Should kids in diapers be allowed in the pool?

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And now, as they say, for something completely different. Since we’ve been talking about travel and manners recently, one reader has brought up one of the most controversial subjects in the travel industry: diapers in pools.

I kid you not. A look at some of the forum activity on this topic suggests it’s a hot issue, with militant moms on one side who believe their offspring should bathe wherever, whenever and however they want, and those who think children in diapers shouldn’t be allowed to travel on the other.

Who’s right?

Toni Vitanza is a flight attendant who is on medical leave, and she is troubled by the debate. She’s a frequent visitor to a cruise ship forum, where this issue often comes up.

The cruise lines — all of them — spell it out on their websites that you must not allow kids in diapers, or kids young enough to need them, in any pools or hot tubs, not even in the kid-friendly or family-friendly pools, and not even in so-called swim diapers.

This is a CDC, US Public Health Service type policy. There are certain ships — I think there are four on RCL — that have “splash zones” for non-toilet-trained infants and toddlers. Even Disney has this policy on their ships! (They just have, apparently, more/bigger/better “splash zones.”)

But, I think part of the problem is that travel agents and probably even cruise reps do not go out of their way to make this clear to parents before they take their money and have them sign on the dotted line. And parents fail to realize the policy and fail to realize that ship pools have different filtration systems and rules governing what they can discharge into the ocean.

For her, diapers in pools are a real health hazard.

I’ve seen people simply take their baby’s diaper off and dangle them in water after they were approached by staff. Godawful! A lot of cruisers are immunocompromised to a degree (not so sick they can’t cruise, but, as my cruise companion is, having undergone chemo, for example) and they don’t need this kind of exposure.

If you want to see a lively debate on this issue, check out the recent discussion on the USA Today cruise blog.

Reader Lauren Bear agrees: The diapers are out of control.

We’ve seen diapers and kids who were too young to be unprotected wearing normal swim trunks. We spoke with staff several times and nothing was done. We spent most of our time in the adult pool. I feel the cruise lines are very irresponsible on this one.

Of course, this isn’t limited to cruise lines. Hotel pools get their fair share of diaper-wearing kids. I was at a waterpark resort last weekend, and saw a fair number of kids in diapers. As the father of three, I’ve also had some, er, personal experience with kids, diapers and pools. And I’m here to tell you, the “swimmy” diapers don’t work. The only way to guarantee there’s no contamination is to keep the kids out of the water.

I would be inclined to side with Lauren and Toni, that kids who aren’t toilet trained should stay out of the pool. For me, it’s a matter of good manners. But if there are any moms (or dads) — militant or otherwise — who think their kids deserve to go into the pool before they’re toilet-trained, speak now.

I ran a quick survey early this morning. Here are the responses.

(Photo: Cafe Mama/Flickr Creative Commons)

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  • Jane

    I really think it is irresponsible to allow kids in diapers to enter a public pool. This summer, a local fountain was shut down due to E.coli problems
    http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-fountain-drained-for-ecoli-txt,0,5959573.story

  • KD

    Parents (and I am one) need to follow the rules period and teach their children to do so. That being said, as this has turned into a debate over swim diapers and age of children in the pool, I used swim diapers at public and hotel pools from the time my son (now 15) was 6 months old and took his first lesson and we never had a problem, I also took my three younger children into pools with swim diapers, also no problem. But, I also changed them right before we entered and did not let them play in the pool for three hours without a change, we usually went into the locker room or other area for changing at least once per hour or more often if I noticed the signs.

    As for the “children if diaper age” this is tricky. I have two children that were completely diaper free before age two and two that were well, slow to potty train. Nowadays children can be as old as five and not fully potty trained (no, none of mine were that old) and I doubt any public pool or cruise ship will be asking if there is a swim diaper underneath your four or five year olds bathing suit, but I am guessing this is the case more often than not. I agree with the above posters about illness and the pool, no child or adult should be in the pool while ill and no child should be in the hot tub, which is a major issue with my children as even the 15 year old is hot tub banned.

  • Kevin

    @ Toni
    If you had actually read what I wrote, I said “If I had booked a cruise, read through all I could online, and only found out once I boarded my children couldn’t get in the pools, I’d either be getting a refund or breaking the rules.” This means that I could not find anything online prior to boarding that mentioned it. If the rules are stated beforehand, I have no problem with the rules. If I shell out a ton of money for something only to find out once I get there that some of their rules aren’t clearly disclosed beforehand, THAT’s what I have an issue with.

    @ Raven
    Any Parent dumb enough to take their baby into a Hottub needs to have Social Services called on them and their kids removed. I have never seen a Hottub that allowed kids under the age of 3 in them. Most have an age limit higher then that. So, you’d never have to sit in a hottub with my kids, or any of their body functions.

