Baby outside

My daughter will be 3 months old on the 3rd. Of course now it is summer and
we will be wanting to go to the beach and out by the pool. This is my
first baby and have heard different advice from all kinds of people.
Should I take her in the water this summer? I know she shouldn't stay long
and I should use plenty of sunscreen, but how long is to long? Also, would
she be okay to rest in the shade?

"libbymom04" wrote in message
lkaboutparenting.com...
My daughter will be 3 months old on the 3rd. Of course now it is summer
and
we will be wanting to go to the beach and out by the pool. This is my
first baby and have heard different advice from all kinds of people.
Should I take her in the water this summer?

I would.

I know she shouldn't stay long
and I should use plenty of sunscreen, but how long is to long?

I would think you know your baby and can gauge that on her looks (too red)
and behaviour (crabby).

Also, would
she be okay to rest in the shade?

Sure. I see plenty of sleeping babies at the beach and pool, in the shade.
I intend to take mine if I'm feeling up to it.

Sophie
#4 due July 7, 2004

libbymom04 wrote:

Should I take her in the water this summer?

If you want to :-)

I know she
shouldn't stay long and I should use plenty of sunscreen, but how
long is to long?

She'll let you know when it has been to long ;-) I'd try to find a shady
spot to swim if possible. I would certainly use sunscreen if you took her
in the water with no shade but don't go crazy with it at this young age.
Get her one of those cool little sun hats to keep her head and ears covered.
My dh is adamant about wearing sunglasses, which is always a chore with
kids. He says the sun reflects off the water and can damage your eyes. I
don't know if that is true or not, he's no ophthalmologist, lol.

Also, would she be okay to rest in the shade?

Sure. Watch so she doesn't over heat, especially if she is in something
like a carseat. If she is on a flat surface that is less likely. I've
seen cute little tent like things that pop open. That would work nicely for
her to be able to be down on the sand by you if it wasn't to hot out. It is
usually to windy where I am at so I never got one. That is the other thing
to watch for. Wind can make smaller babies pretty miserable IME. Here is
an example of one but this one is spendy. You can find them cheaper at
Wal-Mart and the like http://tinyurl.com/2p6zg

Have fun this summer

--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (5) and Luke (3)

I will disagree with the other posters here. I didn't take my DD out in the
sun until she was 6 mths old. I will say though, that we live in the AZ
desert and it gets VERY hot in the summer. The other reason is that there
are very few sunscreens that can be used on babies under 6 months so just be
aware of that if you do decide to take her out. I think it really depends
on how hot it gets where you are...
"libbymom04" wrote in message
lkaboutparenting.com...
My daughter will be 3 months old on the 3rd. Of course now it is summer
and
we will be wanting to go to the beach and out by the pool. This is my
first baby and have heard different advice from all kinds of people.
Should I take her in the water this summer? I know she shouldn't stay long
and I should use plenty of sunscreen, but how long is to long? Also, would
she be okay to rest in the shade?

"libbymom04" wrote in message
lkaboutparenting.com...
My daughter will be 3 months old on the 3rd. Of course now it is summer
and
we will be wanting to go to the beach and out by the pool. This is my
first baby and have heard different advice from all kinds of people.
Should I take her in the water this summer? I know she shouldn't stay long
and I should use plenty of sunscreen, but how long is to long? Also, would
she be okay to rest in the shade?

Hi Libby!

Water is *wonderful* for babies. I had Sarah in the local swimming pool at
about six weeks. I didn't want to put sunscreen on a baby that young, so I
just kept her in a cotton full-length onesie and a hat. She LOVED it. As
for how long is too long, that's entirely dependent on the baby. If she's
enjoying it, and you are keeping her covered up or in the shade, I don't see
that there is much of a time limit.

Best wishes,

Donna

Should I take her in the water this summer?

Absolutely, if she likes it.

I know she shouldn't stay long
and I should use plenty of sunscreen, but how long is to long?

What I have always done is put a hat and a t-shirt on the baby, so the area
that needs sunscreen is minimized. There is no "to long" time to be out if she
is protected, as long as both of you are still happy!

Also, would
she be okay to rest in the shade?

Sure! When I took bigger kids to the pool, I had the baby either nap on a
towel or in a car seat in the shade so I could spend time in the water with
them.

Leslie

The sun can definitely reflect off the water - when I'm swimming at the
beach I was surprised to get a bit red under my chin

Jo (RM)

Nikki wrote:
libbymom04 wrote:

Should I take her in the water this summer?

If you want to :-)

I know she
shouldn't stay long and I should use plenty of sunscreen, but how
long is to long?

She'll let you know when it has been to long ;-) I'd try to find a
shady spot to swim if possible. I would certainly use sunscreen if
you took her in the water with no shade but don't go crazy with it at
this young age. Get her one of those cool little sun hats to keep her
head and ears covered. My dh is adamant about wearing sunglasses,
which is always a chore with kids. He says the sun reflects off the
water and can damage your eyes. I don't know if that is true or not,
he's no ophthalmologist, lol.

Also, would she be okay to rest in the shade?

Sure. Watch so she doesn't over heat, especially if she is in
something like a carseat. If she is on a flat surface that is less
likely. I've seen cute little tent like things that pop open.
That would work nicely for her to be able to be down on the sand by
you if it wasn't to hot out. It is usually to windy where I am at so
I never got one. That is the other thing to watch for. Wind can
make smaller babies pretty miserable IME. Here is an example of one
but this one is spendy. You can find them cheaper at Wal-Mart and
the like http://tinyurl.com/2p6zg

Have fun this summer

"CY" wrote in message
news:3KIsc.21305$wa.14004@fed1read07...
I will disagree with the other posters here. I didn't take my DD out in
the
sun until she was 6 mths old. I will say though, that we live in the AZ
desert and it gets VERY hot in the summer. The other reason is that there
are very few sunscreens that can be used on babies under 6 months so just
be
aware of that if you do decide to take her out. I think it really depends
on how hot it gets where you are...


I had my daughter in Cuba, in a June. She was fine at the pool.

I personally dont like spending a lot of time out in sunny weather with my
babies OR kids. I have fair children, and being fair myself I sunburn in no
time. We do lather on the sunscreen but still manage to burn on occassion.

That being said, we have a pool and spend quite a bit of time out in that as
well as the beach. Just be careful, the water wont hurt her nor will resting
in the shade. In fact, some fresh air is good for her. But being in direct
sunlight on a hot day may not be the greatest thing. I'd limit the time you
spend in the sun if at all possible, keep her shaded, put a sunhat on her,
things like that. It's not recommended to put sunscreen on babies less than
6 mos but I'd ask your dr. if you're concerned because Im not sure WHY it's
not recommended. Also, make sure she gets plenty of breastmilk or bottles so
she doesn't get dehydrated while you're out.

Kari
mom to 3

libbymom04 wrote:
My daughter will be 3 months old on the 3rd. Of course now it is summer and
we will be wanting to go to the beach and out by the pool. This is my
first baby and have heard different advice from all kinds of people.
Should I take her in the water this summer? I know she shouldn't stay long
and I should use plenty of sunscreen, but how long is to long? Also, would
she be okay to rest in the shade?

The water is fine as long as it's clean and warm
enough (I think they recommend at least 80 degrees F if
she's going to be immersed for a significant amount of
time). Avoid the hours between 10am and 3pm when the
sun is at its most intense. Use plenty of sunscreen and
reapply frequently. You'll still need to limit the time
she's in the sun. You can spend more time outside if
she's in the shade, but even then she'll be getting
some sun, so keep up with the sunscreen and still be
cautious.

Best wishes,
Ericka