Swim Lessons When Your Child Is Sick: Show Up or Stay Home?

Little ones tend to pick up illnesses easily, as their immune systems haven’t fully developed yet. When your little one does get sick, deciding whether or not they should go out – especially to swim lessons – can be a bit challenging. You don’t want to interrupt their progress, but you also want to take the best care of them possible. And you don’t want to be responsible for getting other kids sick.

Though there are no set-in-stone rules to follow, the guidelines below will provide you with a basic roadmap for deciding whether you should attend swim lessons during sickness.

Colds Can Be Tricky

Colds are such a normal part of life that most people get through them without trouble. The first few days of a cold can be exhausting, with noses that act like a steadily dripping faucet and coughs that just won’t quit. At this point, it’s usually best to stay at home, as your child probably won’t feel up to lessons, anyway.

After the first several days, however, the symptoms will start to clear up and won’t take such a toll on your child. As long as they feel good, returning to class is typically okay. However, it’s still a good idea to avoid direct contact with other kids until the cold has completely cleared.

You Should Come to Class With Allergies – Usually

Seasonal allergies typically create nothing more than stuffy noses and sore throats. As long as these are the only symptoms and your child feels fine, swim lessons should be fine.

Stay Home With Fevers

Fevers are a sign that the body is fighting off some type of infection or illness – often a highly contagious one. When a fever is present, whatever the body is trying to fight can typically be spread through respiratory droplets. And even if there’s nothing contagious going on, fevers can wipe out the body’s energy. Therefore, it’s always best to keep little ones home when they’re running a fever.

Skip Class for Digestive or Contagious Illnesses

Very small amounts of diarrhea can hang out on the human body, even when you’ve cleaned well, as the CDC relates. Those small amounts can easily enter the water and spread to other children. If your child has diarrhea, is vomiting, or has a highly contagious condition like pinkeye, keep them home until they’re better.

Ask Your Pediatrician

If you’re ever in doubt, it’s a good idea to reach out to your pediatrician. He or she can provide the best guidance according to the symptoms your child is displaying.

We’re Committed to Health and Safety

At Little Flippers Swim School, we take the health and safety of all our swimmers and team members seriously. We utilize an advanced UV water purification system in our pools to kill germs and viruses without high doses of chemical treatments. Pool chemicals are checked regularly both electronically and manually, and the decks are cleaned and disinfected regularly.

We also appreciate you working with us to keep everyone healthy. If you need to miss classes due to illness, please give us a call. We’re happy to work with you to ensure your child can continue advancing as soon as he or she is up to it.