non-potty trained toddlers in pool?

[gnuthca1]

I was reading thru old posts regarding kids on the cruise and read somewhere that infants and toddlers were not allowed in the pools if they weren't potty trained.

Is this true? Just wondering, cuz we have an 18mos old DS (not potty trained yet) and a 5yr old (who is!) and they're both water lovers and I'd hate to not be able to take them in the pool together. :-(

Besides, DS is pretty 'regular' in his poops and so we always know when it's coming and have never had a problem at the local outdoor or Y swimming pool. ;-)

And what's the final word on swim diapers? We have both the disposable kind and the wash-yourself swim diapers. Which should we bring?

Karen <--if my kids only knew the stuff mom writes about them on the net!

Karen

 

[jel0511]

Unforunately, non-potty trained children aren't allowed in the pools onboard either the Magic, or Wonder regardless of which type of swim diapers they are wearing. Swim diapers aren't allowed in the pools. It isn't a DCL rule, but a rule being imposed by the US Public Health Dept. All cruise lines are adhearing to this rule. Now, when I was onboard in Nov 02, I didn't see this rule being enforced to the nth degree. But since the recent outbreak of Norwalk, I'm sure it's being enforced now. I did follow the rules with my 18 month old DS, and this is what we did. I brought a couple of buckets, shovels, and small plastic cups up to the pool deck. I sat my DS down on the rubber mat near the pool and I kept filling up his bucket from the pool. He just sat there and had a ball!!!! He loved playing in the water with the shovels and small cups. He kept dunking himself. It wasn't easy, but he didn't even notice the "big" pool. I did bring the disposable swim diapers for use on Castaway Cay, and didn't have a problem there.

 

[pal2pluto]

When we cruised first time, our son was 2 1/2. This was in January and these rules didn't exist. He, like yours, usually gave really good "signals" re: needing to ....you know. Well, his schedule was different, and he went on a "fruit jag".....would eat nothing but fruit (it was truely delicious!) Well, put 2 and 2 together............it was impossible to tell when he was about to......you know Yes, he had an accident in the pool and I was horrified that it was "my" kid .

Just be aware that knowing "signals" might just go out the window on a cruise without warning.

 

[Mickeylover]

I must say that it is hit and miss when this rule is actually enforced. On the 12-15 Wonder tip, I watched quite a few toddlers I'm sure were not potty trained being brought into the Mickey pool. The parents often held them and dunked them up and down in the water. The lifeguard spoke to one mom with an infant...and she remained holding the child pretty much out of the water--just dunking her in and out, so I'm assuming that was OK. The other exception was a child with C.P. (wheelchair bound) and his mother brought him into the Mickey pool with only a swim diaper on. There was no reaction from the lifeguards at all.

I understand the CDC issues onboard the ship, but see it no differently than any resort pool full of kids. (My 7 year old, by the way had a blast--it was the only place he could swim without freezing--Nassau and Castaway Cay turned him into a blue popsicle!)

 

[BethC1952]

The rule was enforced (at least when I was watching) on the 12/8 Wonder. More than once I saw a CM explaining the rules to parents of diaper-wearing children. Most seemed to understand and cooperated. One parent, however, took her toddler out of the Mickey pool and tried to swim with the child in the adult pool! A CM told her to leave almost immediately however, and I never saw either of them again.

Beth

 

[JODIELYN]

We were on the 12/7 Magic... i had been reading on the board here about the dilema with diaper/swim diapers/no toddlers/ etc...


The 2nd day we were onboard i saw a mom in the pool with her young child and had witnessed the mom take the diaper off the child and put on swim trunks. I became curious what the crew was instructed to do about this and so i asked one that was near the pool. He said "no one who is not potty trained is allowed in the pool". So... i pointed the child out to him and explained that i had witnessed the mom taking off the diaper. His response was (very nicely) "Well, we really can't enforce it, we just encourage parents to not keep them in the water too long"

In the navigator there was no mention of this 'rule' on the first or second day, however, after the pool had to be drained twice i did notice a posting of the rule under the pool hours in the navigator.

Interesting... i can see it both ways... very sad for the toddler who wants to swim and can't, but yet, also very sad if something happens or someone gets sick because of an accident.

Just my 2 1/2 cents worth...

Jodie

 

[AnnMorin]

I was on the same cruise Jodi and I saw quite a few children, more like infants, in the micky pool being held by parents. I understood it was warm but could not get with all the hoopla of the virus (the wipees at buffet etc) why someone would blatenly break the rules. (although I guess it is possible that these babies were prodigies and were potty trained before they could walk - my son was three go figure) My response was to not get stressed about it but just tell my son he was not allowed in the micky pool but could go in the goofy one. I did not see any toddlers in there. Since mike had an ear infection for the first half of the cruise he opted out of the pools all together which was fine with me. In fact none of us went in the pools even once. Jay and I used the adult hot tub twice-which is not hot enough by the way, we keep our one here at home at about 105 which is the perfect temp. I only used them because I was made aware they are beind drained and cleaned nightly.

 

[Thumper1]

I was on the December 7th Western cruise and while I was waiting in line for hotdogs/tacos, I noticed several babies/toddlers sitting in Mickey's ears by themselves. They must have been no older than 1/1 1/2 so I don't think they were potty trained. I remember thinking of all the discussion here on the boards. I figured I'd let DCL handle it.

 

[zbuddy]

I for one do not understand how Disney can go to such extremes in disinfecting the ship for certain viruses and NOT strictly enforce this rule. My husband and I run a public pool and it is a State Health Code that no child in diapers, or not potty trained, be allowed IN the pool. In the case of an "accident" (blood or vomiting included), we must drain the small pools and close the large ones for 24 hours in order for the volume of water to 100% recirculate throught the system. Swim diapers are mandatory, and even they are not really able to keep out infections. Surely Disney ships must conform to some sort of State rule on this because I am sure the health departments inspect their kitchens and other parts of the ship. I know it's sad to disappoint parents and kids once they are on ships, but they should know this ahead of time. I am well past the "diaper" years, so I did not even look for this in their literature. If it's not in pre-cruise documents, it should be. I can't understand how anyone could complain about disinfecting a ship or quarantine, yet put a child in diapers into the pool.

The person who had the suggestion of bringing the water toys and buckets had a good idea. If only all parents were that considerate.