OMG, My Baby is a Fish
No, I did not birth a fish. Calm down.
This blows my mind. Infants swimming. Fun Fact: babies have gill-like structures when in the womb. How do I know this or find out about it? I was born with a small bump on my neck and my mother informed me that the doctors found it to be filled with cartilage and occurred from one of my gill-like structures not properly closing and relocating during development. As a child, I was completely embarrassed by it but now I never even notice or remember I have it.
“Babies do not have functioning gills in the womb, but they do briefly form the same structures in their throat as fish do. In fish, those structures become gills. In humans, they become the bones of the jaw and ears.”
Anyway, two days ago a friend text me and asked if I’d like to come with her and her son swimming at the pool. She knew I had been wanting to take Kolter but wasn’t sure about going alone my first time. I checked my schedule and replied that if I finished enough schoolwork the following day that we would definitely go. Needless to say, I spent half the next day doing work and the other half figuring out how to be prepared to take my 4.5-month-old swimming for the first time.
Swimming With A Baby
The first time I took Kolter swimming he was 11 weeks old and it was in our bathtub. I put my bathing suit on, filled the tub with warm water a third of the way and in we went! (I’ll spare you the photos) This was the first time I had him in water without a baby tub.
The Prep
We learned the hard way that babies don’t like room-temp or lukewarm water and baths shouldn’t be done in a random room in the house. I couldn’t lean over the tub after my cesarean so my husband and I decided to try to bathe Kolt on the peninsula in our kitchen. Cue the screaming. The next day my mom came over and showed my husband what to do since I couldn’t do it.
To take Kolter swimming in the tub I took similar steps. I ran hot water in the shower to steam and heat up the bathroom air. Then I filled the tub a third of the way with very warm water. I lowered myself in and then had my husband pass me Kolt swaddled in his usual bathing swaddling cloth. I slowly lowered him inch-by-inch into the warm water starting with his bum. We spent some time just relaxing in the water and getting him adjusted. I slowly cradled him less and less until he was just floating with my hands underneath his head and bum. He was smiling, yawning, and purely relaxed. When I noticed his relaxation I slowly started to unravel his cloth starting with just his legs. He gently moved them and then smiled while giving some bigger kicks. Eventually, he was floating and kicking with no cloth and both my hands just under his head and shoulders. He loved the water.
Tubs & Pools Are Different
Our new reusable swim diaper fits!How do you translate the warm, calm tub water to the cooler, wavy water of the swimming pool? You don’t. I just did everything I could ahead of time. I don’t want him to be afraid of the water and I want him to be a strong swimmer. But how do you prepare yourself and your baby for the pool? There is so much to consider.
A lot of sites recommend starting at 10-minute intervals in pools because they’re colder but there was no way I was paying a full entry fee to the pool just to be in the water for 10 minutes. This was the primary reason why I started at home. I started thinking of how I could help Kolter preserve his heat while in the water and, of course, swim jumpsuits were the best option. I have a pricey one from Honeysuckle that is SPF +50 but since we’re indoors I bought a regular one from Walmart for under $15. This way I didn’t much care if the chlorine destroyed it.
Then I started thinking about whether or not babies wear a diaper in the water. Wouldn’t it just fill up with water? It’s designed to absorb, right? I text a few friends and they said some people do that but they recommended a reusable swim diaper under the one-piece suit. Thankfully, I had one gifted to Kolter so we were all set in that department.
What to Bring
This site had a good list of what to bring to the pool with your baby. From this list I made sure to pack a bottle so I was ready to feed him afterwards and a toque for when we left the pool. Not that the other items weren’t useful but my mom and mom-friends had some experiential suggestions:
2 towels because you’ll take one out to the pool with you to wrap him in when you get out and that one will be soaked by the time you get to a changing room. The second one you can use to lay him on and dry him with after you shower.
Baby soap. I used one of the family change rooms that are a full bathroom plus has baby waiting chairs, benches, and a shower. The only thing I wish it had was a laying changing table. I stripped Kolt down and we showered in the warm water. I washed him the best I could that way and it was a great way to warm him back up. I could already see that he was getting sleepy and relaxing from the warm water.
A pee pad, 2 diapers, a pack of wipes, and diaper cream. I was not lugging around 2 bags (diaper and swim) to the pool plus my baby. Instead of packing changing pads and full-sized items of everything I grabbed one of the hospital pee pads we cover his changing pads with and mini versions of Sudocrem and wipes.
A sleeper onesie - there was no way I was going to fight to get him into a full outfit so I packed a simple onesie for him to wear after swimming.
The baby seats in the family change rooms at our swimming facility. Bring extra, extra towels to dry them.Time To Swim
My friend suggested we start in the lazy river since there was a warm current in that part of the pool and it was the warmest location in the pool. I slowly waded into the water and when it was time for Kolt to go in I just slowly got him adjusted. The process took about 3-4 minutes but I knew he was comfortable with the feeling of water. We did a few laps around the lazy river and by this point, he was kicking and giggling. I was so relieved that he was loving it.
The pool has baby floating seats so we tried that next and I don’t think he could have enjoyed it more. I made sure we had some splashing and that he encountered a bit of water on his head and face. He seemed to handle it just fine and there were no tears. The only thing I couldn’t get him to do was float on his back like he does in the tub. My sense is that he doesn’t like the cooler temperature of the water enough to do it yet. But practice will bring us closer to success!
Finally, I want to mention that rinsing or washing your baby off after swimming is very important. Their skin is still so sensitive and the chemicals can really dry it out. Even after using the showers (which still have stronger chemicals than your home water) you should rinse or bathe your baby at home later on.
Next Time
The next time we go swimming I will likely buy water shoes. I forgot how much I HATE wet swimming pool floors and how much they gross me out. My skin was crawling just thinking about it when I entered. I’m also going to look for a long sleeve and long-leg swimsuit for Kolt. He seemed to do fine but I noticed his arms and legs that weren’t covered were a bit purple-red in comparison to the rest of his body. He wasn’t shivering at all but it was clear to me the suit worked and he was warmer where it covered him.
Until Next Time,
Happy Swimming