Babies in diapers in pools ??? Complaining

[mollyeilis]

Old thread, but that's OK.

 

 

I saw several adults stay in the water for hours on end without getting out for an occasional potty break.

 

 

Saw the same thing at Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando. That pool isn't made for swimming, it's too shallow; it's made for sitting with drinks. But people were sitting there, with drinks, waaaaaaay too long. Ick.

 

(But I would assume the cloudiness you saw was more from sunscreen than anything else)

 

 

Covering swim dipes with plastic pants...not sure that's going to hold in anything more than a well-fitting swim dipe. Then again, we used reusable swim dipes. (we did not cruise until DS was 8! I'm not talking about cruise experiences here, to be clear) We also knew DS's "I gotta go" queues; they were easy enough to figure out if you paid attention. And he didn't even do anything super-obvious like a friend's son, who squirmed backwards as a little infant, then scooted, then crawled, then WALKED, backwards as he got older and had #2 happening or about to happen LOL. But it was still obvious. But...as a baby we would wait to put him in the water until just after he had used a diaper, so we were free and clear LOL. So when we had access to an apt pool DS never had any sort of bathroom situation happening.

 

Anyway, wearing a normal disposable diaper in water is silly, because they bloat up and are awful. Swim dipes don't. And they are meant to be TIGHT so they hold solids in. Of course, if your baby isn't dealing with actual solids yet, best to either know your babe's queues OR not take him into the water. Again, not talking about cruise *pools* here, since they can't use them.

 

 

Would like to mention, though, that swimming in the ocean is basically swimming in whale poop. And shark, and smaller fish, and jellyfish, and everything else that "goes" in the water... Makes a baby's poop seem a little less scary! :p

[Ex techie]

Would like to mention, though, that swimming in the ocean is basically swimming in whale poop. And shark, and smaller fish, and jellyfish, and everything else that "goes" in the water... Makes a baby's poop seem a little less scary! :p

 

Well not just myself, but the CDC, USPH and VSP the cruise lines follow disagree with your comment and assessment.

 

Also, it is not common for kids to swallow a mouthful of salty ocean water more than once. The pools on DCL are fresh water that is chlorinated, and do not have a salty taste to encourage them from doing it again.

 

You also need to take into account the volume, proximity and concentration, and also the harmful diseases and viruses that human feces harbor and excrete that marine life don't. Marine fees generally falls to the deep ocean floor where it decays or is eaten by other marine life. It isn't floating in the top layer of ocean we bathe in.

 

Just for proportionality, the earth has about 352,670,000,000,000,000,000 gallons of water in the oceans.

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/oceanwater.html

 

A 30' x 15' x 5' pool contains 8416 gallons. (not counting water in the filtration and treatment systems)

 

A virus spread through a fecal discharge leading to diarrhea because of a pool potty accident is not something enjoyable at home, let alone on vacation, and certainly not in the close confines of a cruise ship.

Put say 40/50+ kids in that pool, and that potty accident has just potentially exposed all of them to Crypto (short for Cryptosporidium), Giardia, Shigella, norovirus and E. coli. to name a few.

http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/rwi/

 

Pee'ing in the pool is disgusting period. However urine is mostly sterile and the pools filters and chemicals can reduce the harmful effects. Also it is expected that a kids pool with have kids that will get too excited to remember to get out to take a bathroom break and pee. That is calculated in the severity of the treatment of the water and filtration methods.

Feces either visually detected or through testing in the pool requires it be shut, drained and all of the mechanical systems and filters, along with the pools surfaces be sanitized throughly before being refilled and being reopened.

 

ex techie

Edited November 2, 2015 by Ex techie

[minniem]

I just returned from a Princess cruise my third with Princess and 2 out of the 3 had a diapered baby in the pool. Both times I asked a crew member about the policy. The first time I was told he was sure it was a very clean baby and the second time I was told no one on the ship is responsible for enforcing the rule. They expect parents to do the right thing. Maybe every time anyone sees a diapered baby in a cruise line pool it should be reported to the CCD or whoever monitors this. I think it is very unhealthy that the cruise lines don't follow this regulation.

