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Pools and Toddlers


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When I saw this thread, I knew it would ruffle feathers, so I had to read it.

 

I wonder how many potty trained kids (or adults for that matter) are peeing in the pools? They know they are supposed to get out, dry off, and go use the bathroom, but do they always? How does anyone know if someone peed in the pool? I always approach a pool assuming someone has done it. Don't swallow any water and shower when you get out!

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I'm quite curious why cruises ships don't allow swim diaper babies or toddlers in their pools but public pools do? Children swim in public pools from practically the day they're born. And before I get flamed, I'm not advocating breaking any rules and I'm aware poop can be gross but if Public pools allow babies into them, why not cruise pools?

 

I once read that most cruise ships have more than one pool on board, yet use ONE filtration system for all pools, water slides, etc. Allowing non-potty trained infants into the pool could prove to be a disaster and serious health threat, because if there is contamination in one pool, it will quickly be spread through all of the other pools and water slides due to the single filtration system.

 

One health expert said swimmie diapers are nothing more than "fecal tea bags", meaning that although they may contain solids, seepage of liquids in & out of the diaper results in contamination of the water almost all of the time.

 

So the cruise ships stick to the strict guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control....but other public pools.....hmmmm? Well my guess is what a previous poster said, that public pools simply do not want to piss of the parents, so instead they just let the kids in the pool with their swimmie diapers, er, uh, I mean fecal tea bags. Yet another reason I try to avoid public pools that allow infants to swim un-potty trained!:eek:

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...? How does anyone know if someone peed in the pool? I always approach a pool assuming someone has done it..

 

 

I do not have the scientific answer, but the bacteria in feces is way different than what is in urine. Totally different issue.

 

And, as clarification, this whole "poo" thing is not about what is gross, etc, but what illness that will spread very quickly.

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When I saw this thread, I knew it would ruffle feathers, so I had to read it.

 

I wonder how many potty trained kids (or adults for that matter) are peeing in the pools? They know they are supposed to get out, dry off, and go use the bathroom, but do they always? How does anyone know if someone peed in the pool? I always approach a pool assuming someone has done it. Don't swallow any water and shower when you get out!

 

Because pee in the pool, while gross, doesn't cause illness like poo in a pool will there is a big difference. So even if you use precautions like not swallowing the water and showering when you get out, it won't help if someone has gone poo.

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I'm quite curious why cruises ships don't allow swim diaper babies or toddlers in their pools but public pools do? Children swim in public pools from practically the day they're born. And before I get flamed, I'm not advocating breaking any rules and I'm aware poop can be gross but if Public pools allow babies into them, why not cruise pools?

 

because cruise ships do not have the same type of filtering systems not do they use the same type of chemicals.

 

Nita

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Not for nothing, but when we were kids, my sister got a staph infection in a public pool. Just be careful when rubbing that sanitizer all over your body!

 

I too thought the idea of an inflatable was good. Cheap, compresses pretty well and can be tossed for the return home. I have a nearly 4 year old Godson and frankly I don't envy you with two little ones who can see the pool, but can't play in it.

 

As for the swimming diapers, what idiot thought those nasty things up?

 

Fecal tea bags indeed!

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YES!!!!!!!!!!! Two days in a row. :mad:

 

I cannot even begin to tell you the horrific words and threats that were thrown her way when on day 3, she showed up to the pool area again with her toddler. She left about two minutes later, with an incredibly loud applause from those lounging around the pool. As she pushed her child away in the stroller, she also turned to all of us and flipped us the bird, so that shows you what kind of person she was. :rolleyes:

 

They should have made the woman drink some of her s**t tea.

 

DON

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Not for nothing, but when we were kids, my sister got a staph infection in a public pool. Just be careful when rubbing that sanitizer all over your body!

 

I too thought the idea of an inflatable was good. Cheap, compresses pretty well and can be tossed for the return home. I have a nearly 4 year old Godson and frankly I don't envy you with two little ones who can see the pool, but can't play in it.

 

As for the swimming diapers, what idiot thought those nasty things up?

 

Fecal tea bags indeed!

 

and way back before many of you were even born, many got Polio in the summer from the public pools or it was one source,.

 

Nita

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and way back before many of you were even born, many got Polio in the summer from the public pools or it was one source,.

