Back To School and Back To The Pool
Posted on 17th September 2013
Back to School and Back to the Pool!
September and October 2013 see the start of a brand new term across many UK Swim Schools – and we’ve spoken to some of the best out there!
Splash About set out to bring you the hottest information on what to expect in your baby/toddler swim class, including changes and introductions this term with features from Calmababy, Aquatots, Swimkidz,Funky Fish and Mini Swimmers. We’ll start with some advice of our own first shall we?
The benefits of Baby Swimming
There are many benefits to taking your little one swimming, aside from increased awareness of safety around water for both parent and child (which is obviously very important)
We’ve listed some of our favourites below.
Enhances bonding and relaxation for both parent and child – remember that a baby spends their first 9 months surrounded by water in the womb and it’s where they are most comfortable
Exercise for parent and child whilst having fun! - Swimming is the only exercise that works every muscle in your body; it improves cardiovascular condition, increases physical capacity and burns fat.
Health benefits - Swimming benefits children who suffer from asthma, even those who suffer from exercise-induced asthma. Spending time in the water can also help strengthen the heart, the lungs and the respiratory system
Improves sleeping and eating patterns - Exercise can make anyone tired and hungry; exercising multiple muscle groups when swimming in turn stimulates an appetite helping to establish a more regular routine
Research shows that babies who attend classes regularly are far better developed socially, mentally and physically – taking part helps a child to develop fitness, confidence, discipline and cognitive abilities, just as in other sports
What to take to baby swim class?
Splash About have been leading the way in baby and children’s swimwear products for the past 25 years. To celebrate our success we are offering some amazing discounts on our multi-buy products this term. One of our favourites being the ultimate Baby Swim Kit – Premium Pack:
The Basics – 95% of UK swim schools insist on a Happy Nappy
Splash About invented the neoprene reusable swim nappy (The Happy Nappy) about 10 years ago. Since then it has grown in reputation and is now insisted upon by most swim schools as a basic necessity for any swim class as it is the best product on the market for stopping any nasty accidents escaping into the pool, causing discomfort for you, the parent, and a loss of income to the swim class.
Double Bagging – Most swim schools insist on a double layered nappy for extra piece of mind for any particularly nasty accidents. This involves wearing a disposable or reusable nappy underneath your Happy Nappy.
For a greener more economical option, we’ve created our very own reusable Happy Nappy Swim System., which consists of a NappyWrap and Liner.
The liner is biodegradable and disposable. You place this inside your NappyWrap, which is machine washable and at the end of the lesson, simply discard the liner.
We get lots of feedback from gyms / hotels and leisure centres complaining of bins being filled with disposable nappies – this is us doing our bit to reduce that problem
Keeing Warm – in attempt to save money lots of pools are getting cooler
The Splash About BabyWrap is designed and proven to keep babies warmer in water for longer. Its open-flat design makes it easy to put on and take off and provides additional size flexibility. Made from 3mm thick neoprene, our wetsuit prevents the shock factor of changing room chills. In trials, babies wearing a BabyWrap stayed in the water 100% longer than they would’ve without.
Splash About prides itself on having the largest quality range of baby wetsuits on the market. Our innovative designs include a BabySnug, which has an inbuilt happy nappy and the WarmInOne for extra sensitive babies or chilly pools that has a fleece lining.
Out of the pool!
Antibacterial Changing Mat – The Splash About baby changing mat, provides a non slip, antibacterial comfortable surface to change your baby after your swim lesson.
Apres Splash Hooded Towel – Made from luxurious cotton, featuring Bamboo Charcoal to help block the spread of bacterial and fungal infections, our over size hooded towel is ideal for warming up and drying your little one after a fun filled class. Our Apres All In Ones are an ideal alternative, to save time in the changing room, dressing baby, as they act as towel / outfit, all in one (hence the name ha ha)
Here’s what the swim schools say:-
Calmababy – ‘helping you bond from pregnancy to preschool’
Splash About spoke to Sarah Collister and Dale Franklin (the lead swim teacher)
“Many swim schools close for the summer holidays, but here at Calmababy, we’ve still been running our classes and keeping very busy. It’s been great to see many older siblings, who are usually at school, be able to come and join in with our baby swim classes and seeing both parents come swimming if they have some time off work. We’re looking forward to welcoming some new faces as well as returning babies and children, and making everyone feel relaxed and accepted into their classes! We can’t wait to see how the children have developed their swimming skills while they have been away on holiday and hearing all their lovely stories.
Louise and baby Zack have already told us about their first holiday abroad and how amazed Louise was at Zack’s confidence in the water after his swim classes with Calmababy. Caz and Chloe (2 ½ years old) came back to us after their recent holiday with big smiles on their faces after the lovely compliments Chloe received when she showed off her diving skills and plenty of comments to her proud family on how confident and competent she was in the water!
With so many children at similar ages on holidays that tend to cling to parents and unable to move in their swimming aids, it’s always great to hear that our pupils stand out as confident little swimmers in just their cossies!
