Children's swimming: Keep health risks at bay

Children's swimming — A Mayo Clinic specialist explains swimming do's and don'ts.

Jay Hoecker, M.D.

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Is it OK for your diaper-clad toddler to splash in the local pool? Can your child safely wear a cast or ear tubes in the water? Could bacteria lurking in the pool or lake make your little one sick? Before you help your child suit up — or decide to skip the water altogether — here are some practical children's swimming tips from Jay Hoecker, M.D., a pediatrics specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Can babies or toddlers wear diapers in the water?

Various types of diapers are designed for underwater use. They're water-repellent and fit snugly around a child's thighs and waist. But they're not waterproof. If your child has a bowel movement in the water, fecal material may escape the diaper. A dirty diaper may contain diarrhea-causing germs, including the parasite cryptosporidium — which can contaminate pool water or other swimming areas. In otherwise healthy people, a cryptosporidium infection causes upset stomach and diarrhea. The consequences can be more severe for people who have weak immune systems.

Urine in the water is less risky than feces, but it's difficult to separate the two when children wear diapers. I generally discourage parents from allowing children in diapers to enter pools or other swimming areas.

Can children who have casts go swimming?

If your child has a water-safe cast — made of fiberglass and lined with a water-repellent material — it's usually OK to swim, as long as you have the doctor's OK. But if your child has a plaster cast over cloth wrapping, he or she must stay out of the water. Trying to protect a plaster cast with plastic bags generally doesn't work.

Can children swim if they have ear tubes?

If your child has ear tubes — tiny cylinders placed through the eardrum to drain fluid and allow air into the middle ear — ask his or her doctor about ear protection for swimming. Some doctors recommend that children who have ear tubes wear earplugs while swimming to prevent bacteria from entering the middle ear. However, routine use of earplugs may only be needed when children dive or swim in untreated water, such as lakes and rivers.

What's the best way to prevent swimmer's ear?

Swimmer's ear is an infection that's often treated with prescription eardrops. To prevent swimmer's ear:

• Encourage your child to wear earplugs while swimming
• Dry your child's ears after swimming with a towel or hair dryer
• Use alcohol-based eardrops to clear water from your child's ear
• Don't use cotton swabs in your child's ears, which can scratch the ear canal and provide a perfect infection site
• Don't allow your child to swim in polluted water