Public Pools and Swim Diapers

When you have a young baby, it can be hard to get out and do fun activities. For example, public pools require swim diapers for a diapered child to go into the water. While you may have a full featured stash of cloth diapers, you may be unsure how to take your baby swimming in a public pool. Is there any other option besides disposable swim diapers, or are you resigned to purchase a wasteful and environmentally hazardous product just to have a successful family outing? The good news is that the same retailers selling your favorite brands of cloth diapers probably have diapers approved for public swimming pools.

Swimming pools usually have specific requirements for swimming diapers. The diaper can not be absorbent and must have the ability to contain solid waste. Both regular cloth and disposable diapers will absorb excessive amounts of pool water, which can weigh down your baby and cause a safety hazard. However, leaving your baby diaper free can risk contamination if human waste is introduced into the pool water. Because of this, you will be required to use swim diapers whenever you bring your baby to a pool.

Many public pools sell swim diapers at their concession stand for parents who don't have one available in their baby's swimming supplies. Pools are most familiar with disposable swimming diapers. They may have policies in place designating what is acceptable to use, and cloth options may not be on that list. This doesn't mean that you can't use a cloth swim diaper safely. Instead, you may be required to take a bit of extra time to show the diaper to management so they can approve the swim diapers for use in their pool. This will only be necessary once. After the initial inspection, you should be able to tell any workers unfamiliar with the product that it has been inspected and approved by the owner.

When shopping for swim diapers, there are several options that you can select from. First, the closures will vary depending on the particular design and manufacturer of your cloth swim diaper. Your diaper may feature either plastic snaps or hook and loop tape to secure the diaper on your baby. Many swim diapers look very much like a diaper cover with a waterproof outer cover, except they have a mesh layer on the inside to help keep solid waste contained. In fact, some parents grab a swim diaper to use as a cover in a pinch. Some designs offer extra protection for busy little fingers by adding several types of closures. In addition to hook and loop tape, a style may also add a tie so that the diaper stays where it belongs while your baby is enjoying the water.

If you swim often during the spring and summer months, you want to have several swimming diapers in your collection of cloth diapers so that you can rotate them when you are washing. Luckily, the swim diapers at Kelly's Closet are very affordable. The company offers 3 styles, all priced under $15.