Swimming has a number of advantages. It boosts confidence, helps in developing leadership quality and at the same time, swimming can build team spirit as well as accommodating capabilities. Apart from these, if you want your child to have a strong resistance power, this is one exercise that can ensure you a good health for the long run. However, you cannot stop your child from catching cold or having fever. These are natural health issues and your child will experience them all, no matter how protective you are. But what swimming can do is prevent the regular occurrence and curtail its long term impact.
Now the question is – should you send your child to pool if he or she is having cold and cough?
If your child is in love with water, it may be difficult for you to keep him or her away from swimming pool. But it is important to give a pause, in case the child is having excessive cold and cough problem. As a parent you need to analyze the symptoms of sickness your kid is experiencing and then take up the decision of not sending him or her to pool.
Stuffed-up and runny nose, watery eyes, sore throat, coughing, sneezing are some of symptoms of common cold. You can allow your child to swim, but it is important to understand the severity. Moreover, you need to check the workout sessions and stay alert because you would never want others in the pool to get affected because of your son or daughter bad health.
Here are some steps your children can follow, if they want to swim at Katy or anywhere else with cold and cough
- Do not allow your child to go for swimming practice if you find he or she is having congested chest or in a state of wheezing. Moreover, if they are also suffering from body aches, upset stomach or fatigue, keeping them away from pool is obligatory.
- Talk to your children and find out whether there are any symptoms above the neck. It is safe to practice on such a situation; but you need to ease up the workout by reducing span of the practice. The chance of increasing the intensity of coldness decreases if you shorten the swimming duration.
- Many of the parents are not aware of the fact that swimming can alleviate the symptoms of a cold. The moisture and the air help to clear the nasal passages allowing mucus to drain out and assist in easy breathing. Swimming can help to get back strength as it brings blood to muscles.
- There are times, when children are found experiencing cold only when they are out for practice. This is only because of allergy due to chlorine or bromine, which is used to treat pool water. Sneezing, runny nose and a cough are some of the common features that your child may undergo. You cannot stop the pool authorities to treat water with these chemicals because it is the usual decorum; but you can always take your child to a doctor and take necessary precaution. Your son or daughter can wear nose clip or take an antihistamine while swimming.
- Most importantly, if you are allowing your child to swim with cold, it is your responsibility not to let the germ spread among other swimmers. Do not let others use your child’s water bottles or towels. Get rid of chlorine from their body by washing them carefully.
When to swim and when not to, totally depends on the health of your child. Encourage them to learn hygiene concerning swimming and try to convince them to rest for a while. If possible, select a place in the pool not surrounded by too many swimmers and make sure the water is comfortable.
If you still have any queries, consult the doctor of your child and decide whether he or she will be allowed to swim with cold and cough. Chest congestion is not unusual, but if this aggravates to something more serious, do not allow them swim. So, finally, it is your supervision and the health situation of your children that will determine whether they should be allowed to swim or not.