Swimming lessons - go home wet?

[Chickenitalia]

Trying to make sense of how swimming lessons might work come September, which is when my DCs club is hoping to go back. They’ve sent guidance to parents and I’m not sure how it might work.

Most is fine, parents to stay out of the building, no instructors in the pool (so no beginner lessons for now), reduced class sizes, kids to arrive in swimwear and not allowed in the changing rooms, but then to put clothes back on over swimwear and go home wet. How is this going to then work with a 30 min drive home? My car isn’t big enough for a child to get changed in after and other than putting plastic bags on the seats, I can’t see what else could work to stop everything being soggy.

What am I missing? My DC love swimming and have really missed it, but I’m not sure we will be able to manage this sensibly. At the moment it’s all theoretical I know, I just want to have a plan in place should the opportunity arise.

If you’re going in the car could they dry themselves with a towel then put on a dressing gown/onesie over their swimming costume?

Could you get a towelling onesie? That might take up a lot of the damp. Towel on the seat? Towel under a baggy tracksuit/onsie? All ideas I am. Considering

You can get those hooded towels or towelling dressing gowns. Maybe put them in those until they get home?

I wouldn’t be doing that. Sounds bonkers. And chilly come winter.

I live open water swimming and fairly often travel home wet, I don't find it a huge deal.

Tips: towel on head (although if wearing a swim cap this isn't necessary). Quick rub down with towel to get worst of wet off, pop on dressing gown, tracksuit or similar.

Sit on towel if necessary.

How about a towel poncho to take wet swimwear off then put a onesie to wear in the car?? That's quite a big ask for a child to do that in the back of a car though, both from there being enough room, but also, they may not want to do that.

What about layering towels over the car seats, enough layers so the water doesn't soak through??

It doesn't sound pleasant though, being in wet swimwear for a 30 min drive home though!

Get a waterproof dry robe - they're waterproof on the outside. They're used for open water swimming so they're also big enough to get changed under. Slip dry robe on at the side of the pool, pull costume off underneath it, slip shoes on, get into car. Because its waterproof on the outside your car seats won't get wet.

They're pricey but I think they'll come down in price once pools open up because they are so handy for this sort of thing.

Towelling dressing gown to walk from pool to the car.
In car, pull off trunks, pull on pants & shorts, pull on t-shirt, job done.

How about something like a dryrobe or cheaper alternative and taking off the costume in the car park under the robe? I agree that travelling home wet in the winter seems like a bad idea!

This reminds me of getting changed after beach swimming as a kid.

One person holds towel strategically, other person wriggles out of wet cossie and into dry clothes.

At least car parks don’t have sand

We've got some big (adult size) towelling ponchos, I think we'll end up using those. We have up to half an hour drive from some of our pools too. However we don't know which pools we will be at yet, in normal times DD swam at several different ones each week.

Hooded towel. Once in the car take the wet swimming togs off underneath the towel and put on dry clothes

Long towelling dressing gown/ hooded towel over top.
Strip off cossie underneath (slip straps off shoulders first if girls costume).
Dry off as best as poss outside then get into car.

Could work, especially whilst the weather is mild. If you're having to wait in the car, at least you can get the hot blowers on before they get in.

Not ideal though!

Sorry not a hooded towel, a towelling poncho

I would go with a hooded towel (Decathlon do cheap ones), possibly with a rubdown with a normal towel first, depending how cold it is. Plus a carrier bag to sit on just in case.

The waterproof dry robes sound great, but pricey, and I don't know how easy it would be to dry them out thoroughly every time.

I used to swim twice a week and really miss it so I'll be happy to do this. Get a decent thick onsie pop on
And sit on a bag Swim suits dry pretty quick even in winter

Large towelling dressing gown, wrap them up...I think that would be ok

mintjulia I remember doing that as well. Good memories, changing behind the car door.

Yep dryrobe or poncho towel.

One of those plastic backed blankets to sit on over the car seat.

Slippers and a head towel.

It'll be fine.

Dd always came home wet, I hate those open gender neutral changing rooms with never enough cubicals after lessons. So she'd rub herself with a towel, put of some sweatpants and a thick hoodie and pair of Uggs and jump in the shower when we got home. Worked year round.

I think it sounds bonkers, to be honest. I wouldn't be particularly happy with it and would wonder how it will work when the weather gets colder.

I suppose you might have to get used to it and invent ways around though, but when I hear this sort of thing I do just think (yet again) that we really can't continue like this forever. Not for very much longer anyway.

DDs a competitive swimmer so we'll be doing this 5x a week we also live by the sea so getting changed in or next to the car is second nature.

Here are some options we've used over the years:
Get a waterproof picnic blanket and lay it over the back seat. Kids sit on top of it in their towelling robe.
We used to have tinted windows so getting changed in the back of the car was no problem, now we use one of those foil sunscreen things to give some privacy.

For changing next to the car: Get a foam square, like those interlocking mats you get for toddlers, put it on floor next to car to stand on (makes everything easier).

Put a changing poncho or bathrobe on over swimwear poolside, slip arms out of wet swimwear if female so they can dry a bit, big wooly hat to dry wet hair, wiggle out of it and put a big baggy onesie on by the car - baggy because its easier to get on when wet than something tight. DD finds a bathrobe better now she's older and more self conscious about showing her upper body.

Swimzi products - very, very ££££ but can be picked up on ebay is a brand for swimmers and sell lots of clothes, hoodies, poolside dresses and fleece lined hats that are designed for damp bodies and have an inner towelling layer.

There’s some great ideas here that I hadn’t considered, thank you.
Foam mat for the floor is good as it’s a gravel car park and mine seem to struggle even to slip crocs on and off.
Inside the car could be tricky as it’s a Mini, DD is already adult height. Due to timings it will be dark after lessons by mid-Oct, and getting cold.
I think I will look into the ponchos and other items now though, could be handy for the future anyway and I think they could get popular if this is how lessons have to be for the moment.
Other people may well have less of an issue due to distance, we are quite rural and probably have the longest drive of the people I know who attend.
I am glad that the swim school has options though, it’s been a horrible time for the owners.

DD used to swim 5 times/week (and sorely misses it). The new guidance focusses on spending as little time as possible out of the water in the pool building. I think some places might re-open changing rooms, but showers are likely to be off limits for some time. Shower at home before and after swimming.

Lots of kids would go home in a bowling beach robe over their costumes in the summer (sit on a plastic carrier bag if you are worried about damaging the car).

Swim suits - go for a thin fabric suit that dries quickly and get DD to use a small microfibre towel to dry the worst off her body poolside. Most swimmers do this at competitions where they have to sit around in costumes all day.

Get a hair turban for the hair. Dock & Bay ones are good and they also do matching beach robes and towels.

For colder months, go home in a Dry Robe (pricey), or synthetic tracksuit bottoms (cotton stays wet) hoodie. Wear a bobble hat on colder/windier days.

DD also favours UGG boots to keep her feet toastie - nice and easy to slip on.

I REALLY REALLY hope we can get back to swimming soon.

Put your car heaters on full blast and if they have a towelling hoodie then they'll dry off in no time. I used to sea swim and then drive home- it was 20 mins and I was dry by the time I got home.