Kids at the pool

kara140 · April 2016

When you're swimming at the backyard or apartments

kara140 · April 2016

So we moved into a new apartment complex this spring. The pool just opened because it is warm enough. I wanted to see what other parents do especially when you're pregnant like me!

ballofmeat · April 2016

I wouldn't let my pregnancy be an excuse to let my kid pee in a public pool...

ballofmeat · April 2016

kara140 said:

When you're swimming at the backyard or apartments pool, and one of your little ones mentions they have to pee, what do you tell them? Leave a comment below too!

QFP

kara140 · April 2016

I'm not saying that I will, just wanted to know what's normal and what other moms do.

ballofmeat · April 2016

I'm confused, your child tells you they need to use the restroom and you are not sure what to do?

karlimonster · April 2016

We bought a house with a pool a few months ago. When our son is actually to this stage and on the off chance he tells me before he pees I'll just have him pee on the bush or tree. As a kid at my grandma's we had to dry off and go inside. I don't know about a public pool. Pee before you go in?

bananers · April 2016

We took DS to a public pool yesterday and he spent 2 hours swimming and playing. We went before we got in, but I'm not delusional enough to think my 3 yo didn't pee in the pool at some point. HOWEVER, I would never ever encourage him to knowingly pee in the pool and if he had told me me had to go at some me point, I would have taken him to the locker room. Pregnancy isn't an excuse to encourage bad behavior.

emmeline714 · April 2016

When I've taken my nephews or step son swimming we run to the restroom and then go back to playing

kara140 · April 2016

bananers said:

We took DS to a public pool yesterday and he spent 2 hours swimming and playing....

Thanks! My goal is to find out what is considered normal and what people think is really bad.

lmtrmama · April 2016

When we went swimming while I was pregnant last time around, I think I usually had to pee more often than my daughter. So every time I went, I would take her with me and give her the chance to go too! I know some people do pee in the pool probably, but the chlorine does not kill everything! Plus, I don't want to swim in my pee either!

ThisisNumber3 · April 2016

At home I will let my kid pee in the grass (often we are playing outside so they aren't just wet they are grassy/muddy). But at an apartment pool, sadly, I would take the hike back to the apartment. My brothers apartment had a pool like this (Which how its sanitary to not have bathrooms is crazy) but the office was closer than his apartment and they let us use the bathroom before.

ThisisNumber3 · April 2016

Also - Swim diapers dont contain pee, only poop. So anytime you're swimming with younger kids they pee in the pool.

Fremdschamen · April 2016

We usually only swim at public indoor pools because we don't have a backyard pool, but we always do our best to run to the washroom. If it were my own backward pool and I had a boy, I might let him pee in the corner of the yard, but with girls, the logistics of peeing outside end up being so messy that it isn't worth it.

bearsandbeets7 · April 2016

ThisisNumber3 said:

Also - Swim diapers dont contain pee, only poop. So anytime you're swimming with younger kids they pee in the pool.

We learned this the hard way last summer. We went out on the boat a few times and got peed on I'd say 3 or 4 times before we realized this.

Nikkoli98 · April 2016

I suggest a different approach here. I have seen the chaos of parents trying to get small children to the bathroom in a hurry once a child announces, "Mommy, I have to pee!" The mad dash starts, if you are lucky you make it, very lucky if you manage to snatch a towel and your flip flips to prevent a case of locker room foot grodies. A bonus if nobody slips or falls.

I was a Lifeguard/Regional Pool Manager for 6 summers as a teenager. The majority of the near drownings we intervened on were fatigued children. It is very important for safety reasons to schedule regular breaks to rest, hydrate, snack, and evaluate sun exposure. Sending your child to the bathroom every break will limit surprise /chaotic trips, especially if you are a frequent pool goer. Swim breaks should be taken probably at least hourly, or possibly every 2 hours for older children. These breaks are also important for the supervising adult(s).

If you are at a private pool (yours or a family member's), as PPs suggested, having them pee in a bush or on the grass is probably okay for their bathroom break, but in a public or community pool, a trip to the rest room is warranted.

And yes, swim diapers do not contain urine, which is why the baby pool is referred to as the "pee pool" by staff. :-D

pelorunningmama · April 2016

We always encourage drying off and going inside with DD. She has peed in our backyard when she was about 18 months or so, but that was before she was potty trained. She would get out of the pool any time she felt the need to pee and just squat in the grass. I was pretty impressed that she didn't just let it happen in the pool.

annettemg · April 2016

I teach swim lessons as a side job and have for YEARS...have your kids pee in a bathroom. Please. It's just a minute or two to dry off and wrap a towel around their hair, and send them in. For girls with 1-pieces, learn to pull to the side and put some pressure on. It's not that much trouble.

kara140 · April 2016

Nikkoli98 said:

I suggest a different approach here....

Thanks for the good idea! We do usually take breaks pool side for a rest & drink & sunscreen. I'd rather not walk back to my apartment at that point but if it needs to be done then we will

Stephanie7693 · April 2016

When my kids take swimming lessons, we go all the way to the bathroom every time they say they have to go. Since they have been potty trained, I'm nearly positive they have not peed in a pool on purpose. But with a pool in our backyard, my son will pee in the corner by the fence, and my daughter will dry off and go inside. I'm not sure there are any more options aside from letting my daughter squat in the grass, which I won't let happen and I think she's too old to want to do that anyway

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