toddlers in pool - hygeine

[Big Sis..]

I am sorry Olive, it is your comment that appears to be ridiculous.
Have you never heard of 'mother and baby' classes - these are encouraged in the UK, and probably France too...........

totally agree Bobby
I live by the sea and the broads in Norfolk, children here of all ages are encouraged to use the public Swimming Pools to get used to the water and learn to swim as soon as possible........
My daughter used to teach swimming and actively encouraged Babies into the swimming pool

In Spain our pool is used by babies and children of all ages Spanish English and the French we had staying recently.....

[A-two]

But surely, if you book accommodation with a pool shared with others, you must accept that other peoples children will be using it?
Small amounts of urine (which is sterile when it leaves the body anyway) will be dealt with by the pool chemicals.

Of course I do, you are taking my post out of context. My comment was in response to Ju's post that all her guests are family, which is going too far in my book. Although I have to admit that I would much rather be in close proximity to many of my guests than some members of my family, I don't think my guests want me to assume I am related to them and jump in the pool with them, or sit down with them at the dining table when they are eating, (which is what the owner of a new restaurant did to me last week, and it seriously put me off going back).

Not all pools are chlorinated here either - a lot are salt water, I'm not sure if that makes any difference. I think most people know that urine is sterile, but poo certainly isn't and if babies never did anything in swimming pools ever, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

I took an 8 month old swimming this year. It was a public pool (salt water) and her mother changed her at the side into a swim nappy immediately prior to handing her to me in the water. There was no discussion about it, I assumed it was a requirement. I don't see much difference between that and a shared pool in a gites complex, since they are both shared by random members of the general public at the same time, much the same as a hotel pool. As a guest, I would therefore expect your rules to be along the same lines as public/ hotel pools in your area.

So if it is the norm to require swim nappies at hotel/ public pools in your area, and you don't require them, then I guess some may think the pool unhygienic even though it may be the squeakiest cleanest pool in the whole wide world. Perception is everything.

OTOH, if swim nappies are generally not required in most of the resort spots across the civilized world, then an owner would have some argument to not require them, regardless of how clean their pool may be perceived to be.

That's all I am trying to get at here, it's pretty simple.

• 
  1. What would most guests expect based on where they are coming from?
  2. Does that differ from the local customs in your area?
  3. Do your rules differ from public pools in your area?

[enid]

We have a pool. We accept bookings from families. We expect them to use the pool together. I will be in there with my 5 month old grandaughter at the end of the month.

We have never had any accidents in the pool and if it happened wed treat it as an accident and sort it out. Perhaps Olive doesn't accept families. Public swimming pools do.

Now come on have you never really had a little pee in a pool? - not even when you were a kid and having si much fun ypu didn't want to get out o go to the pool toilets.

[la vache!]

That's all I am trying to get at here, it's pretty simple.

• 
  1. What would most guests expect based on where they are coming from?
  2. Does that differ from the local customs in your area?
  3. Do your rules differ from public pools in your area?

1.They would expect the same - most have young families
2. No, it is normal to take young children to public pools
3. If you own a pool which is shared used by residents of more than one house/apartment, then the pool is classed as public and therefore has to follow the same rules on hygiene, security etc. Public saline pools are illegal in France, for example. If your pool doesn't conform to the hygiene standards it could be closed, although where and when inspections take place seems to depend on where you live.

[kteee]

Isn't this one of the reasons public/communal pools generally have toddler pools and full size pools?

[J&J]

I still say, it's not only toddlers. I used to take the whole school swimming to the public pool on Thursday afternoons, nearly 70 children aged 5 - 11 years. I can tell you from the scatological conversations before and after that it happened regularly.
I agree with HelenB, if the chemical levels are constantly checked there shouldn't be a problem.

Judith

[enid]

Just helping Ros post an image so this is really her post



Shock.... Horror.... ''Toddler in the Pool Alert''.......

[Ju]

A2, when I say that "toddlers are members of the family just like any other" I meant their family not mine. If they brought their aging granny, disabled neice, and incontinent pregnant aunt they would also be allowed in the pool. I feel that there is a centian part of society (and of this forum) that think that children are not really people and would be better off locked away until they reach the age of majority.

By the way we do ask our guests to put swim nappies on babies, but toddlers are slightly different as they are all potty trained at different times. My 2 year old hasn't worn a swim nappy for a year because she is trained.

In winter I take the family to the public pool and we all go in together.

[enid]

Just filled the paddling pool taht we put at the side f the pool when we have little ones - we also have a baby swim ring kindly donated by ex guests which is very popular and I'd def get another when it gives up the ghost. I saw that Maeline aged 16 months had a nappy on under her cossy- phew!

[vrooje]

My very first memory is of jumping into my father's arms, from the steps of a hotel pool into the shallow end. I was two years old and we were on vacation.

I have no idea if I was potty trained or wearing a diaper (or even whether swim nappies existed then). Those seem like insignificant details compared to how great I thought my Dad was for teaching me how to swim.

What a shame it would have been had the hotel's policy prevented that memory.