We’ve also been spending some time getting our vocal chords ready and learning some new songs to use within our classes, as well as creating some new exciting activities and bringing some new resources/toys/games to use in the pool!”
Calmababy offer classes right through from pregnancy up to the age of 4, each pending on swim ability, age and comfort of the child. Calmababy’s pool is unique to children as there is no chlorine in the water: sanitation is provided by an ultraviolet system meaning chemicals are kept to an absolute minimum. A wide variation of classes are available outside of swimming such as First Aid, Child Birth Preparation, ToddlerCalm, Pregnancy and Baby Yoga to name but a few.
Head to their website for more information: www.calmababy.com
Aquatots – Often Copied Never Rivalled
“Aquatots are looking forward to the forthcoming Autumn term starting in October. The autumn term is usually our busiest time of the year and we’re expecting to have over 2,500 families swimming with us each week. One of the many highlights for our swimmers is to have under water photos taken during the term, and to get into the festive spirit we’ll once again be offering swimmers the chance to have festive hats on for their photos, and get the family underwater together!
And not forgetting our ever popular Facebook page we’ll be running even more competitions to win a free terms swimming.
So it’s a busy time of year for all the Aquatots team and we hope to see you in a pool near you real soon.”
Aquatots’ swimming program is divided across 24 levels ranging from ages 10 weeks to 6 years old. With 16 years of experience, and all Aquatots pools specifically suitable for infants all across the UK, it’s clear to see why Aquatots recently won the award for "Excellence in Natural Development of the Year". Head to their website for more information: www.aquatots.com
Swimkidz
“Swimming has stopped for many over the school holidays although here at Swimkidz we have been running our intensive courses. One thing for sure is that once the holiday period is over parents soon realise the importance of teaching their child to swim. We have seen an increased demand for swimming lessons during August and September this year. Extra time slots have been introduced across most of our sites to meet some of this demand.
Safety and survival skills have always been a key focus in all lessons and it’s not unusual to see children swimming in their pyjamas and attempting life-saving throws to other class members. It’s all delivered in a fun way but with the importance of children not putting themselves in greater danger than the person who needs rescuing!!
Our aim is to have confident happy little swimmers who are water safe/aware with good technique over all strokes.”
Swim Kidz have various classes based around London and in South Wales. Priding themselves in their expert instructors and a focus to a more traditional approach to swimming lessons, Swim Kidz teach a wide range of ages starting from birth to 7 years all staged across their progression groups of baby, toddler and child. Click the link for more information: http://www.swimkidz.co.uk/
Funky Fish Swim School
“It’s hard to believe that the summer holidays are behind us already and a new school year has begun. On the plus side, that means that Funky Fish Swim School is back in the water for a new year of swimming lessons and sessions for under 5s. Autumn term started on Monday 9th September and we’ve got some exciting plans ahead.
Firstly, we’d like to welcome a new teacher, Shawn Weible Tomlinson, to the Funky Fish team. Shawn is incredibly experienced and I am confident that he will be a great asset.
I’m hoping to build on the success of last year and have all of our transition swimmers swimming by the end of the year. These are children who are in the water without a parent or carer, learning to swim independently. It’s such a privilege to be there as they hit every milestone towards that first solo swim.
We have new toys arriving all the time; we find they are a great way of having fun and building up water confidence. In the near future, we will be holding another themed fun day, for all the family to enjoy. These days are always a highlight of the year because they give everyone in the family a chance to come down to the pool and spend some time together in the water. With various floats and toys to enjoy, this is another way of building water confidence in a relaxed, fun setting.
We’ll also be carrying on with our hugely popular monthly Daddy Swims.”
To find out more about our current timetable of swimming classes, visit www.funkyfishswimschool.com
MiniSwimmers
“The beginning of a new term means so much excitement for us – some new miniswimmers starting their swimming journey, seeing how our old students have grown and for this term, welcoming our newest recruit to the team.
Welcome emails, posts on facebook with top tips on what to remember to include in your swim bags are all done; memories of my first lessons with my daughter five years ago gives me such passion to encourage as many parents as possible to get in the pool and help them along the way.
It’s clear to see that even on their first lesson back, our swimmers have all been practicing their skills and their confidence is booming! The rest of the morning flew by and my voice needed a rest after all that singing!
With week one just a gentle introduction into, or back into, swimming lessons, next week we can start to introduce some new techniques to our pre-schoolers, and more new songs, holds and games for the babies.”
For more information about classes and testimonials, head to their website: www.miniswimmers.co.uk or contact Elaine on 07825997999
Looks set to be an exciting few months as the swim school seasons get back into full swing
We are developing our Baby Swim and Learn to swim web pages to bring more information from swim schools and share product information.
If you are a swim school and would like to be featured in any of our blogs or would like to send in articles in regard to Baby Swimming / Learn to swim, we would love to hear from you
Happy Swimming
Team Splash x