Planning a summer holiday with your baby can easily overwhelming when babies join us at the water or is it safe at all. You’re in the right place!
✨️ Welcome to this little guide! We’ve put together advice from our own pediatrician, the doctors we follow, our swimming instructor, and our own personal experiences. ✨️
Sea or Pool? 💙
Some experts say public pools are practically a no-go until age 2, while others say until age 4. For our swimming lessons, we only let our baby into an ozone-treated pool instead of a chlorinated one. Chlorine can be a risky choice for a baby’s sensitive skin and lungs. The sea is totally fine, but we make sure it’s not a stagnant cove—meaning, the water needs to circulate! We also look for uncrowded spots that we know are clean, and we always check the news for any infection reports in local districts to avoid those areas. Oh, and a quick tip we learned from the CDC: the main reason babies get infections after swimming isn’t actually from the water touching their skin—it’s from accidentally swallowing it. So, we are extra careful to keep that little mouth out of the water!
When? 💙
It’s generally not recommended for babies to swim in the sea during their first 6 months. You can just dip their little feet in and rinse them off right away. Actually, health experts don’t even recommend using sunscreen during these first 6 months because a baby’s skin is so thin and absorbs everything. So for that initial stage, full shade, big hats, and UV clothes are your absolute best friends! After 6 months, definitely check in with your doctor. We also learned that passing the 7 kg mark is important, because that’s when babies can start regulating their own body temperature.
How? 💙
Avoid peak sun hours! Dress them in a long-sleeved UV-protective swimsuit and a hat, and use mineral sunscreen—reapplying it after every swim and every two hours no matter what. When our baby was 7 months old, our doctor told us, “They can stay in the water as long as you do.” But if they start shivering or turning a bit blue, take them out immediately.
Which Sea? 💙
To be honest, holding the baby while standing in shallow water was absolute torture for our knees! So, for the first year, we realized depth doesn’t really matter. Our priorities are calm, waveless, and warm waters. A sudden wave hitting their face out of nowhere could trigger a fear of water.
At the Beach 💙
* We immediately take off the wet swimsuit and swim diaper.
* We rinse off the salt thoroughly. We actually bring a 5-liter water bottle with us because beach showers never have enough pressure for a baby.
* After rinsing, we put on a regular diaper, dress them in a muslin poncho, and reapply sunscreen.
Which Equipment? 💙
Depending on the baby’s age, mobility, and whether they’ve practiced balance and breath-holding, we were recommended either armbands (floaties) or a flotation swimsuit. Since our baby is still quite small, we just hold them in our arms without any equipment for now. Next year, we’ll choose one based on our swimming instructor’s evaluation and guidance. But honestly, no matter what gear you choose, pediatricians always emphasize the “touch supervision” rule. It means an adult should always be within arm’s reach. We never rely 100% on floats or turn our backs!
We are also adding our baby beach shopping link right here 💙
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Wishing you and your baby a wonderful, happy vacation! ✨️
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