Swimming pool closing on us

[Gushpanka]

My Dd is 4 and has a swimming lesson 17.30-18.00 at our local pool. It's the last lesson of the day and public swimming ends quite a bit earlier.

They expect us out by 18.15 and staff will stand over us, hurrying us up if we go over. I find it quite stressful and, try as I might, I can't be be out within 15 minutes (unless we skip showering which I don't want to do).

First of all, lesson ends and then have to get kids out the pool. The complex is big so we have to go up a flight of stairs to the showers, along a long corridor and down two flights to the team changing room and then up a flight of stairs to the exit.

I have to shower DD and wash her hair (just a quick wash, no conditioning etc). Then down to changing room (wrapped in towel of course). Then quick moisturize (can't skip as she has dry skin but literally dry her and slather it on as quick as possible), then get her dressed. Obviously no time for hair drying so I bring a balaclava for her (we bike so I would much rather dry her hair). Then coats, boots, winter gear etc.

I never manage in 15 mins. Some of the others do but DD is the youngest in the class and, well, I guess we're just not as fast as others.

But AIBU to think 15 minutes to be out the door after a swimming lesson is too little time? I annoys me that they don't seem to leave enough time but maybe we're just too slow?

It sounds like an absolute nightmare, and I’m not surprised it takes longer than 15 minutes, but equally the staff who are there to lock up are not the ones responsible for the decision to close the pool at that time.

So I would just make every effort to be done within 15 minutes, even if that means skipping showering, because it’s not those staff members’ fault.

Why not try contacting the council/whoever owns the pool and ask them to keep the pool open an extra 10 minutes?

I don't want to shower her at home as it's already late for her.

That makes no sense - whether you shower her at the pool or at home it still takes the same amount of time.

But she didn't have a poo so irrelevant, you a faffing around, if you don't like it then go somewhere else.
If they stay open longer for you then they will have to pay staff more and therefore charge you and all the other parents more because you can't get a move on.

YANBU - it’s a faff to get a child showered and as she’s already wet I wouldn’t then want to embark on it at home. Surely they need to leave 30 mins after the last lesson before they shut.

That said now I have older children and I look back around the angst that surrounded swimming lessons. I’d just ditch them completely and start again when she’s six - they just pick it up so much quicker and they’re not as tired after school etc.

15 minutes is enough time - if you don't have to wander around the leisure centre for 5 of those minutes, and the teacher doesn't have the kids out of the pool, ready to start getting changed on the dot of 6pm.

Message the manager - using the team changing room after a lesson that doesn't finish until a few minutes after 6pm means you will not be able to leave at 6:15pm - they either need to move the time of the swimming lesson, make the public changing rooms available or arrange for staff to be there for another 10 minutes or so.

When I'm sorting the carpark ticket for my DCs swimming lessons, I do tend to worry if I've got less than 15 minutes from the end of the last lesson, as realistically, that only works if the lesson finishes bang on the dot, the teacher doesn't stop to talk to you, the kids get ready quickly, noone needs the loo and don't faff...

What?? This thread is bizarre. I couldn't shower and get dressed and dry my hair in 15 minutes, let alone a 4 year old! You are definitely not being unreasonable. They shouldn't schedule a class with only 15 minutes until closing time. 30 minutes would be fair.

Sorry, first line should read "..and the teacher has the children out of the pool, ready to start getting changed on the dot of 6pm."

Maybe you should cancel the cheque OP

whether you shower her at the pool or at home it still takes the same amount of time.
bollocks
you have to dry dc twice and get them dressed twice if you do that.

anyway op pays for lessons and anemities. of course she's entitled to have a quick shower and getting dressed.

15 minutes is tight. As a solo adult I could do it if not queuing for an inadequate number of showers, but it easily takes 20-25 minutes to herd my DCs through (and they are older, one possibly with dyspraxia type conditions who needs constant prompting about all 5 garments, pants, shorts, t-shirt, socks, coat...) Extra winter layers do add time and faff.

Back in the days of head to toe eczema, it was pretty quick to pump the cream onto hands, rub, slather over body.

We quickly do a proper hair wash on a similar time slot as by the time we do a 30 minute drive home, it's time for dinner then reading, bed, not stripping and dressing again for a shower plus having wet hair beyond 7pm. (Frustrating when the showers are congested with people having a meditative daze for 5+ minutes and not even washing properly)

See how joining the others in the public changing room works at shaving off a few minutes.

I learned to swim at an adult class 9-10pm and the staff allowed a decent margin before getting angsty and playing with the light switches, at which point we were nearly done.

We can't get ready in 15mins so I hear you.

However, I also agree that it's not fair on the staff to stay late because they are waiting for you.

I'm afraid I'd say to either stick to the 15min (getting showered at home etc) or find another lesson.

I think you're getting a bit of an unfair pasting too OP - love the old MN pile on!
Obviously the staff aren't unreasonable to want to go home on time - I've been the person standing unpaid in the shop glaring at the customer who decided 5.29 is the best time to buy a whole new outfit...but equally it's not really fair to pressure a 4 year old, who aren't exactly known for moving quickly and doesn't have other options (i.e. a different lesson time).