 

Nita

Yes, you think we would have learned then about fecal matter in the pools...but what ??30-50 years later someone invented swim diapers. :eek:

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Reading a post like this makes me glad that both DW and I never set foot in a pool or hot tub on a ship. There's nothing enjoyable to us about swimming or lounging in a bacterial stew.

 

After sunning, we are more than happy to cool down with a shower in our stateroom. Much safer...

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Q: why are swim diapers allowed in public pools?

A: the real Q should be WHY are such diapers allowed?

 

This is not a matter of being a mean ol' grump. It is a public health issue. Cruise lines get slammed every time there is a norovirus outbreak on a ship. Kids pooping in pools equals a guaranteed health risk. Even in a dedicated kiddie pool, the other kids will be exposed. This means that the rest of the family will be exposed. What about mom standing in the contaminated kiddie pool before she decides to "cool off" in the regular pool...instant contamination.

 

My preference would be to put any offending family off the ship at the next port. Maybe then people would start to get the message that this is a real problem that impacts every passenger on the ship.

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Last week on the Dawn, the pool closed for a good part of one of our sea days due to a baby that pooped in the pool. it was drained and scrubbed and didn't open again until about 4:00 that day.

Wow, one person's (parent) selfishness caused so many people to lose access to the pool. I find this person's behavior to be selfish and arrogant. Did they have a response? They should have been forced to wear t-shirts the entire cruise that said "poopy pool culprit"!

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Why can't the little ones using the kiddie pool wear rubber/vinyl swim pants (not diapers) over their swimsuit? They have elastic waistbands and elastic leg holes so no solids or liquids leak out. Most public pools require them now. Wouldn't that solve the problem?

 

Because the rubber/vinyl swim pants would have to be actually sealed to the toddler/infant's legs in order for them to contain bacteria and other pathogens. There's not a swim pant in the world that can contain that, even if they do contain solids and some liquids.

 

As well, as others have mentioned previously, cruise ship pools are not like large public pools on land. They are small, so no big volume of water to quickly dilute things, and they are not super treated, so there is far more chance of contamination and transfer of illness. Considering how many cases of illness (and some deaths) there are every year even in large public pools that are heavily treated and that require swim diapers, etc., the CDC is unwilling to risk the health and safety of cruise ship passengers (who also do not have access to extensive medical facilities should the worst happen).

 

In order for cruise ships to allow non-potty trained children (and incontinent adults for that matter) to use any water facilities, those facilities must be separately filtered and specially treated; this includes water park/splash zones. It is an expensive proposition (or so I've heard) to retrofit existing pools and space on ships for pools is limited, so even if they did retrofit them, there would simply not be enough room to add infants and toddlers for some pools. The larger ships might do better with that because they often have children's pools already (so easier to retrofit that one pool and separate out the filtration) and more room (so easier to accomodate more passengers). Even so, I'd not take our toddler granddaughter to them because we feel the risks are to great in that situation. But I sure wouldn't begrudge the option to parents who would like it.

 

As an aside, I have to mention that some cases of contamination in pools on land (and probably on ships as well) are caused by children and even teens who intentionally add a "floater" to the water in order to cause problems, so the problem is not entirely non-potty trained toddlers/infants. Thankfully, it's rare, but it has happened in our local public pools. In fact, one summer it happened often enough that the community college stopped allowing public and family swim times for the rest of the summer because the frequent shock treatments and so forth were affecting the morning swim lessons and aqua exercise programs. I'd like to think that children/teens who are lucky enough to be cruising and who most likely have goods parents who've taught them better would not do such a thing and the truth is that we've never heard of it happening on a cruise.

 

beachchick

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Why can't the little ones using the kiddie pool wear rubber/vinyl swim pants (not diapers) over their swimsuit? They have elastic waistbands and elastic leg holes so no solids or liquids leak out. Most public pools require them now. Wouldn't that solve the problem?

 

Are there really swim pants that fit tight enough to contain all that? I can't imagine :eek:

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As a parent *of a 16yr old* I am so glad I do not have to deal with this anymore. I think it is a shame that people do not consider others. I would NEVER want my dd swimming with kids who are not potty trained. It is just plain GROSS :eek: :mad:

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