Since the introduction of “Little Swimmers” by Kimberly Clark, parents are inclined to believe that it is okay to swim with their baby in the pool; after all, he/she is wearing a disposable diaper. The only problem is that diapers are designed to absorb and retain liquids, an impossible task when underwater. There are very few things that are more enjoyable for a baby (and for that matter, for the parents too) than playing with parents in the pool, especially on a hot summer day. Unfortunately, diapers are not designed to contain liquids while they are submerged in water. Because of this reason, the risk of water contamination is huge, especially if you are planning to swim in a large public swimming pool. The only advantage of “Little Swimmers” or similar products is that they do not contain any SAP, so you will not end up finding SAP gel floating in the pool. However, the problem is not finding SAP in the pool or whether SAP is toxic; the real problem is water contamination. The risk of getting an infection is far greater from feces than by ingesting residual amounts of SAP. I was recently told of a particularly embarrassing situation (as a matter of fact, I am not even sure if it is all true or if it has been exaggerated), the final result of which, according to the hotel manager who told me about the situation, was the need to remove and refill 150,000 liters of water – a two-year-old baby wearing a diaper had decided to “use it” when his father was jumping him up and down (I call it “the melting log” syndrome). He told me that they tried to get the stuff out of the pool, but it just dissolved in front of everybody, making the situation even worse. When the temperature of the water is cool, I believe the probability of such an event happening is quite low, as human nature is to contract the sphincter; however, when the water is warm, as it was in this particular case, anything is possible. So, be careful when you mix a warm water pool with a baby. You may be laughing now, but it was not so funny for the people who were using the same pool in the hotel – they all had to get out of the pool. Please play all you can with your baby and also teach your baby how to swim (a very important lesson for a lifetime), but please do it in a small private pool, not in a large public swimming pool. Many hotels now offer a small pool with an independent filtering system; that would be okay. Do not do unto others what you would not like done unto you. (“El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz”… Benito Juárez, former Mexican President, 1872)