Family swimming times - AIBU?

[FamilySwimming]

Just looking for a sense check on this one.

The two local leisure centres only have certain very limited times for family swimming, meaning in the kids' pool. So if I want to take my 2 year old swimming, the only times we can book are between 12 and 2pm.

My 2 year old eats lunch at 12 and then has a nap every day. Surely this is pretty standard for any child who has one nap per day?

AIBU or is this an absolutely insane time to schedule family swimming? I feel like I just won't be able to take her swimming until she's stopped napping completely.

I spoke to them on the phone and they basically said that my toddler's meal and nap schedule isn't their problem, but I was under the impression that this is most toddlers' meal and nap schedule, hence the AIBU.

Have you tried looking around for any other options? I don’t like our local leisure centre pool much, but I found a farm on Facebook that has a private pool that they rent out for hour slots throughout the week/weekend. It’s lovely and warm, you have the whole place to yourself so you can lay everything out in the changing rooms right ready to get out. Plus no other kids jumping and splashing me nearby!

Hmm. Nice bit of unnecessary ageism from you @FamilySwimming and @Sunflowersurprise

Yeah that is bonkers. Perhaps they are trying to force families to pay for swimming lessons? But I hear most places have a long waiting list for lessons as well so how are you supposed to get your child swimming?

That time is likely one that works best for them money wise. Untill 3:30pm when the school children and swimming lessons start it’s all about who will come most paying the most. Lunch time adults, first thing adults likely some kind of oap water aerobics most likely.

Do you have a lido?

That sounds amazing!

It was none of mine's nap times.

Dd1 was 2-5pm
Dd2 was 10-10.45am or 2-2.45pm or occasionally 4 till whenever I realised and promptly woke her up because she then wouldn't sleep at night.
Ds was 9-10:30 and occasionally 3:30 when I was doing school pick up.

But all of them I could juggle it for something I wanted to do. Ds was the hardest to do that for, but if he missed his nap he was fine.

YADNBU, OP. That's a silly time for family swimming!

My 18 month old doesn’t have this routine. I don’t see an issue with 12-2pm. We arent strict with our schedules and are always flexible to fit things in.

Mine goes to nursery 5 days a week and they all eat at about 11:30-12 and then have a nap. Honestly I thought this was what most 2 year olds did. Anyway, since the schedule is fixed during the week and we have no control over that, it's tricky to adjust it just at weekends so we tend to stick to it. Currently on holiday, which is why we want to go swimming on a weekday.

What about lunch just before at 11.45 then for half hour swim then nap straight after on way home?

It's so they can hire the pool out for school lessons during the day. They need as much income as they can get with heating costs being so high.

I actually understand your frustration because I remember having small children and just feeling our country isn't set up for then at all in so many ways. Now I have school age children and am grateful I can always get them into tbe next stage of swimming lesson without any waiting lists. That probably wouldn't be possible with more family swim sessions. It's just the leisure centre trying to balance many needs at once. For what it's worth, neither of mine had anything like that predictable a nap schedule and by 2.5, like most of their friends, were often not napping at all.

We've found a pool in another town with more family swim sessions now so I think we will try there instead.

Unfortunately the nursery dictates the schedule during the week.

I understand where you're coming from about the swimming lessons but people are constantly posting on here about long waiting lists for those as well. Maybe my area is one with less of a wait for lessons, I don't know.

Clearly there aren't enough swimming pools.

I do think that parenting has got a bit overly rigid nowadays and kids can’t cope with anything outside of their routine because it is stuck to so rigidly.

I had the same issue at that age and just sacked it off, the absolute faff of trying to get both of us dry and dressed afterwards was never worth what either of us actually got out of it. It's not mandatory.

Unfortunately I only control their schedule two days a week outside of holidays!

Is that just weekdays or weekends too? Ours does school swimming lessons during the day so has limited public swimming.
Can you take her on a Saturday morning instead?

Sorry Op but I find this quite sweet. I know that sounds patronising! Your toddler will be on their nap and lunch schedule like this for such a short time. When they’re (say) four and dropped their nap you can enjoy this lunchtime slot!

If it was first thing, some people will say it’s too early to get out of the house with the baby, if it was 3 pm some would say “I have to get my older child from school, surely this is an insane time?”. They can’t win really.

It’s quite funny you rang them to complain about the time. I get it, I had a first baby too! I think at that time I was annoyed the family swim times were too early in the morning!

Pools round here have very rigid timetables too - on a Sunday the swim club uses the whole of the closest pool except 2-3.30pm, which is a tricky time for us as we have older parents who expect a Sunday lunch.

I now have the timetable in my head for all pools in striking distance - pool A is available at 9am, pool B 11am, pool C 12pm.

Our biggest problem is pool closures - I've squeezed the slot into our day, we get there, and there has been "an accident" so we pay in full for our parking and trail back home.

The population increase does not seem to have been matched by an increase in the number of pools!

12-2 is a silly time for babies and toddlers, you could suggest they do one morning a week as an under 3s swim session - my local
pool does this.

oh the MN ageism alive and well in every thread

I definitely remember thinking the pool was “on the make” dedicating too much time for lessons and not enough for family swim.

There is NO time available in our supposed council, open to all, pool to take school aged children swimming. All after school time slots, in both the adult and child pool, are taken up with swimming lessons or swimming clubs. There are lanes for adults to swim. But nowhere for children after school.

Weekends are the only times available.

To be fair, people of any age shouldn’t be frowning at those trying to have fun in limited unstructured times, if there’s plenty of lane swimming time too.