to put their babies in a hottub...how selfish!! Honestly, it's just selfishness when people leave their kids in the sun/winter/etc because they want to get something done and don't have someone to watch their kids.

I have never been warned specifically, but I took it as a matter of common sense. You are correct that this is something that should be spelled out for parents! Thank you so much for posting this!

good info, thanks! now that i think about it, i don't think i would ever, because quite honestly i'm not a huge fan of them - for that very reason. i get hot, it's uncomfortable. the only time i really enjoyed it was when i was staying at a hotel that had one right next to the indoor/outdoor pool (in january) so it was amazing to jump from the hot tub into the frigid water. and back! but i wouldn't do that to a baby. good to know my instincts were right. (uuh...plus there IS a sign...! sheesh people...)

I just wanted to say that I totally agree with you! I won't even go in a hot tub myself at a hotel much less put my kid in one - not only is the heat bad but there is a high risk of germs and infection even for older kids. However, my husband thinks it is perfectly fine to go into the hotel jacuzzi or hot tub with our son (he's 7 now but my husband started doing this when my son was 3 or 4) I had to have the pediatrician tell him how bad it is even for older kids and there were a few times I found my husband and son in the hot tub at a hotel when they thought I wasn't looking and I had to force them to get out. I do see other parents with young kids in the hot tub and they just don't seem to care. I also see kids unattended in a hot tub or jacuzzi at hotels all the time. I don't get it. Unfortunately, parents who allow this aren't going to listen to other parents who don't allow it (my husband just thinks I'm afraid of germs but he has to go along with it). I think the hotels have to be more vigilant in enforcing the rules because they are really the only people who can enforce them. We, as concerned parents, can warn other parents but we can't make them get out of the hot tub.

I agree. Good info. Babies cannot regulate their temperature like adults, so they can have seizures.
Victoria

wow-this is common sense........ummmmmm no putting babies in "hot" tubs-i would have had a hard time keeping my mouth closed in that situation. warm water is ok, it's amazing what people think is ok.

No, I've never been told about the brain and the hot tub. I knew not to take a baby or small child into a hot tub because of the rise in body temperature. And it does make sense that this would damage the brain but I'd never thought of that. To me it made common sense because of how small their bodies are and their inability to know to get out when they were too hot. I've never even considered the possibility that someone would take a baby into a hot tub. Doing so flies against all reason and common sense.

I've never seen a baby or even a child below the age of 10 or so in a hot tub. If I do see this, I will definitely talk with them and if they don't remove the baby/child I would report this to management if they were available. If the child was not immediately removed I would call the police. I would have anyway but now that you've explained about damage to the brain I would be even more confident doing it.