Can I Put My 3 Month Old in a Pool?

As long as the little swimmers fit, then they work great. I would put my kids in one of those round floaties with the seat. That way I didn't have to hold them and they could put their feet in the water. Some of the floaties come with an attached umbrella for shade.

Little swimmers work, but for me, I'd hesitate to put a 3 month old in pool water. Lots of chlorine, and if not enough chlorine - lots of germs. If you go in, I would not get his head wet, or water in his mouth, eyes, or ears.

My kids were all in the pool by the time they were that age. My 6yo is a fish, my 3yo prefers the stairs and my 16 MONTH old walks right into the pool and dunks herself and then kicks like a frog. People are amazed. You really do want your kids water safe.

Not to mention that babies have a dive reflex that is for survival and they stop breathing under water. This reflex is intact until they are about 6 months old.

Little swimmers work great, but make sure they are tight enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b3_RaH-ME8&feature=re...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyBVKxmBtYo&NR=1

We don't use sunscreen becuase of the chemicals in it, but we also are smart as to WHEN and HOW LONG our kids are in the sun. If we are going to be in the sun for longer than I'd like,then we use Devita Sunscreen 30SPF....it's ALL natural and works great.

Have fun!

I have a three month old daughter and just had a similar conversation with our pediatrician. He said that she can kick her feet around and sit in the water but as common sense would suggest, don't get the water up near their heads. The one issue that came up, however, is that baby sunscreen shouldn't really be used until they are six months old. Like he said though, if they are going to be in the sun it's better to use it than not use it. We are going on vacation in a few weeks and will be spending time at the beach. I purchased a rashguard with UV protection to put over her little swimsuit in order to try and get additional coverage. I doubt I'll take her out from under the UV Protection umbrella much, but am checking into some more natural sunscreens for babies just in case we need to apply something on her. I also looked for the "little swimmers" but the only ones I spotted started at 16 pounds which is still a ways from where our daughter is currently, and therefore I figure we'll just use a regular diaper at this point. Hopefully something in what I just wrote is helpful! :-) One other note to keep in mind, they can't regulate their body temperatures very well at this age so you will want to limit her time in the water as she can get too cold which is dangerous, even if it is hot outside. Best of luck to you!

I have never found little swimmers that small. Basically they are only good for holding #2. #1 will go straight out. I would only use one if your child hasn't had a bm in a little bit. Or I would use a regular diaper. I have never had a problem with them exploding all over the pool. but they will fully absorb and have a ton of water in them when you get out. take it off promptly. If your child has had a bm then take him diaper free. Let your little guy dry out really well before putting his diaper on when you are done. he can get a rash if there is still and wet chamical residue left. happy swimming

As far as "little swimmers", my dh just read an article...there are apx 2 million spores in fecal matter, it only takes 1 to make someone sick. Now, they do not absorb, so urine is just in the water, and they don't "leak" the whole BM out, but you are in water.....I did not take mine in the pool but a few minutes at a time until they were potty trained ;) Have fun!

Hi C.,

My little girl has been in the pool since she was 2 months old. We used the little swimmer diapers and a long sleeved tee, hat, and baby sunglasses. You aren't suppose to use sunscreen on babies under 6 months so the clothing helps keep him from getting a sunburn. Take little breaks throughout pool time and take your cues from how he reacts. Make sure to rinse off the excess chlorine from the pool (can dry out skin and cause a rash on baby's skin) before you get him dressed. Have fun!

those swim diapers definitly work. basically they hold in the poop. try to swim early or late, sunscreen should not be put on kids younger than 6 mos, so, use a swim shirt or a t shirt and a hat. and hold on tight.

C.,
I'm one of those worry warts that would be fearful of chlorine in the pool for a baby that young. Their skin is soooo sensitive. And, just as posters mentioned about not being able to use sunscreen at that age.

My son was 5 weeks old the first time I brought him in the pool! I put him in a bathing suit with a regular diaper under, knowing we'd only stay in 5-10 minutes. If you plan on having him in the water a lot longer, I would do the swim diapers. Iswim also makes a great non-disposable diaper.

