Just wondering if anyone out there has any advice. We joined our community pool this year and, for the past two visits, my son (age 2) has had a dirty diaper while we were there. Of course, he wears swim diapers. The first time wasn't so bad. It was a little messy, but cleanable. This past time I looked down and actually saw dirty water running down his legs (I know, EW)! It turned into a major "haz-mat" cleanup because it seems the swim diaper and bathing suit were wet and it started seeping through. (Sorry for all the nasty details. I'll spare you what cleanup was like!)
Anyway, just wondering if any moms out there have dealt with something similar and may have advice as to how to avoid or lessen the impact of nasty, wet, dirty diapers at the pool.
Thanks so much!
Does he show any signs that he is going? I could usually tell from my son's facial expressions what he was doing. Just try to get him out of the pool and dried off as much as possible before he goes.
You can try swimming trunks with a built in diaper over the swim diaper. Where I take my daughter for lessons that is actually a requirement, because if a child has a poopy leak the pool gets closed for the day.
Also my daughter (2 1/2) typically poops around the same time every day, if your son is regular try to keep him out of the pool for that time period.
Good luck!
I had this happen a couple of times with my kids when they were little. Here's what to do:
1. Snatch the kid out of the water and bundle him in a towel. Throw everything else into the stroller.
2. Pushing the stroller with one hand and holding your kid on one hip with the other, alert the lifeguard immediately, on your way out the gate.
3. Walk briskly to your car. With any luck, you'll be off the premises by the time they get to the microphone to announce the pool is closing.
...and yeah, what the other moms said, too.
Are you using disposables or cloth swim diapers? Disposables tend not to fit as tightly (they are often the "pull-up" type) and this could be the problem. I use wonderful cloth swim diapers that fit like a glove, and we've never had this problem. If you are already using cloth, you might look into getting a better fit. You can get nice cloth swim diapers on amazon.com, onestepahead.com, or from Babies R Us.
Our pool had such a problem with this that all non-potty trained children had to wear snug rubber pants over their swim diaper in the main pool. Since that rule was in effect, the pool seemed to be closed less (they had to close the main pool 8 hours every time this happened). We used the the ones that you get to put over a child that is potty training but they are sold at many pools and health clubs too.
I kept my son out of public pools til he was potty trained. We used kiddie pools in the back yard till he was old enough. The public pool for babies where we were had such a high chlorine content that many of the kids got rashes all over. I never got over the feeling that letting my son swim in a setting like that was like having him swim in sewage.
I used to check my sons swimmy diaper all the time for this. I would just check and change the diaper more often. I could usually tell if he had to do number 2. Good luck!
Here's what we do with our 2 and 3 year olds:
1) Emphasize the "no poopy in the pool" rule. Let them know that just like in the bath at home (don't ask!) we don't want any poopy in the pool. I remind them that if they need to go, they need to tell mommy or daddy and that they need to get out of the pool to go poop. At two, your son should be starting to get the idea that he can and should control some aspects of his bathroom habits even if he isn't potty trained.
2) Of course, #1 doesn't always work with our 2-year old daughter. So I put her in tightly-fitting disposable pull up swim diapers and a bathing suit with a liner. Plus, if she hasn't already gone before we reach the pool, I check her pants every 10-15 minutes and watch closely for the "I'm going poop" expression or any suspicious enlargement at the back of her bathing suit. Also, keep a watch for "evil bubbles" that often portend a BM. It's a lot less messy if you can catch them and remove them from the pool just before or just after.
3) Obviously if the child has had diarrhea within the previous 3-5 days, you should never take him to the pool. Several children became critically ill and I think one or two died when we were living in Atlanta after some idiot brought a toddler with diarrhea to the local water park. Tragically stupid.
Maybe you need a better fit on the swim diaper? Also, maybe cover the swim diaper with plastic training pants used with cloth diapers? It may not save the clean-up on your end, but will keep it contained and avoid contaminating the pool.
Some pools require a plastic diaper cover to be worn over the swim diaper. These are actually pretty effective. I was able to get them at Wal-Mart for my daughter. I think they came in a package of 4, and they are very tight fitting around the thighs so that water doesn't get into the diaper as easily and stuff doesn't get out of the diaper as easily either! It sounds like this would be a good solution to your problem. You should still check the diaper pretty frequently though, as they're not perfect.
Well not taking him to the pool at all isn't a helpful alternative especially if he enjoys it. My son takes swim classes and he loves it! As part of the class they make him wear a swim diaper and plastic pants to avoid seepage. I've never had him leak and it may only contain the "mess" into the diaper and plastic pants, but at least it won't be running down his leg or into the pool. I've never tried the cloth swim diapers, but I do know that you can get them online. Let us know what works and good luck!
If this is a recurring problem I would probably not take him to the public pool. Every time that happens the pool has to closer for cleaning. If they did not they are in violation of health codes and could be shut down.
