What's a good age to take your child to the YMCA pool?

Question

My pediatrician says now is okay (4 months old), but said the chlorine in the pool would dry out baby's skin and we would just need to moisturize more often.

He also said SPF 30 is fine. I thought we had to wait 6 mos before applying sunscreen.

What do u think?

Answer 1

my son started "swimming lessons" at 3 months.....after getting out of the pool i would wipe him down with a damp cloth then with a baby wipe (shea butter ones) and then apply cream all over his pudgy cute little body and we had no problem with dry skin at all.....he loved the water and still does...he is now 5 and we are expecting our next little guy in about 7 weeks!!! and plan to get him in the water early too!!   as for the spf question.....i waited the 6 months, but that is just me and what i felt most comfortable with!!  i hope i was of some help!! and enjoy getting in the water with you little one, it is great!!!

Answer 2

Wow. My kids didn't even start swimming lessons until they were around 2 years old, and then it was a daddy-child course at our local high school's pool.

But I do know many people who started their kids in swimming lessons as early as 3 months. A good rule of thumb for me is that if a doctor said it to me, then that's good enough for me.

Answer 3

The American Academy of Pediatrics are now saying that sunscreen is acceptable for children under 6 months of age if there's no other option; avoiding the sun exposure is more important. However, they recommend using it minimally.

I think you're fine taking baby at this age. I wish I could take my 5 month old to the pool!