    And for all the people that take offense to the term “Baby-Hater”, look at the responses prior to my post for examples.
    Fred – “This should be a landslide. But selfish parents will still insist they are right. ”
    Eric – “Children still in diapers in the pool is just disgusting.”
    PplareSilly – “In PUBLIC POOLS/SPAS kids in diapers and any verisons of should not be allowed, it is really unsanitary and no one wants to see feces floating.” – Have you ever actually seen this?
    Sylvia – “Voted “no” to this and kind of see it as a no brainer question. Other than parents of children who want their kids to experience everything regardless of the risk to others, I can’t imagine any one thinking children in diapers are ok at the pool. I see signs at every pool I use stating “no children in diapers in pool”, and it makes sense. I mean, just think about it….”

    Baby-Haters are those people that arbitrarily think little kids should not be allowed anywhere in public. This includes, but is not limited to, Airplanes, Public Transit, Public Facilities, etc… What these people fail to realize is that it’s not the children that are the problem, it’s the parents. People automatically always blame the kids, when in reality the parents of those little children are to blame. These are baby-haters.

  • Tom

    If you are immuno compromised or particularly health conscious, better stay out of the hot tubs and pools regardless of babies with diapers. Most people have some fecal matter on their bottoms no matter how much they wipes and others have sores or the urinate in the pools. Chlorine does a reasonable job of killing bacteria, but it takes about 24 hours of exposure to do the job so if you get in the tub on the same day that somebody who didn’t wipe well used the tub… It’s not just cruise ship pools, either. The same health problems occur in onshore pools and even at beaches. If you are concerned about your health, don’t bathe in the same waters others bathed in. On the other hand, my father in law used to say you’ve got to eat a peck of dirt before you die. So it depends on your sensibilities.

  • PauletteB

    @Kevin: It’s not the babies we hate; it’s their irresponsible parents. Anytime a parent starts crying “baby hater” in one of these blogs, it tells me he/she is a charter member of the Irresponsible Parents Club. Stop whinging and start giving a damn about someone other than yourself and your kids.

  • Carole Lee

    Also-let’s not forget that the problem is dirty diapers-not kids. There are adults who must wear diapers. The rule should read- NO PERSON UTILIZING DIAPERS MAY USE THE POOL”

  • Steve

    I don’t really know enough to say whether or not kids in diapers should ever be allowed in pools (and I have no idea if swim diapers are effective or not), but one thing seems clear: if a cruise line has a policy prohibiting kids in diapers from swimming, either obey the rule or don’t go on that cruise.

  • Ituri

    I’ve had many experiences with a *poof* of excrement under the water from children. Really puts a damper on your day when you feel like you need an emergency decontamination shower.

    The rule is in place for a reason. Not following the rules is rude beyond belief.

    I’m less concerned about the ocean, which is filled with enough contaminants already that a diapered baby doesn’t really matter… with distance. But a public pool being used by others, NO diapers, ever. If you want your darling munchkin to swim so much, get them a kiddy pool you can refill in 5 minutes when the water turns brown.

  • MCGJr

    Ref: No Smoking Areas in Restaurants
    (I wish I had said it first, but still worth the quote.)

    “A No Smoking Area in a restaurant is like a No Peeing Area in a swimming pool.”

    No further comment necessary!

  • Sarah Di

    @noah

    Yes there should be a rule if the party responsible for the pool or water park decides that the equipment is not appropriate for those in diapers (i.e. no or low levels of chlorine, salt water vs. chlorinated fresh water, how the water is recirculated, environment, etc). I don’t think that any entity would make these rules on an arbitrary basis just to make a bunch of parents and babies angry. If they’ve made the rule, they have decided that there is a valid reason to have that rule and in the case of diapers in the pool, it’s safety.

  • sam

    OMG and LOL…..
    What a GREAT QUESTION, which gave me the giggles all last nite.

    My 2-cents…
    Those parents and or caregivers that have no issue concerning their children wearing diapers in a pool…I bet these people “Love Using Purell”

    Yet these same people I bet are concerned about “natural Health foods” and Being Green. Yet fill up the landfills with their plastic diapers and eat who knows what theoretical natural foods.

    A Typical out of sight out of mind…Selfish and disgusting.
    Let them stay in a pool with 25 infants and or young one in a pool….Yuck….

  • http://naoma@cheerful.com Naoma Foreman

    WELL, i do not go into hot tubs — ever — except my own at
    home. I’ve seen kids in diapers at “adults only” tubs and pools
    on cruise ships. Really, I try to avoid children at all costs. My
    one is grown. Any parents who take kids in I avoid.
    My daughter was toilet trained early and swam at age 2-/2. She
    is a dive master now. I never learned to swim.

  • Johannes

    There is the potential for the spreading of bacteria and disease. But apart from that, it’s just gross.

    One other thing that hasn’t been mentioned too many times so far is that a wet diaper, especially with water that has a stronger concentration of chlorine, is irritating to a baby’s skin. Wet diapers cause diaper rash and irritation easily enough, a parent shouldn’t make the situation worse or more frequent. I wouldn’t ever. And again, it’s gross, and for the sake of other people (yes, other people have rights too, like the right to not have to experience the wonderful “teabag” of possible goodies in my baby’s diaper in the pool) keep the diapers out.