[Ex techie]

I just returned from a Princess cruise my third with Princess and 2 out of the 3 had a diapered baby in the pool. Both times I asked a crew member about the policy. The first time I was told he was sure it was a very clean baby and the second time I was told no one on the ship is responsible for enforcing the rule. They expect parents to do the right thing. Maybe every time anyone sees a diapered baby in a cruise line pool it should be reported to the CCD or whoever monitors this. I think it is very unhealthy that the cruise lines don't follow this regulation.

 

I agree!

 

ex techie

[e2011]

Can you handle the truth? From a Board Certified Urologist: Swimming in any public pool can lead to UTI or worse. Hot tubs multiply that risk by a factor of 10. And the amount of sanitizer needed to truly cleanse a fully packed cruise ship pool would cause chemical burns on peoples skin so they do the best they can. And 8 times out of 10 its ok.

 

We never use hot tubs and only use pools first thing in the morning if it was drained the night before and refilled with new water. There are some adults that urinate in pools, especially after consuming too much alcohol. But worse are the adults who do not keep themselves clean in the bottom region. That is where the worse bacteria come from. Use the pool at your own risk!

[lorddunlow]

Can you handle the truth? From a Board Certified Urologist: Swimming in any public pool can lead to UTI or worse. Hot tubs multiply that risk by a factor of 10. And the amount of sanitizer needed to truly cleanse a fully packed cruise ship pool would cause chemical burns on peoples skin so they do the best they can. And 8 times out of 10 its ok.

 

We never use hot tubs and only use pools first thing in the morning if it was drained the night before and refilled with new water. There are some adults that urinate in pools, especially after consuming too much alcohol. But worse are the adults who do not keep themselves clean in the bottom region. That is where the worse bacteria come from. Use the pool at your own risk!

That is a myth. http://www.wakehealth.edu/Urology/Pediatric/UTIs-in-Children.htm

 

[moki'smommy]

What makes a board certified urologist an expert on either public health or swimming pools?

 

I agree that he/she may be an expert on UTIs (although most of those do not result in referral to a urologist!), but being an expert on treating UTIs does not prove where the infection came from or even require knowing where it came from. To assume bacterial migration from a swimming pool to the bladder is a bit of a stretch. Yes, we know that some migration can occur with certain physical activities involving that region, but that does not prove or disprove any association with pools.

 

Most people have small breaks in their skin--scratches, etc. I would certainly expect a skin infection from a contaminated pool before a UTI.

Edited February 25, 2016 by moki'smommy

[chengkp75]

What makes a board certified urologist an expert on either public health or swimming pools?

 

I agree that he/she may be an expert on UTIs (although most of those do not result in referral to a urologist!)' date=' but being an expert on treating UTIs does not prove where the infection came from or even require knowing where it came from. To assume bacterial migration from a swimming pool to the bladder is a bit of a stretch. Yes, we know that some migration can occur with certain physical activities involving that region, but that does not prove or disprove any association with pools.

 

Most people have small breaks in their skin--scratches, etc. I would certainly expect a skin infection from a contaminated pool before a UTI.[/quote']

 

While I agree with you about the urologist, bear in mind that the USPH, a division of the world renowned CDC, are public health and epidemiology experts, and they set the standards for cruise ship swimming pool sanitation. This is why the ships maintain a higher chlorine content than most shoreside pools, and the monitoring and dosing of chlorine is continuous, 24/7, not periodic testing and dosing like shoreside pools.

 

And, the "infant only recreational water facilities" (the splash pools that allow swim diapers) are completely separate from any other pool's water supply, and must meet different design criteria. First, the water "turn over" rate is increased, meaning the water is filtered and monitored/dosed with chlorine more frequently than the regular pool. Second, all the water that is recirculated must go through an ultra-violet light sterilizer as well as being chlorinated. Should either the chlorination system or the UV sterilizer fail, the water pump must shut down, and the splash area will drain. Again, these are the standards set by the USPH for these kinds of pools.

[e2011]

I am offering information that my friend who is a urologist gave me. I got a UTI from a hot tub on a cruise ship a couple years back and this led to the conversation with my doc about pools and hot tubs. I am simply passing along what he told me. For every study there is a counter study in medicine. One year coffee is good for you and the next is is not. I can only judge on my personal experience. Make your own decisions as you will.

