Went Swimming and a question

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Last night, the wife talked me into going with her and the kids to the public indoor pool,a weekly event for them.  
 Actually had a lot of needed fun with the kids in the kids pool,even managed to swim a few laps.  The down falls, lots of chlorine OMG, I still stink.  Took a shower when I got home should have done it there,I took another shower this morning, but I can still smell it on me.  Nasty!! I really wish we could have and afford to put a pool in but living in Washington just cant see it.  That and my wife owns and runs a licensed child care out of our house, I am sure the state would have a field day with that, we had a 2" mud puddle behind our house and they made me create a drainage for it in fear a child may wander behind our house and drown.

 Anyway

 One question for you all, my son 7 has really dry skin and the chlorine just drys him out and turns him a bit red. The wife wants to put some Vaseline on him before they go, I told her that would be a big no no?  Is there anything she could do for him prior to going in??  I cant really think of anything that would work. Maybe waterproof sunblock it really just affects his face and legs more than anything.

 Thoughts??  

[soak-king]

Sorry, couldn't resist  

[Steve]

That's a tough one...

A couple things come to mind;

Ask them to test the water while you're standing there. I think anyone who wants the test (and understands them) has a right to know. Public pools have to meet strict guidelines for water safety and keep readings in a specific range. Take a look at the chl and pH readings. If it's sky high, tell them and speak to the person in charge of the water chemistry!

Secondly, explore if there is a salt water pool in your area. That would be easier on his skin.

The key would be to treat his skin AFTER the swim as opposed to before. Talk to your doctor for the best product for his skin type.

Great picture BTW soak-king!  

Steve

[Jacuzzi Jim]

 Thanks for the info and I had thought about doing that same thing(testing), maybe I should bring my own kit next time, not sure what they would do about it though?

 Their is only one public pool in the area, their are a few athletic clubs that have them but we'd have to join to use them.   Probably are the same chem wise anyway.


  And yes soak-king that got a laugh from me!!!  

[soak-king]

Glad it made you laugh Jim, dealing with kids can be nerve racking...so they tell me.

by the way, here's the same kid a few years later.  

[Vanguard]

One thing to keep in mind is when you smell chlorine that bad, that means you have high chloramine levels.  Chloramines are what really make the water smell.  So, based on that, you can guess the water is somewhat out of balance.  Public pools are a night mare to take care of.

Be sure to have your son shower immediately after getting out in nice warm water.  Then, use whatever treatment your doctor recommends.

[Bonibelle]

Jim, I doubt that you can help manage the water enough to make a difference for your son, but I think you will get great results for your son's problem if you make sure he washes right after swimming and uses Aveeno lotion. Actually apply the lotion while his skin is still damp and warm. I swear by Aveeno because it helped my son when even prescription lotion wouldn't work. They have different formulations. It isn't cheap, but it really works. They even make a shower product.

Let me know if it helps.

[TubsAndCues]

That's a tough one...


Secondly, explore if there is a salt water pool in your area. That would be easier on his skin.


Steve

A salt water pool is still a chlorine pool.  I don't think you'll find it's any easier on his skin, unless it's something like Bio Guard's Mineral Springs system which has borates and other stuff added into it.

Can't imagine a commercial pool would spend the money for Mineral Springs though.