But it's not the staff who set the closing times or the lesson scheduling, so, as per the other mum you need to contact the head of the leisure centre and tell them this is an issue - the more people complain the more likely they will be to take it seriously. Suggest either they can close the centre a few minutes later, paying the staff for an extra 10 minutes, or reschedule classes so that the youngest ones aren't the last thing on a Sunday, or let you use the other changing rooms.

Having to use the changing rooms further away sounds ridiculous anyway - who wants to walk around a building and up and down stairs in a wet swimming costume in the middle of winter? Also surely it's a bit of a health and safety issue as more likely to trip up/downstairs particularly if rushing, and doesn't the route get a bit wet with everyone dripping on it, which presumably need to be cleaned up?

For clarity (aka RTFT as I've said this a few times) this new 15 minute thing was sprung on us with no announcement at some point in November when they started closing the pool straight after the lesson. It hasn't been every week as some weeks they have some kind of activities - maybe about four time since then. I've paid for the entire year so can't just pull her out and there is no other class that meets her needs.

Anyway, despite those who disagree, I have not been persuaded it's U to expect to be able to shower and since I do my best to do it quickly and cannot go any faster I will a) write to pool to ask for them to give more time (I can't believe that 10 extra minutes for 2 people will break them) and b) use the public changing rooms.

So thanks for the input and advice and for yet again proving how the most trivial question can evoke such emotion on mumsnet, it's been very helpful.

Ours is a similar time and I have two of them to get sorted and I manage in 15 mins. They dry and get in a onesie and they have a bath and hair wash at home.

Genuinely surprised so many people are saying, "find a way to make their unreasonable time frames work, try not fully using the service you are paying for" rather than "tell managment the time frames mean you can't use the facilities you are paying for and see if they can arrange (ie pay staff) for the facilities to be avaialble for an adequate amount of time after the lesson."

Just email that you don't consider 15 minutes to be enough given the set up, so something needs to change.

Also, if they can't make the facilities available for a reasonable length of time after the lesson, you consider that to be part of the service you are paying for, so they need to refund you for the rest of the year you have paid for, as they are unable to provide the service they have charged you for.

Less than 15 minutes (and if the children arent finished swimming and out of the pool at 6, it is less than 15 minutes they are allowing) when they also expect you to walk about the centre to changing rooms not near the pool, isn't enough time.

YANBU OP-As usual, some of the people here are just being rude and attacking you on principle. If you were a pool employee the same people would be saying you were unreasonable to expect a parent to shower their child in 15 minutes and 5 minutes overtime was no biggie.

Trying to get a 4 year old sorted in 15 minutes with those arrangements is bonkers. The pool are at fault for offering a lesson and closing so quickly. You aren't to blame for the way they run things or treat their staff. You ought to complain about the whole thing.

Clearly many of the criticizing posters do not have children with sensitive skin. At that age if my dd did not shower straight after swimming and moisturize immediately after showering, she would get such bad eczema (swollen, bleeding and oozing) that we might end up in the emergency room the following week. To this day, dd is now 16 and we no longer live in the UK and have a whole house water filter, if dd uses a new moisturizer, or sun cream or even a different laundry detergent we risk severe rashes and a trip to the doctor.
It seems really clear that the OP is not complaining about the staff, but rather that the facility has changed the closing hours on some days, such that it conflicts with her dd's class time. It's perfectly appropriate that she complains to the facility and asks them to rectify this issue.

PS I am guessing you are in Germany where they have very strict rules about swimming pools and changing rooms and showers. My dd was there a few summers ago and despite being a very accomplished swimmer, had to have 3 go's before she was able to prove to the life guard that she could swim. (Apparently, they didn't like the stroke that she chose to do the length of the pool with.)

Clearly many of the criticizing posters do not have children with sensitive skin. At that age if my dd did not shower straight after swimming and moisturize immediately after showering, she would get such bad eczema (swollen, bleeding and oozing) that we might end up in the emergency room the following week

No offence but that's kind of irrelevant since that's not the case for OP (or at least she has never said it is)

The management may decide to make the lesson shorter.

No, I didn't. It wasn't like this when we began and only changed in November. Just posted about it. We never received any communiaction about the 15 minutes and have paid for the entire year

You probably should have put that in your OP!

It seems quite obvious that whether you should get more time or not would result in a range of opinions from one extreme to the other and a million degrees in between. But if you've paid for a year under one set of rules and those rules have then been changed, then of course you have the right (which you should definitely exercise) to complain or ask for your money back.

NMW staff swimming teacher here we actually don’t get a bad hourly rate,We certainly more than national minimum wage as we have to go on courses to obtain qualifications to teach. As for staying 15 minutes it is plenty of time. I speak as a swimming teacher and as parent who has a child in our school we literally done within 10 minutes.

Could you drive, so you could just towel dry did pop her in a onesie, leave and shower etc at home?

You are not being unreasonable OP. I would complain. The mgt should pay staff till 6.30 to allow customers time to get changed properly.. We take 15 mins including shower but I have an 8 year old boy who has short hair! When his sister went too, it took longer. When I used to have to take child who was having lesson plus preschooler, toddler and baby, it took way longer! Consistently we are the first to leave the changing room about of about 25 kids so i really don't think you are being unreasonable.

The three minute shower and 2 minutes to moisturise are the 5 minutes that you're late every week.

Just stop it, do it at hole, the staff want to go home.