Why Children Under 3 Need to Wear Non-disposable Swim Diapers

Non-disposable swim diapers are made for swimming

We start teaching water adjustment and safety skills to children as young as six months because we believe this is the perfect time to start introducing a child to swimming lessons to help them become safer around water.

However, this young age group is rarely potty trained, so we do need to take proper precautions. This is why our policy at Ocaquatics is to require all children under the age of three to wear a non-disposable swim diaper under their swimsuits. Not everybody is familiar with a non-disposable swim diaper. Here’s what you should know.

Made for swimming

Non-disposable swim diapers are specially designed to be used in swimming pools. Most public pools require any child not potty trained to wear a swim diaper. They’re following a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recommends this because swim diapers decrease the spread of bacterial contamination.

A parent’s best friend

Non-disposable swim diapers can be a parent’s best friend. If you have any experience with regular diapers, you know that they just don’t work well when they are submerged in water.

Regular diapers – whether disposable or not – swell up and become uncomfortable when wet. They add weight and sag, which causes them to lose their ability to perform their intended function. Not to mention once they swell, they limit mobility. Unfortunately, a regular diaper isn’t capable of doing much of anything after it’s gotten completely wet.

Non-disposable swim diapers, on the other hand, are specifically made to be worn in water. They have minimal water absorption and don’t swell up like a regular diaper. They’re even easy for a parent to take off or put back on when wet.

Non-disposable vs. disposable swim diapers

Disposable swim diapers do exist but, in our experience, non-disposable swimming diapers are far more effective than disposable swimming diapers. Make sure to check with the pool you plan to visit before you go as many public pools have made decisions to not allow disposable.

The disposable type cannot be reused, and they must be properly discarded. Non-disposable swim diapers are washable just like standard cloth diapers. And their use can also save you money.

Non-disposable swim diapers tend to look more like a regular swimsuit, and they’re environmentally friendly. They also tend to be made with a softer fabric than that found in a disposable swim diaper. This might be a consideration if your child has easily irritated skin.

The most important thing is to acquaint yourself with the rules of the swimming pool about swim diapers and the diapers they allow.

At Ocaquatics, we specialize in teaching your little one how to swim and be safer around the water. We offer lessons year-round, so it’s never too late to sign up. Our boutique carries non-disposable swim diapers, so you don’t need to worry about finding the proper one beforehand. Please contact us if you have any questions.