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Original poster

After swim class tips with toddler?!

34 replies

AnotherOne83 · 14/02/2022 14:19

Taking my 19 month old ds to water babies in a week. He is very very energetic and curious and when we've been to the pool before he has ended up running around the changing room unless I pin him down and don't get properly changed myself!

Does anyone have any hacks for successfully getting changed (even showered) with a runaway toddler after swimming lessons? They don't have a family changing room I can lock us in unfortunately.

OP posts:

ChittyBangs · 14/02/2022 14:20

Snacks

Neurodiversitydoctor · 14/02/2022 14:22

Shower together, then get yourself some sort of towel you can wear. Put that on and concentrate on drying and dress8ng toddler. When he is dressed put him in the buggy strapped in with a snack while you change.

Suzysuz · 14/02/2022 14:22

Never managed a shower but yes SNACKS AND MORE SNACKS 🤣

And something you can get changed into very quickly!

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randomsabreuse · 14/02/2022 14:23

Snacks, don't bother showering yourself (sorry), slip on shoes and loose clothes for you that you can throw on 1 handed...

TiggeryBear · 14/02/2022 14:24

Buggy & snacks were my go to. That & a new toy (one they only had for after swimming)

Shouldhavebutdidnt · 14/02/2022 14:24

I do it the opposite way to commented above - I wrap toddler up in towel & give her a lot of snacks whilst I get dressed then get her dressed. It means I have sorted the post swim hunger & I’m dressed!

Pyri · 14/02/2022 14:24

Just to say that our water babies facilities don’t include showers or anywhere to leave your pram so don’t count on those. I take her a role then just get her changed as quickly as possible afterwards and leave DD with a snack while I get changed.

She now has a little chair she likes to sit in and often refuses to leave the changing room

Musicaltheatremum · 14/02/2022 14:25

I got a toweling dressing gown to wear instead of a towel. By the time I'd fought with my so and dried him I was dry so just popped my clothes on

Neurodiversitydoctor · 14/02/2022 14:26

Something like this

PineappleWilson · 14/02/2022 14:28

Wear your suit under your clothes then, just redress and shower at home, in your situation. I'm surprised they don't have family cubicles. Also, can you have the buggy in the changing room to give you hands free time to get dressed?

gingerhills · 14/02/2022 14:30

Don;t they have those net playpen things any more? My DC got put in those once they were dry, so I could get changed in peace.

JessicaPeach · 14/02/2022 14:32

@Musicaltheatremum

I got a toweling dressing gown to wear instead of a towel. By the time I'd fought with my so and dried him I was dry so just popped my clothes on

I was just coming to suggest this. Whip your costume off and put that on then sort your toddler out.

Wear clothes that are easy to get on and off and don't even try and have a shower.

RestingPandaFace · 14/02/2022 14:38

I did it the other way round too @Shouldhavebutdidnt

Shower for both of us using baby stuff, the child’s farm 3 in 1 is quite good.

Wrap DS up in a hooded towel with a snack whilst I got dry and by then snack was finished and he was pretty much dry and I got him dressed.

Babyccino11 · 14/02/2022 15:00

Swimming costume under clothes beforehand
Hooded towel for toddler, towel wrap for you (velcro at top so won’t fall down) or towel dressing gown.

I get myself changed very quickly as also have very energetic toddler, often don’t bother with underwear just shove on leggings and baggy jumper and have shower and get changed properly when I get home.
I just let toddler roam while I’m getting changed, our changing room quite small and all mums friendly with each other and the kids so not really an issue. We’re always first to leave.

Toddler always ravenous when finishes swimming, pack snacks!

toddybell · 14/02/2022 15:20

We:

Dress for the swim at home- DC in swimsuit and onesie, me in swimsuit with joggers and jumper/loose top. We get to the changing rooms and are good to go in minutes.

Post-swim:

Get out of pool. Carry toddler to the shower and shower together with an all-in-one wash.

Wrap toddler in towel and get them moisturised and dressed. Sit them down and give them a snack (fruit, etc.) and then get ready myself- aforementioned joggers and jumper/loose top.

Is a faff but this is what works for us.

RainbowCrayons · 14/02/2022 15:44

DH has a linen shirt with a towel lining that I used to steal and wear as a dress for baby swimming. I would save showering for home and just wear that so I didn't drip everywhere on the way back. Mostly because changing rooms were shut altogether for a bit 'cos covid when we were doing baby swimming.

SatinHeart · 14/02/2022 16:33

It's been a while since I did water babies, but I would say:

Give up on having a shower - do it when you get home

Get DS dressed first and put him in a puddle/rain suit if you have one - keeps him warm and doesn't matter if he sits in a puddle on the changing room floor while you get dressed

Every one else's DC will be doing exactly the same thing

Sometimes pools will put out a travel cot or two when its baby swim lessons

SatinHeart · 14/02/2022 16:35

Looking again at pp responses. we were never allowed to take a buggy into the changing area (they had to be left in reception)

Original poster

AnotherOne83 · 14/02/2022 18:03

Thank you. Yes the buggy has to be left downstairs.

OP posts:

voxnihili · 14/02/2022 19:24

I have a towel poncho like children often have so after showering I put that on whilst I dress DD. I then give her a snack and my phone until I’m ready. She’s a toddler now so fine on the seats but when she was smaller I put her on a dry towel on the floor so she couldn’t fall.

MadeinSW3 · 14/02/2022 19:26

I would wrap mine in a towel and give snacks something like popcorn that takes a while to eat. Rapidly get dressed myself - lay out all clothes in locker in easy reach for after. Then dress the toddler.

Marmite27 · 14/02/2022 19:29

@Pyri

She now has a little chair she likes to sit in and often refuses to leave the changing room

Ours didn’t either.

I always wrapped mine up in a towel and gave them half a snack. Took my costume off and put on a microfibre robe.

Stripped, dried and dressed DC. Gave them the other half of the snack. The robe would have dried me by now, so I got dressed, then out to find out shoes in the pile and dry feet and put shoes and socks on in reception (no shoes allowed in the changing rooms/poolside at ours).

If really cranky, DC got Peppa/paw Patril on my phone, but that only happened once or twice.

Marmite27 · 14/02/2022 19:30

Actually now I come to think of it, by the end DC got out the pool and I stripped them poolside and wrapped them in a towel.

Aurora791 · 14/02/2022 19:31

Don’t wear jeans- dress in something that is easy for you to get into in so you can dress quickly while they’re distracted with a snack! Otherwise hooded towels and onesies for them afterwards. It’s easier in the summer when you can just whack them in shorts etc and then slip a dress on yourself, and by next winter they’ll be older and (perhaps) more compliant- mine is now in the trying to dress herself phase so will spend a few mins wrestling with her tshirt while I manage to dry myself and get dressed!

emmathedilemma · 14/02/2022 20:11

If you’re going to give them snacks in the changing room please clean up after them. If I stand on another raisin or bit of rice cake on the changing room floor I’ll go mad!
I once found a toddler hiding in a locker….just an idea…….

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