Swimming with your little one!

[Clairelouise07]

Hi I’m doing a survey on surviving changing rooms with your little one and would love some feedback on how you cope when changing with them. I’m looking for mostly when they start moving around and crawling. How do you get them changed and yourself without you both getting wet? Where do you place then as we all know swimming floors aren’t exactly hygienic? How stressful is it at the thought of taking them swimming on your own without someone to help? I’d love to know how you all survived thank you so much for any feedback to help 😊

[HighlandPony]

Most changing rooms have baby changers they can lie in as babies or sit on as toddlers. I have no idea about the both getting wet part, you’re wet from swimming anyway. I get mine changed first because they get colder quicker than me then sit them or lie them in the changer and get changed myself. They’re always starving after swimming so I’ve always got a snack for them to have while I’m getting ready. When they were small enough to fit in a bumbo seat I’d take that but I found the mamas and papas one was better really.

it’s actually harder showering. Changing is fairly easy. Unless I give in and use a baby shampoo and conditioner for my hair they’re going to get it in their eyes when I’m holding them and washing so I’d use the wee chair in the shower at my feet and rinse me hair backwards or get the older kids to hold them.

I don’t find it stressful at all, we swim at least once a week but usually twice. The worst part was the tantrum having to bring middle kid out when the baby was first born because he wasn’t over 8 yet and couldn’t stay in without me and she could only last 20 mins with a babywarma on but I’d usually just lie about his age because he’s only a month off and as good a swimmer as I am.

We’re on October holidays just now and we’ve been swimming four times this week. Some of the changers at the haven site we were at were covered in baby talc which I hate so I’d just put a towel over the changer before I put the baby on it. The other worst thing was having to wait on a changing cubicle with a changer because they’re larger and a lot of folk would go in them just for the extra room so you’re standing trying to keep the wet baby warm.

If there’s anything else you think of let me know.

[dizzydizzydizzy]

I work at a swimming pool. We have a playpen for small children. We also have some large cubicles.

[Mrbay]

I take my baby in her swim kit and me in mine so easy to get in quickly.

When we get out I strip her off, pop on a nappy and then wrap in a towel. Once I'm dressed, I wrap her in a star snugg and off we go! Next time will be easier as I've bought a copy of a dry robe so I can throw that on and worry about getting dressed at home.

[thefiddlerselbow]

We used to only really go swimming as a family and play pass the baby. The pools I went to had those baby shaped lie in things that you could pop them onto. I think maybe one of them had a strap in thing for holding into them, like a trolley seat sort of. It's been a while!
I think I took my Mum the first time I went and she did baby holding after I'd dried DD1 so I could get changed.

[LunaLoveFood]

Butlins bognor Regis has the best family changing rooms ever. Lots of different sizes (some are huge) lots of them, with baby changing tables and seats. They also have huge lockers which is really helpful when you have extra baby stuff to store. I think they did a mumsnet survey before they were built as there is a sign on the wall saying the changing room design was inspired by mumsnet.