Difficulties taking toddlers swimming alone

[nickjchelm]

Hello all

I am just after a general feeling in terms of if other parents struggle the same as me?

I find it very difficult to take my 2 year old swimming on my own due to difficulties with the changing process both at the start of the swim and after.

The floors are wet and slippery, there are hard edges everywhere and she will not stay still whilst I am getting changed or packing up the locker.

Do difficulties like this put anyone else off?

Its fine if there are two of you so one can hold on to the child whilst the other gets ready, but on your own its a nightmare!

Anyone have the same difficulties?

Nick

I take the buggy in with me. Family changing room. Towel round self. Get child done and in pushchair with snack. Change safe in knowledge toddler is strapped down and quiet!

At our pool there's a playpen in the changing room to stop this being a problem. Could you bring the pushchair in and strap them in while you're getting ready?

I'm already wondering how I will do it when DD starts crawling. Costumes under clothes helps

I did go through a stage with my DD about that age where I stopped taking her swimming as it was just too difficult. I have it a few months and tried again and it has been fine since. You could try snacks for while you are getting yourself sorted, but that didn’t work for my DD (also, getting changed in front of her made her want breastmilk, and then she was completely unmanageable!)

Same as pp the buggy is your friend here.
On the way in leave toddler strapped buggy, get yourself ready then the toddler.
On the way out sort the toddler then strap into buggy and sort yourself.

Not really. I just strip mine and wrap her up in a towel and sit her on a bench with a snack. Then I get dressed. Then finish drying DD and get her ready.

Are there no cubicles? Or play pen?

Not really! Wrap yourself up in a towel, get the toddler dried and dressed, sit them on a bench with a drink and snack whilst you dry and dress yourself. Chuck wet towels and swimsuits into a bag and off you go.

I just waited until toddler turned 3 so he could have lessons without me having to get in!

Yes I hate it. DS is 15 months and it is a nightmare now he can get down off the bench and walk/crawl everywhere and therefore get wet. There's no playpen where we swim and only one family changing room which is rarely free. I either take his dressing gown, strip him down and wrap him up while I dress, or dress him first and hope he doesn't get down and crawl. He loves swimming so I can't bring myself to stop until he's older.

I'm also having another baby in April so no idea how we will manage when I'm huge.

Thanks for your replies! Re the pushchair option, unfortunately my local pool doesn't allow them in there. No play pen either!

I wish my daughter would sit there waiting with a snack :) when I sit her on a bench, boom straight away she is looking to get up.

Hopefully that would change.

I am glad to see that I am not the only one that struggles though!

No but I struggle to take both my kids on my own 🙈

I have twins so I can only go swimming when DH is also available. I tend to wrap the toddler in a towel and give them a toy to play with while I quickly dry myself and get dressed. Then dry and dress the toddler. Sometimes the toddler gets bored and I have to run after them dressed in just my pants. How I love communal changing rooms. Not.

My boy is a bit younger and is only crawling, I just take an extra towel so I can throw it on the floor if it’s wet and let him crawl about while I get myself sorted. He can’t reach the door locks yet thankfully so he has nowhere to go.

I take a 2 and a 3 year old together!

The worst bit is from coming out of the pool and into the changing room via the lockers getting huuuuge amounts of stuff.

Once you're in the cubicle strip both kids quickly and put them in one of those big cosy hooded towels. Give them a banana. Get changed yourself. Then once child is warm, dry and fed - change them!

I had an old towelling dressing gown I chopped shorter to make it easier. I can throw that on over my costume and see to the offspring before changing myself.

Our pool has family cubicles with chairs that fold down from the wall. You can strap your toddler in while you get changed yourself. They're brilliant; I wish they had them everywhere!

user1498549192... wow that sounds great. Where is that just out of interest?

I take mine several times a week and I’m heavily pregnant so it can be done honestky! Just be prepared, be quick and take something to occupy toddler whilst you’re changing (mine will play with a musical book but a few minutes)

I strip them off and put hooded/ poncho towel on them, then sit them on the bench. I then get myself completely done while bribing them with a snack - this is to save a dry child slipping over or playing in a puddle and getting sopping again (we learn from our mistakes 😂). Once I'm completely ready with all wet stuff bagged, I use my towel as a mat for toddler, get them dressed, roll all the towels up and pack them and leave as fast as we can for dry land!

I don't actually find that bit tricky. Keeping him alive in the pool is a different matter!!

Oh yes, take a big towel for you, and once you're dry put it on the floor to avoid wet feet / bottoms.

Yes I do find it very difficult.
I find a YouTube video of Peppa pig helps distract him long enough for me to get dressed!