Water Babies

[homeishere]

I took my almost-three year old swimming to a Water Babies class the other day. On arrival I was told that my toilet-trained daughter had to wear a nappy to go swimming. Of course she absolutely kicked off and refused, so we dressed and left.

Initially I was told to cancel the £180 series of lessons would cost me a £18 one off session fee (‘for the session I attended’) and a £30 cancellation charge. The cancellation was eventually waived after I escalated my complaint.

My AIBU is: AIBU to expect my toilet-trained daughter to not have to wear a nappy when swimming? No other swimming pool or swimming organisation expects a toilet-trained child to wear a nappy and regress in this manner.

FYI to parents who didn’t know - Water Babies expect your kids to regress! Their policy is that children have to wear a swim nappy until the age of 4 1/2! Then a pair of those swim pants thereafter! So that’s a child of Reception age!

Your kid is only 3.
4yo have accidents still . Heck 5yo even... so don't go saying "my child would never poo in a swimming pool" as accidents happen . Next time just make sure to read the Terms and Conditions :)

Reusable swim nappies don't feel like nappies and they aren't absorbent. They are to contain poo, but are essentially just neoprene or whatever other material pants that you can pull up and down like normal pants. I can't see why any child who is potty trained would suddenly start peeing or pooping in them.

Its not there for them to 'piss and shit' in. Its in case they don't tell you in time. Because two year olds sometimes get distracted.

Maybe yours doesn't. Many do.

My older daughter (now 5) just wore a normal swimming costume for her school swimming lessons at her school pool. Never even a mention of her needing anything else.

However, if she were also enrolled in a Water Babies class at the weekend she would have had to wear an actual swim nappy…!

Ridiculous. But I can see opinion is split on this, although currently the majority seem to agree with me.

YABU. When a child poos and it leaks into the pool you have to get everyone out, close the pool snd call everyone coming for lessons in the next few hours. You backwash and adjust the chemicals which can take 48 hours to sort out. It puts it out of action and you have to refund or rebook with parents. It takes hours. If the pool is a school one the kids there can't use it.
Some places have contractual requirements that all young children wear swim nappies. It's in case of poo accidents. Not so your child can squeeze one out and not get out if the pool.
If you don't like it then go someplace else. Council pools are usually less rigorously policed.

@homeishere

And, clearly, I would argue it is regressive.

When my daughter has said she needs to use the toilet and we’ve been swimming we get out and go to the toilet. Then get back in the pool.

To regress to shitting and pissing in a nappy blurs that line.

But having a swim nappy on doesn't mean she HAS to toilet in the nappy whilst in the water, OP. She can still tell you she needs to go, so you can take her out as you otherwise would. It's purely to provide assurance for the rest of the team who don't know your child from Adam and aren't willing to take your word for her "not shutting in the pool".

YABVU (as the majority agrees!!) and acting a bit precious about this. You can still be proud of your child's ability to sue the toilet (well done, yay!) and comply with the swimming club's policy. You don't need to be all offended and kicking off.

I don't rate Water Babies or Aqua Tots or any of those groups tbh. I do think they're very much a business and I am not 100% convinced they make a difference to children's ability to swim. We did classes with one and not the other and they are both about the same.

Randomly, there's a thread in active right at this moment where the op described her child as 'toilet trained', then went on to detail that's he's not remotely, and got affronted when posters said he's not actually toilet trained. That's the problem that the business has to deal with - parents desperate to say their child is toilet trained when they're not.

It's not regressive. It's a "just in case" insurance policy. You feel sure your daughter won't have an accident but there's still a tiny risk. Other kids might be higher risk but the organisers don't know that/ won't want to single people out so it's a blanket rule for all kids under a certain age.

Having put both my kids through several years of swimming lessons each, there were (I think) 5 occasions when the lesson was cancelled last minute as the pool had to be closed and drained due to a child having vomited in the water (which there was no way of guarding against). The swim school would have to offer a catch up session at a later date, often this ended up being in the school hols which was a pain for a lot of people. If under 4's had been swimming nappy free I bet there would have been twice as many poo accidents/closures which are almost entirely avoidable with a swim nappy.

