(MayoClinic.com) Is it OK for your diaper-clad toddler to splash in the local pool? Can your child safely wear a cast or ear tubes in the water? Could bacteria lurking in the pool or lake make your little one sick? Before you help your child suit up — or decide to skip the water altogether — here are some practical children's swimming tips from Jay Hoecker, M.D., a pediatrics specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Various types of diapers are designed for underwater use. They're water-repellent and fit snugly around a child's thighs and waist. But they're not waterproof. If your child has a bowel movement in the water, fecal material may escape the diaper. A dirty diaper may contain diarrhea-causing germs, including the parasite cryptosporidium — which can contaminate pool water or other swimming areas. In otherwise healthy people, a cryptosporidium infection causes upset stomach and diarrhea. The consequences can be more severe for people who have weak immune systems.

Urine in the water is less risky than feces, but it's difficult to separate the two when children wear diapers. I generally discourage parents from allowing children in diapers to enter pools or other swimming areas.

If your child has a water-safe cast — made of fiberglass and lined with a water-repellent material — it's usually OK to swim, as long as you have the doctor's OK. But if your child has a plaster cast over cloth wrapping, he or she must stay out of the water. Trying to protect a plaster cast with plastic bags generally doesn't work.

If your child has ear tubes — tiny cylinders placed through the eardrum to drain fluid and allow air into the middle ear — ask his or her doctor about ear protection for swimming. Some doctors recommend that children who have ear tubes wear earplugs while swimming to prevent bacteria from entering the middle ear. However, routine use of earplugs may only be needed when children dive or swim in untreated water, such as lakes and rivers.

Swimmer's ear is an infection that's often treated with prescription eardrops. To prevent swimmer's ear:

• Encourage your child to wear earplugs while swimming
• Dry your child's ears after swimming with a towel or hair dryer
• Use alcohol-based eardrops to clear water from your child's ear
• Don't use cotton swabs in your child's ears, which can scratch the ear canal and provide a perfect infection site
• Don't allow your child to swim in polluted water

Red or puffy eyes after a long day of swimming in a pool may indicate chlorine sensitivity. Ponds and lakes also may contain bacteria that can inflame the cornea. To prevent red or puffy eyes, have your child wear goggles. To ease discomfort and reduce redness after swimming, rinse your child's eyes with a sterile eyewash or an artificial tears solution.

Your child is bound to take a few gulps of pool water at one time or another, especially when first learning to swim. A little swallowed pool water isn't cause for concern, but drinking too much pool water can make a child ill.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting to enroll children in swimming lessons until after age 4, since younger children may not be developmentally ready to learn to swim. If you want to put your infant or toddler in a swimming program, choose one that doesn't require placing his or her head underwater. This will limit the amount of water your child may swallow.

It's fine for children who have colds or other minor illnesses to swim, as long as they feel well enough to do so. Likewise, it's OK for children to swim with cuts and scrapes — as long as the wounds aren't bleeding.

It's OK to swim immediately after a light meal or snack. If your child feels lethargic after eating a heavy meal, encourage him or her to take a break before swimming.

Children can quickly become overheated in a hot tub. Don't let your child use a hot tub until he or she is tall enough to keep his or her head above water while standing in the middle of the hot tub. Even then, hot tub visits should be brief — and never allow your child to submerge his or her head in a hot tub. Because high temperatures encourage the growth of certain microorganisms, an earful of water from a hot tub can lead to an external ear infection. Far worse, long hair can get caught in a hot tub grate and cause drowning.

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