Pool Etiquette and My Acid-Reflux Baby

Did you ever try bring a small blow up pool w/ you, and let him play in that.... You can take a cup and fill it up like that... Or another is using those boat floats, its wide enough to catch the spit up on it, and if you keep him more to the side of the pool it will give you a chance to get him out of the pool in time....

Hi B.-
i don't actually have a suggestion as to how to correct the spitting up issue, but i woudl like to just point out that it is necessary to keep your child away from the pool area if he (or she) is prone to this. every time a child spits up in teh pool, barfs in teh pool or even if a tiny bit of blood is in teh pool from a picked scab or cut, the pool has to be closed for teh next hour and also shocked with additional chlorine with the filters runnign double speed.
so if your child does in fact spit up into the pool. you have now ruined it for the rest of the kids for at least an hour and also caused quite the commotion at the pool.

not trying to be nasty. just letting you know how the pools do it. i have taught swim lessons for years, and many of which had to be canceled due to similar issues with children. then noone gets the lesson and noone else gets to enjoy the pool.

so until that issue is resolved, it might be best to have your own basin pool in teh backyard until you can guarantee that teh spits ups are once in a great while, rather than a daily occurance.

joanna
www.nutrition-in-motion.net

I TOTALLY disagree with the moms who said that the chlorine and other chemicals take care of the vomit. No! The pool must be cleared out for a while and disinfected properly. I feel really bad that your baby has the reflux, but it is not okay for you to just try to scoop the vomit out and keep on swimming. That is not fair to everyone else in the pool. Should we do the same thing with feces and blood? Maybe you can buy a kid pool for your yard and take the two older children to the pool when daddy gets home or someone else can stay with the baby. Sorry, but I think you have to be responsible here and think about others. Hope your baby gets better soon. :)

If it were my child I'd keep them out of the pool. I would feel uncomfortable on your side or the other parents side with spit up in the water. It's hard but you may have to make some adjustments.

K. B
mom of 5 including triplets
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat

Don't worry that is what chlorine is for :) We are all moms at the public pool. Most of the little kids spit out the pool water and dribble and drool etc. I hate to tell people but the swim diapers are not the most absorbent things in the world. I have seen them leak. Enjoy your time at the pool. www.livegreeneasy.com

B.,

You have a right to be at a "public" pool with your children. There are worse things in that pool besides spit up from a healthy baby. Kids pee, spit and drool in it, too. If other people are that offended by it, they can leave! I'd hate to imagine what it was like to have an infant in their house who spit up...

Hi B. -

I worked at a pool for many years and I don't view a small amount of baby spit up as an equal to poop, puke, blood, etc. Everyone has been in the pool at some point and wiped boogers off of their kids faces. Kind and considerate people have a tendency to push the boogers over into the filter system or out of the pool. I would view baby spit up in the same manner. I wouldn't just let it float away but rather push it into a filter system or get it out of the pool using a bucket. Is there a baby pool at your facility? That might be the best option for your baby. If your pool is anything like the one we belonged to last year, there is a no floatation device rule in large pools so that would eliminate the option for using a large device for your child to sit in. I wish you all of the luck this summer at the pool and I can't believe how some people seemed to attack you in their responses. I applaud you for asking this type of question. Have a great summer!

B.,
If I were in your situation, I would just be as conscientious as possible, try to keep the spit up out of the pool water, if you can, scoop out, clean up what you can and other than that--relax & enjoy the pool!

Wow, I read the responses and was surprised at the reaction. A tablespoon of spit up from an otherwise healthy 7 month old is quite different from a sick child's vomit or feces. I am not terribly familiar with public pool requirements but I dont' see how they could posibly need to close a pool for a bit of spit up. Like another poster said, kids spit out water and drool all the time (not to mention the copious amounts of pee that go undetected). I don't see it as being any different. I guess I would ask your local pool officials to see what their rules are, but as far as etiquette goes I don't see a problem. As another refluxer mom I honestly wouldn't have even thought about it had I not seen your post. I would have just been ever watchful and scooped it up if it happened. Have a fun summer!
K.

Unfortunately, you need to keep the baby out because every time they catch him doing that, they are going to have to shut the pool down for AT LEAST 1/2 an hour maybe longer. That is a requirement for every public pool. Any time vomit or feces enters the water in a public pool, it is regulation that they treat the water with very harsh chemicals for which there is a waiting period before anyone can get in. I can tell you that there is nothing more annoying then taking your kids to the pool and spending most of the time on the sidelines because some parent is not following guidelines. I have sympathy for your situation with regard to your other children, but unfortunately, you really can't take your younger one in the water.

Acid reflux has to do with your stomach not being where it should. If you take the little one to chirapractor they could do an adjustment and the little one would not have it no more. They do babies diffent than adults.

That's what pool filters and chlorine are for...so no worries! Enjoy your time with the kiddos and be glad you get to spend it at a pool. I think anyone who has a problem with it, shouldn't be at a public pool. :)

My son did the same thing!! I think Pool etiquette would call for you having a burp cloth w/ you at all times so that you can catch the spit-up asap. I assume we're talking small spits, not projectile vomiting. I think you need to find a good balance betw letting your 7 month old cool off in the pool and keeping him out of the pool. I know the more I carried my son around, the more he spit up.

I know how hard it is when you have a child that spits up all the time. My daughter was one to projectile vomit with her reflux. Personally the pool that we attend would shut it down if they witnessed someone spitting up in the pool. I never brought my daughter to the pool until her reflux had resolved. It is hard but maybe some new fun pool for the house that your kids can pick out may be the solution until this passes. Does your pool have a baby pool with an age that can accommodate all of your children. That way maybe you could set your little one down and sit in the water that way and still see your other two. Maybe that would help with the spitting up. As someone else mentioned my daughter also spit up more if I was holding her to much. Maybe talk with the pool personnel. They may have some insight for you. Call them on the phone and just explain what your situation is. It is not like your child is sick. Parents may not like it if they see your little on doing it. That is the reason I did not go to the pooluntil my daughter was almost 18 months old and her reflux was taken care of. I hope this helps.
L. R