It's common sense. Don't be offended.

Dd does water babies and is just 4. She wears the neoprene happy nappy jammers under her swimming costume, she just accepts that it's part of what she wears!

No actual swim nappy under that because she's been potty trained since she was 2.5. Who is going to know? She also makes a song and dance about getting out of the pool if she needs a wee so would be a waste of plastic!

I use Waterbabies with both of mine, the older one til 4.

Just had my reminder message saying that potty trained over 2 can wear normal swimmers. I always just put them in the little swim undies underneath the neoprene jammers/swim shorts.

Obviously different policies around.

You overreacted ridiculously.

To be honest, I am not sure that water babies is the best option for a three year old. Both my boys started at a few months old, but moved up to total swimming as toddlers. They really enjoyed water babies, but it didn't really teach them to swim independently, it was expemsive, and required me to go in the pool with them. I think you would be better off with an alternative.

In terms of swim nappies, this might be a requirement of the actual pool. We had a couple of lessons cancelled because of 'accidents', water babies had to refund the lessons, and possibly pay for pool cleaning.

PS I can see why they are cautious having had a few lessons cancelled due to them having to retrieve a poo from the pool!

Our water babies classes (had for 3 children) were always really clear about their nappy policy, and I always thought it was completely reasonable. Couldn’t you just explain to your child it’s not ‘regressing’ it’s just part of the swimming pool ‘uniform’. Kids do have accidents (much much more commonly than adults), and water babies would lose a fortune if they didn’t have this policy. I think it’s a completely sensible business decision on their part.

All 4 of my children were dry day and night before 2 and all did Waterbabies! We just used a reusable Totsbot swim nappy then the happy nappy over the top. They are nothing like real nappies so didn't cause any regression of any kind. My children would still ask if they needed the toilet and I would take them. They just do it in case if accidents, which obviously will happen, so they don't have to close the pools whole they are cleaned.

Of course she needs a nappy. Lots of children still have accidents when they're trained, and lots of parents are over confident in their little darlings' abilities.

We do Water Babies, and t requirements are abundantly clear.

I'm not a fan of water babies. I find them overpriced and our local franchise was chaotic.

However, I couldn't get upset about this rule. Lots of pools have rules about toddlers and preschoolers needing to be "double wrapped" and many sports require certain equipment or clothing to participate. We told DS he would need to wear "special swimming pants" and that was that.

Reusable swim nappies look more like knickers than nappies.

Then continue getting out of the pool if she needs the toilet. If she's as advanced as you say then she can tell you if she needs a wee/poo. I genuinely don't understand your issue.

There T&C's are pretty obvious.

A nappy until 4.5!! That's ridiculous. My son is not long 5 and would have thought I'd gone bonkers if I'd asked him to put a nappy on 6 odd months ago.

OP it doesn't have to be a swim nappy, just double layered, so my toilet trained dd wears reusable swim knickers/pants then the neoprene swim shorts from waterbabies. It is very very clear they have to have double layer, ita on the email you get sent about being confirmed to book.

Its not regression! And also mostvplaces ask for double nappy they just don't enforce it, leisure centres etc all do. I personally wouldn't want to risk my child having an accident in the pool

YABU. Being in water triggers a need to pee in lots of kids. Even toilet trained kids often pee in pools. They have to keep things sanitary.

You can buy reusable swim nappies that are virtually indistinguishable from pants and have really fun patterns. I would see if your daughter is happier with one of those.

@User5252727

YABU. Being in water triggers a need to pee in lots of kids. Even toilet trained kids often pee in pools. They have to keep things sanitary.

You can buy reusable swim nappies that are virtually indistinguishable from pants and have really fun patterns. I would see if your daughter is happier with one of those.

Not sure, but I don't think swim nappies hold in pee! So yes, we are all singing "twinkle twinkle little star" in a pee filled pool at those classes (or maybe not...await correction)

I’m pretty sure water babies aren’t gutted to have lost your custom. Probably relieved actually.