Swimming healthy tips:

You Can Choose to Swim Healthy!

Healthy Swimming behaviors are needed to protect you and your kids from RWIs and will help stop germs from getting in the pool in the first place.

Here are six "PLEAs" that promote Healthy Swimming:
 

            Three "Pleas" for All Swimmers

This is perhaps the most important aspect is maintaining a healthy environment. You work hard to prevent and protect against accidents and such, and you should do the same for germs. A number of organizations (including the Kansas City Channel, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) promote the following “Six PLEAs for Healthy Swimming.”

Three "PLEAs" for All Swimmers

Practice these three "PLEAs" to stop germs from causing illness at the pool.

Please don't swim when you have diarrhea. This is especially important for kids in diapers. You can spread germs into the water and make other people sick.

Please don't swallow the pool water. In fact, avoid getting water in your mouth.

Please practice good hygiene. Take a shower before swimming and wash your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers. Germs on your body end up in the water.

Three "PLEAs" for Parents of Young Kids

Follow these three "PLEAs" to keep germs out of the pool and your community:

Please take your kids on bathroom breaks or check diapers often. Waiting to hear "I have to go" may mean that it's too late.

Please change diapers in a bathroom and not at poolside. Germs can spread to surfaces and objects in and around the pool and spread illness.

Please wash your child thoroughly (especially the rear end) with soap and water before swimming. Everyone has invisible amounts of fecal matter on their bottoms that ends up in the pool.