No matter if you’re enjoying a rented hot tub with friends on a lazy Sunday afternoon, or your family is lucky enough to have access to this sought-after spa system in your holiday home, a hot tub is something the whole family can enjoy.

Indeed, in most cases, your children are far more likely to find your hot tub an exciting and adventurous treat than you, being entranced by the bubbles produced via the rolling water and finding ways to splash their sibling using any one of the myriad jets around the bowl’s edge.

However, as much fun as a family spa session can be, they’re not suitable for children of all ages, and even older kids should be supervised when indulging in such an experience for the first time.

In most cases, it’s best to be sensible and treat children using hot tubs as you would taking your children swimming. But if you’re looking for some specifics around children and hot tubs, then here’s everything you need to know about safety for children in hot tubs and hot tub age restrictions in the UK.

What age can a child go in a hot tub?

While there are no official hot tub age restrictions in the UK, the general consensus among health officials is that children should not go in any hot tub if they are below the age of five.

This is because children’s bodies are not yet able to properly regulate their body temperature, meaning they’ll get dehydrated quickly and could suffer from heat stroke without realising it.

On top of this, hot tub water, while not scalding hot for adults, has the potential to burn the skin of young children, which is thinner and more sensitive to temperature changes and impacts.

Can babies go in hot tubs?

Seen as children below the age of five should not be going in hot tubs, it should come as no surprise that it is also strongly recommended that babies are not exposed to this warm environment either – similarly to how pregnant women should avoid bathing a hot tub if at all possible.

Much like younger children, studies show that babies are far more susceptible to the effects of hot tub exposure, including being irritated by sanitiser chemicals (even when your hot tub pH levels are properly balanced) and potentially contracting waterborne illnesses should hot tub water be ingested, due to their developing immune systems.

What is the ideal temperature for children in hot tubs

Although recommended hot tub age restrictions in the UK settle on five and above being the minimum age at which a child can first enter a hot tub, that’s not to say that it is entirely suitable for them to do so.

For example, high temperatures can still have a sizable impact on children over five, so if you do intend on letting them enter a hot tub at this age, then the ideal hot tub temperature is 35 degrees or below, with soaking times kept to 10 minutes at most.

Tips for keeping an eye on children in hot tubs

Okay, now that we covered the main questions around children and hot tubs, what are some of the things you can be doing to ensure your child is safe when using a hot tub for the first time or at a young age?

Below are our top tips for supervising children in hot tubs:

  1. No children under 5 – not to reiterate our main point, but it goes without saying that no children under the age of five should be allowed in a hot tub, even with adult supervision.
  2. Supervise your hot tub at all times – and speaking of supervision, unless your children are in their teens, you should ideally not let any children use your hot tub unsupervised. That way, you can avoid any unexpected accidents and stop any curious kids from trying the hot tub water.
  3. Make your tub comfortable – in addition to being present when your children are using your hot tub, you also want to make sure that it’s been set up to be safe during use. For example, this means checking that your shortest child can safely stand at the lowest part of the hot tub while still having their head above water, as well as introducing booster seats and armbands so they can sit down or float comfortably.
  4. Stick to short soak times – as we’ve previously highlighted, it’s best to keep to shorter soak times if young children are using a hot tub, with 10-15 minutes per soak being more than enough before they need to exit the water.
  5. Keep the temperature low – again, as stated before, aim to keep your hot tub temperature to 35 degrees or lower if children are using it to avoid accidental burns.
  6. Have drinks ready – when your children do exit the hot tub, make sure that you have some refreshing drinks ready for them so that they can rehydrate quickly.
  7. Help your children exit – particularly relevant for young children, it’s always best to help kids exit and enter a hot tub for safety purposes, rather than letting them dive in or jump out and potentially hurt themselves.
  8. Keep your tub secure – finally, when not in use, it’s always a good idea to lock your hot tub up with a secure cover and hide away hot tub chemicals so that children can’t access them.

Can children go in hot tubs over winter?

Yes, there is nothing wrong with children of a suitable age using a hot tub over the colder months. However, you should take additional precautions around this to minimise exposure times.

Case and point, make sure your children have a warm hat on that they don’t mind getting wet so that their head stays warm, and make sure you have dry towels and clothes close to hand when they step out so they can immediately wrap up warm.

Find your family hot tub today

And there you have it; hopefully, you should now have a much better idea of whether or not it’s safe for your child to use a hot tub, and at what age your younger children can join their older siblings for a splash.

Of course, if you want a colder at-home spa system that your children can use when younger without concern, then you might want to consider investing in a swim spa. Filled with cooler water, it’s the perfect place for kids to enjoy water play and practice their swimming from the comfort of their own home.

Either way, if you’re interested in installing a spa system in your home, then why not get in touch with the Platinum Spas team today to find out more, or book a visit to your nearest showroom to see our products in person? Don’t forget to visit our hot tub owners’ blog as well for more pieces around safe hot tub maintenance and use.

Jamie Smith
Latest posts by Jamie Smith (see all)

Other Articles

How much chlorine to add to a hot tub

3 October 2024

If there’s one thing that hot tubs are known for, it’s their soothing and relaxing nature. After all, few things can really compare to sitting back in a warm, bubbling …

Read More