Visiting a local wading pool is a fun, free way to spend a hot summer day with your little ones. But, even if the pool is chlorinated, there could be germs lurking in the water that can cause illnesses, such as E. coli or Giardia.

So, before you bust out your floaties and lather yourself in SPF 50, here are a few things you should know to keep your kids healthy and stop the spread of illness when visiting a local wading pool.

1. 1. Wash before you wade. Did you know, on average, people have 0.14 grams of feces on their bottoms at any given time? A pre-pool detour to use the toilet and to wash up helps avoid accidents and lower the chance that the pool will become contaminated.
   2. Bathroom breaks are key. To avoid accidents, take a break from all the fun every 60 minutes to use the restroom and check diapers every 30 to 60 minutes.
   3. Bundle those baby buns. All pre-potty-trained children must wear swim diapers or tight fitting plastic pants to help avoid leaks.
   4.  Don’t drink the water (see the data in point #1). Babies and toddlers are at increased risk of getting sick from contaminated water (and notoriously hard to communicate with), so watch out to make sure they are not drinking from the pool.
   5. Take a sick day. If you or your child is sick and have experienced diarrhea or vomiting in the last two weeks, state regulations require that you wait to wade so your illness isn’t spread to others.

Learn more about water hygiene and spray parks here.

Originally posted July 19, 2018