Swimming w/ Baby

[Amirah95]

I'll have a 6 month old on our next vacation...what's the best way to swim with my little one? I got some advice to wear baby in a sling and wade in the pool. I don't think I want to use a sling because I've tested some out and it doesn't feel comfortable to me. Are there any other ways I can wade with baby in the pool, besides with just using my arms to hold on with, extra safety measures? Or just take baby in my arms and stop worrying about???

 

[piraterose]

They have the blow-up infant seats that could fit in a suitcase. Toys R us has several different kinds. The one below have an adjustable canpony for the sun.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/inde...442.2255969.2257605.2257631&parentPage=family

 

[laughinplace199]

My DS is 8 months old. I just bought a Body Glove carrier that can be worn in the front or on the side.

Here is a link so you can see what it looks like:
http://www.babyuniverse.com/pro/baby/79173/BabyCarrier-Blue.html

I have an 8 yr old and a 6 yr old who are learning to swim but they don't swim on their own yet, so I like to have my hands free when we go to the pool in case one of them needs me.

 

[PJinNYC]

I used the float with the canopy on it sometimes, but mostly I used a sling.

There are LOTS of different types of slings out there that you can use. I found that using a sling made it much easier for me to have fun with DD in the water.

I would recommend a Solarveil sling for in the pool. Solarveil is the kind of fabric that has like a 50+ SPF itself so it is ideal for using at the beach or the pool. I still coated DD with a layer of sunscreen and used a hat, but with the sling I didn't have to worry about her sliding down like I did with the float and it let her stay close to me and she just seemed much happier in there than she did when I had her in the float.

Good places to find a Solarveil sling are at www.KangarooKorner.com and www.sleepingbaby.net Prices are pretty good there too. Sleeping Baby has better prices.

 

[mbcissell]

My DD is 8 months old, and for the last couple of months I have been using this great float I found at walgreens for 12.99. It is 2 inflatable rings with mesh lining in the middle, and as a seat. She loves it. It is wide enough that it doesn't tip over, she can splash the water without having to lean to the side, and I just stay within arms reach of it. She is happy as a clam inside that thing!!

 

[Loriannf]

We had a great "baby boat" that our daughter loved and used from about 6 months until she got too heavy at about 18 months. It didn't have a canopy, but the new ones do. I'd highly recommend it. It had a seat surrounded by an inflatable ring and was extremely stable - didn't tip at all.

One Step Ahead also has TONS of stuff to make traveling with your kids easier.

Lori

 

[jamesmommy]

Do they allow the "kiddie" boat floats and such in the pools at WDW? Just wondering.

 

[bumbershoot]

When we were in an apartment complex with a pool, we just held DS. I'm a user of slings, but I'm not into them in the pool.

BUT if you're going to use one in the pool, make it a mesh/solarveil one, not one of solid fabric, that would just get heavy. And if I were doing that I'd make it a mei tai style, but that's just my personal preference.

I never got into those float things; DS seemed to really like the full physical presence, feeling our hands solidly on his body. To put him in something else wasn't our style anyway, and it was just so nice to be so close to him as he enjoyed the water.