  • Jen

    Our Fla condominium recently changed their rules and now allow children with swim diapers, but there is still quite a debate about whether or not they should be allowed. There are quite a few elderly people in the pool throughout the day (generally the ones complaining about it). My point is – how many of them are wearing adult diapers? Why is that any different than a child wearing a swim diaper?

  • Mary Graham

    Yuck

  • Eric

    @Arizona Road Warrior. “I always make him go # 1 before leaving the locker room.”

    That is a very good practice, however someone urinating in a pool, while it’s disgusting, is not a health risk. In fact, and most people don’t know this, urine is actually sterile. So urine will never be the issue here. Of course, the brown stuff is another matter and I’m firmly on the side that anyone needing a diaper, and that includes seniors, should stay out of the pool. Take the kiddies in the “kiddie pool”. A kiddie pool would take maybe two hours to clean in case of an accident, whereas a large pool could be out of service for days depending on its size.

  • FL Traveler

    I personally am more concerned about sick PEOPLE using any public area (including pools) than a healthy child.

    The comment about the purell was on target. But while we are talking about what people don’t know — urine being sterile (not exactly true since there is such a thing as urinary tract infections!!) let me mention that antibactrials — like purell — are exactly that: anti BACTERIA. So many of the public health problems are VIRAL which antibacterials have no effect on what-so-ever!

  • Cruise fan

    I see no problem with splash areas. They can easily be hosed down and water goes directly into the drain.

    Geez guys! If you are so immunio compromised, you maybe better stay home!

  • Salami

    Local dept of health allows young children in pools, but they must have a swim diaper on as well as a rubber liner over the diaper. The point is to keep solid waste from the pool…it doesn’t take a genius to see that a swim diaper will not keep urine out of the pool.

    I find it offensive that people would take their children in only regular diapers into a pool, but at the same time Hotel pools need more enforcement in this area; it’s not hard at all to flaunt the rules at a hotel pool…

  • MikeZ

    Salami,
    The only difference between a swim diaper and a regular diaper is the swim diaper lacks the absorbent material. It would be just as effective as keeping solid waste from a pool it just makes the kid absorb an extra gallon of pool water.

    I actually find this somewhat surprising, I’ve been taking my kids to the YMCA for swimming lessons since they were 6mos old. Certainly before they were potty trained, and yes it was the recommended age for the class. It never even occurred to me that the policy of my local public pool would be different than somewhere else. Certainly I’ve never seen any signage on any vacation we have been on to indicate otherwise. FWIW my kids have never actually pooped in a swim diaper.

    Personally I consider pool water somewhat gross anyway and don’t think a few kids really do much to change that.

  • http://www.kidspool.org/ Kids Pool

    I think it’s really not suitable if we allow kids wearing a diaper in a pool. I’m sure kids were not comfortable too wearing diapers in the pool.

  • Yesway

    The decision should be left up to the person who owns/operates the pool.  If I own an amusement park and clearly post the rules & risks for each of our pools it is then left up to the consumer whether they want to use those pools.

    If you are a 40 year old, child hating, control freak you can choose to stay away from our family pools that welcome small children.  

    If you are a parent of a child who generally chooses not to drink pool water anyway, and feel the benefits of the family pool outweigh the risks, you will likely enjoy the opportunity to swim with your younger children.

    This is not a one-size-fits-all situation.  As long as precautions are taken and the rules are clearly stated each person should decide for themselves which pools they and their children use.

    Taking your young child for a guided swim in the pool seems perfectly natural to me.  There should be facilities where parents can do this responsibly. 

  • Lawoman51

    I happen to know a friend that took care of an olympic size pool for a private christian college.  He said that it is state law that you must empty a pool if a child has an “an accident” in the pool referring to a bowel movement.  However, he also stated that there is enough chlorine in a pool that is kept by a professional, that even urine by the time it hits the water, all elements of any kind of a nature that could bring on a sickness is out of the question!  Do you know how many children and ADULTS urinate in pools and saunas every day, everywhere?  And let’s not forget how many incontinent men and women are out there!  Go back to John Baker’s note which said that his public health board have an opinion that children in swim diapers pose MINIMAL risk to other swimmers.  You are more likely to get sick from your kitchen table!  Do your research, please.  Sincerely, Louise A

  • Fabian

    I dont feel that is right because half of question can be fought by two different partiesi can understand the little kids that are not potty trained should not be let in any pools but try to get a opinion from someone that has to wear diapers like me I have a disability that ive had since I was born and sometimes I get in the pool and since I could never really be potty trained ive would usually go in my diaper but not in the pool but people dont look at people like me sometimes which is what they call incontinent which I dont think I am im a strong person and have been through alot

  • j

    Why go on a cruise with a baby anyway? But yeah, kids in diapers need to stay out of pools. And their idiotic parents need to be slapped upside the head. Is it really that hard to keep a kid out of a pool for 2 years or however long?

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