Edited February 25, 2016 by e2011

[lorddunlow]

I am simply offering information that my friend who is a urologist gave me. I got a UTI from a hot tub on a cruise ship a couple years back and this led to the conversation with my doc about pools and hot tubs. I am simply passing along what he told me. For every study there is a counter study in medicine. One year coffee is good for you and the next is is not. I can only judge on my personal experience. Make your own decisions as you will.

I can find no studies implicating pools with UTIs. It is a myth.

[e2011]

That is a myth. http://www.wakehealth.edu/Urology/Pediatric/UTIs-in-Children.htm

 

 

This study seems to be the opposite of that study:

 

http://www.science.tamu.edu/news/story.php?story_ID=493#.Vs8DJcdE_yd

 

To get some idea of how much bacteria are in whirlpool tub pipes, Moyes says that a normal teaspoon of tap water contains an average of about 138 bacteria, with many samples not having any bacteria at all. But the same teaspoon of whirlpool tub water contains an average of more than 2.17 million bacteria.

 

"The stagnant water in a whirlpool bathtub pipe is a great place for bacteria to grow and grow," Moyes says.

 

She adds that such harmful bacteria can lead to numerous diseases, among them urinary tract infections, septicemia, pneumonia and several types of skin infections. Because of the aerosol mist created by the whirlpool action, microbes are forced into the lungs or open cuts, she explains. One type of bacteria, L. pneumophila, can cause Legionnaires Disease, of which 90 percent of all cases can be traced back to bacteria developed from a warm environment.

Edited February 25, 2016 by e2011

[e2011]

I can find no studies implicating pools with UTIs. It is a myth.

 

You didn;t Google very hard. Let me help you...

 

http://www.science.tamu.edu/news/story.php?story_ID=493#.Vs8DJcdE_yd

[lorddunlow]

You didn;t Google very hard. Let me help you...

 

http://www.science.tamu.edu/news/story.php?story_ID=493#.Vs8DJcdE_yd

Umm.. That's a 10 year old news article. Not a study. Neither was mine, but it is the current page from a healthcare system.

 

There is no current research implicating pools with UTIs. It is a myth.

[chengkp75]

This study seems to be the opposite of that study:

 

http://www.science.tamu.edu/news/story.php?story_ID=493#.Vs8DJcdE_yd

 

To get some idea of how much bacteria are in whirlpool tub pipes, Moyes says that a normal teaspoon of tap water contains an average of about 138 bacteria, with many samples not having any bacteria at all. But the same teaspoon of whirlpool tub water contains an average of more than 2.17 million bacteria.

 

"The stagnant water in a whirlpool bathtub pipe is a great place for bacteria to grow and grow," Moyes says.

 

She adds that such harmful bacteria can lead to numerous diseases, among them urinary tract infections, septicemia, pneumonia and several types of skin infections. Because of the aerosol mist created by the whirlpool action, microbes are forced into the lungs or open cuts, she explains. One type of bacteria, L. pneumophila, can cause Legionnaires Disease, of which 90 percent of all cases can be traced back to bacteria developed from a warm environment.

 

While the study may reflect the majority of hot tubs, which are privately owned and operated, and shoreside, so not regulated, I would disagree that it applies to shipboard tubs. First off, there is no stagnant water in the ship's tubs, since the circulation pumps run all the time. Also, the ship's hot tubs are maintained at a higher chlorine content than private or even public shoreside tubs, at 8-10ppm, again on a continuous monitoring and dosing system.

 

And while I agree that aerosolizing bacteria contaminated water is not good, this is why the air jets on ship's hot tubs were all disconnected years ago. In this vein, shower heads are a significant source of legionella, as the little bit of water that remains in the shower head when done, breeds the bacteria, and it is then aerosolized by the shower head. Cruise ships remove every shower head monthly, and sanitize them in 100ppm bleach solutions. Do you do this at home?

