Friday, August 1, 2008

Why you shouldn't eat right before swimming...

You've heard it said that you shouldn't swim right after you eat. Do you usually listen to this advice? I don't. Well, maybe I will take that a little more seriously now. I have a 2 year old nephew that has been learning to swim this Summer. He is doing great but still seems to swallow a lot of water in the process.
Normally, this is not a big deal. You know, just extra wet diapers the rest of the day and some big time burps.
But, there is a small issue when we do some swimming lessons right after eating. Last night, we decided that it had been about 30 minutes since he ate and we were gonna give it a try. Ummm... you see where this is going, don't you? That's right, after only a couple of minutes, he came up to float on his back and as he got above the water (on his back), he released the floodgates. Because he was laying on his back, I grabbed him quickly and turned him over.
What a way to end a swimming lesson. After all the vomit that has been seen these last couple weeks, this was just the addition we needed.
So, THAT'S why they say not to go swimming right after you eat. I've always wondered.

9 comments:

Linda said...

I always got the heebee jeebies when one of the kids in my son's lessons would let out that "I'm gonna puke" belch....They'd close the entire kiddie pool down if one kid puked in it...

Luckily, my son finally learned to keep his mouth shut underwater. Now, all I have to do is keep him from trying to DRINK the pool water....ewwwwww!

Kelly said...

Gross! I thought it was because you might get stomach cramps and not be able to swim. Didn't even think of any alternatives!

Anonymous said...

Poor little guy. Thank goodness he has a quick reacting aunt.

Mom Knows Everything said...

I always thought it was because of a stomach crap that you shouldn't go swimming. The puking sounds a lot worse!

Amy said...

Makes more sense than "you're gonna get a cramp and drown".

Kelly said...

Oh my... when my kids asked me today if they could go swimming after lunch, I immediately had a flashback to your blog and said, "you have to wait for 30min." They looked at me like I had three heads, but... :o)

Living Frugal & Loving It said...

Just an FYI- if your nephew seriously swallows a LOT of water, it can be VERY dangerous. We had a local boy die of "secondary drowning" this summer. Basically, he swallowed a bunch of water at the city pool, but nothing to be alarmed about. The water stayed in his lungs and he died in his sleep that night. I guess it's not that uncommon but I had never heard of it. Not trying to bring down your funny post, I'm just scared to death of this happening.

Cassie - Homeschooling Four said...

Living Frugal,

Thank you for the concern. I actually have become familiar with that condition. There are three main signs to watch for when it comes to dry drowning. They are persistent coughing, shortness of breath and pain in the chest. You also should be aware of extreme lethargy or extreme change in behavior.
There is always a fine line when it comes to swimming. Because I live in Florida (and there are pools and bodies of water everywhere), I believe the danger in traditional drowning is so high that swimming lessons is a necessity.
Thank you for the reminder and caution. I will continue to be watching for things in that arena.

Jackie Sue said...

For what it's worth Cass, the ISR instructors ask us to not have our kids eat for 2 hours before lessons. Especially infants. I have had your experience and seen it numerous times...gross is the right word. Poor Ethan...although as soon as its over they feel so much better :)