Hi C., I wouldn't let your little guy out in the sun too much since he's probably too young for sunscreen. Most peds will tell you to wait until 6 months to put sunblock on a baby. Other than that, he should be fine in the pool, although he will probably not like it at first! Little swimmers work just fine, my daughter is 2 1/2 and we've been using them since she was a baby with no issues at all. They're a pain to get on a younger baby sometimes but once they're on you shouldn't have to worry about leakage or anything. I would stay away from the swim diapers that are cloth that are basically "bathing suits" - we never had any luck with those and they're a pain to wash. At any rate, have fun with your little guy in the pool, it should be fun once he gets used to it.

C.,

We've had Evan in the water since Day 17. He wears the little swimmers (yes they do work - IN water. Out of water they leak!!!) so we've also had him wear a cute pair of boardshorts and a teeshirt (normally a rashguard) and a swim-hat (similar to Laurence of Arabia).

We also rub him up with sunblock.

Everything but hat & the sunblock we got from Target.
The hat came from www.oneStepAhead.com (you can get the swimshirt & bottoms from them as well)
The sunblock came from www.CoastalCutiesGear.com (smells like orange-sicle).

Good luck & enjoy!!!

I put both my sons in the pool at three months. I made sure they wore a big soft hat that shaded their face and neck and only let them splash their little feet around. They loved it!

the best sunscreen out there is soleo organics - its number 1 on the earth watch group's list and it works - i guess some of them dont. i get it at a great store in fullerton called belly sprout and they have it at mothers. i put it on my 4 month old, i think its safe but i also think its better than burning (she wears a hat too). i too am worried about the chlorine but we dont stay in for long and she loved it! thanks to all the mamas for the swim diaper suggestions!

I was in the water from day 8 onward...our son was in the water as soon as I stopped bleeding enough to go in myself (I think maybe a couple weeks?)

Back in the day it was cloth diapers with the plastic/rubber thing over it. The little swimmers work fantastic. If they're too big though, you can always go old school. Do NOT use a regular diaper...the gels absorb and explode the diaper, polluting the pool and risking major damage to the filter.

While this young, they DO still have the reflex that if you blow in their face they hold their breath (hence the whole 'baby swimming underwater' thing. We never did that, but I know many families who do.

Have fun! The family pool thing is great, soooooo much less chlorine for little eyes than a public pool or splash pool.

As for wearing...little baby rashguards (too cute) can protect from the sun. We just always went in naked/or with just a diaper until one-ish.

SURE. We had our son in the pool at a couple weeks. Wear a swimmer diaper if you think she'll poop or just put her in naked or in a swim suit, whatever you're comfortable with. Don't use a normal diaper though. Have fun, she should love it. Hold her, make her feel safe, don't dunk her unless you know how to do that w/infants. She was in water for 9m!

I'd ask my doctor first.

You've god loads of good advice already. We too went into the pool with all of our little ones. Dressed in swim diapers and T-shirt and hat to protect from the sun since sunscreen should not be used in babies under 6 month of age.

Don't stay in the water too long though since babies can't regulate their body temperature as well yet and hypothermia is a concern.

Enjoy the water and pool!

Dear C.,
Yes, by all means. Just use swim ear or alcohol drops in the ears to dry them out and avoid outer ear infection. My youngest son was in at that age and I actually have a friend swim instructor that had her daughter birthed in the pool.
Have fun with the family.
H.

Hello, Our grandchildren have all used the "Little Swimmers" and they do work very well. We also have a little baby seat which has a sun shade over it. At three months you probably can't use sunscreen yet. The seat is pretty good for keeping the sun off of our grandaughter. We have had to rig it up with straps on each side to keep the sunshade centered, but we are right with her so it isn't a problem. You can find different kinds at Babies R Us and probably Toys R Us (maybe Target and WalMart).

we starting taking our daughter swimming at 2 months old. She lOVED it and is now 4 years old and swimming like a fish, all on her own. You can use the little swimmers, but we used the re usable kind that you can buy at target.