[happy_traveller]

We are having a Koi pond and childeren in diapers are not allowed to touch the water with there hands because of infection even my one grandchulderen we don't want to have them in the neighbourhood of the pond because off the possibility of bacteria

 

 

Verzonden vanaf mijn iPad met behulp van Tapatalk

[e2011]

Umm.. That's a 10 year old news article. Not a study. Neither was mine, but it is the current page from a healthcare system.

 

There is no current research implicating pools with UTIs. It is a myth.

 

I have learned never try to change anyones opinion on internet forums. For you its a myth.

[lorddunlow]

I have learned never try to change anyones opinion on internet forums. For you its a myth.

As a physician, I can tell you that the current research says it is a myth. You countered only with a 10 year old article.

[e2011]

While the study may reflect the majority of hot tubs, which are privately owned and operated, and shoreside, so not regulated, I would disagree that it applies to shipboard tubs. First off, there is no stagnant water in the ship's tubs, since the circulation pumps run all the time. Also, the ship's hot tubs are maintained at a higher chlorine content than private or even public shoreside tubs, at 8-10ppm, again on a continuous monitoring and dosing system.

 

And while I agree that aerosolizing bacteria contaminated water is not good, this is why the air jets on ship's hot tubs were all disconnected years ago. In this vein, shower heads are a significant source of legionella, as the little bit of water that remains in the shower head when done, breeds the bacteria, and it is then aerosolized by the shower head. Cruise ships remove every shower head monthly, and sanitize them in 100ppm bleach solutions. Do you do this at home?

 

I would have to see evidence that cruise lines take off the shower heads every month in every cabin and sanitize them. I don't believe it for a minute. However I am not discrediting your thoughts about the water. But I am not going in so its really a moot point for me. One UTI was enough. Lesson learned.

Edited February 25, 2016 by e2011

[e2011]

As a physician, I can tell you that the current research says it is a myth. You countered only with a 10 year old article.

 

I dont believe you are a physician. Its a myth.

[lorddunlow]

I dont believe you are a physician. Its a myth.

Obviously, you are the one who has their mind set. Show me a recent study, and I'll look at it.

[e2011]

Obviously, you are the one who has their mind set. Show me a recent study, and I'll look at it.

 

Try google search for UTI from hot tub. 111,000 results. Certainly one must be current. Knock yourself out. For me, no public hot tubs. Pools only in the morning.

Edited February 25, 2016 by e2011

[chengkp75]

I would have to see evidence that cruise lines take off the shower heads every month in every cabin and sanitize them. I don't believe it for a minute. However I am not discrediting your thoughts about the water. But I am not going in so its really a moot point for me. One UTI was enough. Lesson learned.

 

It is a requirement that this be logged, by individual cabin (including crew cabins and public showers) and presented to the USPH inspectors when they make their inspections. The USPH inspectors can, and do, remove random shower heads if they suspect the sanitizing has not been done. And I do apologize, I went back and looked at the USPH VSP requirements, and it is every 6 months for shower heads.

[moki'smommy]

While I agree with you about the urologist, bear in mind that the USPH, a division of the world renowned CDC, are public health and epidemiology experts, and they set the standards for cruise ship swimming pool sanitation. This is why the ships maintain a higher chlorine content than most shoreside pools, and the monitoring and dosing of chlorine is continuous, 24/7, not periodic testing and dosing like shoreside pools.

 

 

No dispute with this at all. Certainly the US Public Health service has many experts in public health. These ARE the people who do the studies and should be setting the regulations.

 

My point was that a single urologist with no supporting data of scientific studies is not an expert.

[cb at sea]

Even if nothing "falls out" of the diaper, the water from the pool is being filtered through whatever is IN the diaper....so if a baby poops in the swim diaper, the bacteria IS getting into the pool water! A "swimmie diaper" is like a fecal teabag. That's why they're not allowed in the pools.

[e2011]

Even if nothing "falls out" of the diaper, the water from the pool is being filtered through whatever is IN the diaper....so if a baby poops in the swim diaper, the bacteria IS getting into the pool water! A "swimmie diaper" is like a fecal teabag. That's why they're not allowed in the pools.

 

LOL..."fecal teabag" summarizes why I would only let my kids swim first thing in the morning after in the freshly changed water.