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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to expect there to be some hairdrying facilities for school children in swimming pool after lessons?

84 replies

alison222 · 14/09/2011 16:35

My DD has waist length hair. She has just had her first lesson at school today at the local pool. I had given her some money for the hairdryers but she came home at 3.15 today with hair still very wet and told me that they were in the "school" changing rooms which don't have hairdryers or hand dryers in the toilet area either. The hat she was wearing does not keep her hair from being drenched. She had it plaited up ( as per school regs - tied up hair) There was only one female assistant ( both year teachers are male) and they all have to stay together so she can supervise.
Come mid winter I don't want DD with dripping hair all day.

What would you do?

OP posts:

ripstheirthroatoutliveupstairs · 14/09/2011 17:03

I'm not attacking you, but IMO, she should be able to do something with it at that age.
My DDs hair wasn't as long as yours, but she could comb it and replait it herself at that age.
Could you practice over the weekend?

Rocky12 · 14/09/2011 17:06

Then perhaps if you dont want to make the hair more manageable by cutting it you need to stop whinning about it! Surely you are not expecting the class to wait for your DD to faff about with her hair. Get her to learn how to towel dry or get it cut....

misdee · 14/09/2011 17:08

30 children waiting to dry their hair? they would never get out and back to school!

YABU!

southmum · 14/09/2011 17:08

yabu

This was the norm in my school days

Teach her how to towel dry it properly. Its school not a salon

AChickenCalledKorma · 14/09/2011 17:12

Is she actually worried about it? I had very long hair at school and vividly remember making puddles on the floor where it dripped after swimming. I remember giggling about it (ho, ho, ho it looks like someone's done a wee ) ... but I don't remember being remotely bothered. It was just one of those things, and it always dried by the end of the day.

Re swimming hats, DD1 has just got one that is silicon, rather than latex, and is a bit thicker. It seems to stretch over her hair more easily, so might keep it drier. But your daughter's hair may just be too long and thick for a hat to be much use.

halcyondays · 14/09/2011 17:15

How old is she? Surely if she is old enough to be going swimming with school, usually they don't do this until about age 7 or 8, she must be old enough to towel dry her hair. I wouldn't have expected there to be hair dryers in a school changing area tbh, there never were in my day and everyone just towel dried their hair.

misdee · 14/09/2011 17:16

www.ehow.com/how_2321431_french-braid-long-hair-crown.html you could try that sort of style for swim days, then most will get into a hat surely?

GrimmaTheNome · 14/09/2011 17:17

What would I do?

I'd let her decide if she wants long hair or occasional wet hair.

When DD was doing school swimming lessons, the minibus wasn't quite big enough so I was on a rota of parents who took a couple and then helped in the changing room. Having long hair myself I was able to show them how to wring out their wet locks in a towel so that while still damp they were by no means dripping. My DDs long hair might still be a bit damp at the end of the day if plaited rather than ponytail - she didn't care and she didn't catch her death of cold.

Bunbaker · 14/09/2011 17:25

"My DDs hair wasn't as long as yours, but she could comb it and replait it herself at that age."

At age 8?! I don't think most 8 year olds can make a decent job of plaiting their hair. DD is 11 and can plait her hair after a fashion, but not as well as I can, and I certainly couldn't plait my hair at 8 years old.

Al0uiseG · 14/09/2011 17:26

I had this issue at school, very thick hair that holds water. My mum learnt how to do the horses plait thing then I just had a turban to pop it into which absorbed "most" of the water.

I think the correct term might be French Plait, but it's the same technique as plaiting a horses tail.

halcyondays · 14/09/2011 17:27

I don't think I could hqe plIted my hair very well at eight, but surely she could put it in a pony tail.

halcyondays · 14/09/2011 17:28

I don't think I could have plaited my hair very well at eight, but surely she could put it in a pony tail.

Al0uiseG · 14/09/2011 17:28

Try this sort of turban

brodanbell · 14/09/2011 17:36

Here's what I would do. Wear her hair in whatever style you send her to school in that morning. Wear a cap. After the lesson take hair out of the plait or whatever it is and roll it up into a turban - she only needs an extra towel to be able to do this. Explain to her she should do this first then concentrate on getting dressed. Get her to comb through her hair last thing or on the bus back to school. Put hair in a simple pony tail to allow it to dry for the rest of the day.

She may struggle with putting a towel turban on, she may struggle putting her hair in a ponytail and combing it through and it might not look great, but does that really matter? How else will she get better at looking after her long locks if she doesn't practice each week?

GrimmaTheNome · 14/09/2011 17:38

Or she could get a friend to ponytail or even plait it. Much easier to do on someone else than on yourself.

Original poster

alison222 · 14/09/2011 17:39

Thanks AlouiseG will try that. - Its been the most helpful suggestion so far. I have just ordered one.

She is only 8 for heavens sake and has masses of fine long hair. Yes she can do a pony tail yes she can do a messy plait. BUT because her hair is very fine unless she can do it well it will keep on falling out.

Its not the issue so much of it being tied up as it more that it doesn't dry when it is so how do I either keep it dry or get it dry again afterwards. - It can't be nice to have a damp back all day at school.

I was hoping for some advice for a better swimming hat - the one she has ATM is a speedo one supplied by the swim school and/or better ways to tie up her hair to keep it drier.

OP posts:

Fimbo · 14/09/2011 17:43

Thanks AlouiseG will try that. - Its been the most helpful suggestion so far. I have just ordered one.

I suggested one of them further up the thread

SouthernFriedTofu · 14/09/2011 17:45

YABU have her wear a skullcap. How many kids will be in the locker rooms? It will take ages for them to all dry their hair unless they had loads which would be expensive

Original poster

alison222 · 14/09/2011 17:46

Sorry Fimbo - thought you meant some sort of strange swimming cap shaped like a turban

OP posts:

Fimbo · 14/09/2011 17:48

Tis ok, should have done a link really.

activate · 14/09/2011 17:49

yes

buy her a swimming hat

GrimmaTheNome · 14/09/2011 18:03

Try googling 'swimming caps for long hair' - looks like Speedo and Zoggs do some.

To get long hair dryish without adding too many tangles:

First gather hair into bunch and wring it out like a dishcloth.

Stand with head upside down. Wrap hair in towel; twist tightly. Repeat with dry sections of towel. Then - still with inverted head - grab both ends of towel, bunched into a sausage, and vigourously rotate (right hand clockwise) against hair, flicking it outwards.
(did those instructions make sense to anyone? )

tyler80 · 14/09/2011 18:18

I've never found a swimming cap that keeps my hair dry, in fact the cap makes absolutely no difference at all to how wet my hair is.

What time of day are her lessons? If last thing I'd just go down the woolly hat approach. It's what I do in winter when I go swimming and then have to drive home.

minipie · 14/09/2011 18:20

I remember having damp hair all day after swimming lessons. We wrung out/towelled our hair as much as possible and then put up with the remaining drips. It really wasn't a big deal.

Best thing I think would be to teach your daughter to do a decent ponytail so that she can towel dry her hair and then put it up after swimming. Or maybe a bun (easier than plaiting IMO, and keeps wet hair away from her back). It won't dry in a bun, but that doesn't really matter.

Is her school particularly cold? Does she have to wait in the cold somewhere at the end of the day? If not, I'm struggling to see why damp hair is such an issue.

tallulah · 14/09/2011 18:21

I noticed today that sainsbos had a display of swimming caps and goggles.

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