Tell Butlin’s what you would change about swimming pool changing rooms - £300 voucher prize draw! NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

Butlin's is redesigning one of its swimming pools and needs your help to make it as family-friendly as possible. In particular Butlin’s wants your help to understand what it’s like as a parent using a swimming pool changing room – and your input will genuinely help inform the new design and build on resort.

Why the changing room? Butlin’s have done research which shows that most parents love going swimming with their children – until they get to the changing room. From the wet floor, the often-freezing temperature, the small cubicles not suitable for a family to the fact you can never get your child dry – there’s a lot to be desired! Which is why Butlin’s wants the opinion of Mumsnetters to identify the biggest issues you face – and your ideas on how to solve them.

So two important questions:

What do you find particularly frustrating when using changing rooms at the swimming pool?

In an ideal world, can you think of anything which would make your life easier and solve these problems?

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 John Lewis voucher!

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

Bigger cubicles with lots of hooks to hang up bags to keep dry.
More seating so children can sit down & bags can be kept off wet floor.
Ensure floors are clean, nothing worse than seeing dirty wet floors.
Decent size lockers with a sensible useful locking system. No need for coins or padlocks.
Free hairdryers.

Changing the size of changing rooms would be great, More space the better :)

I would like to see much larger changing cubicles for families and plenty of hooks on the walls to hang bags and clothes. Large enough benches so that the clothes don't fall on the floor in the wet if you are changing several children at once.
A warm changing area - nothing worse than trying to dress a string of freezing children who start shivering and crying and you nearly get hypothermia yourself (as mums always get dressed last!)
Free hair drying as all my daughter's have long hair and it's not nice to go outside with wet hair if it is cold outside.
Something else that would be helpful is a communal playpen that you could place a toddler in while you are putting your clothes in and out of lockers (I saw this done in our local pool until it was knocked down and rebuilt) toddlers can have an awful habit of running off so this would be very helpful.
Another good idea I've seen are child seats with straps that fold up against the wall when not in use (a bit like baby changing tables) again these are wonderful for keeping little ones safe and off the wet floor while you are dressing and undressing.
Swimming supplies being sold at low prices as many places charge way too much!
If I really could have anything I wanted then I would have an instant blow dry room - where you go in after the swimming pool and get blasted with lovely warm air until you are warm and dry. It would save all the trauma of being cold and wet while changing cold wet children and it would keep the floor dry so less likely to drop your clothes in the wet while changing!

Stop the cold draughts

Ever Since my children were little I was frustrated by the lack of 'Family' changing cubicles & this would make life so much easier for all parents & grand parents.

Family changing rooms would be great, so daddy could help too, make things much less stressful!

it would have to be bigger cubicles , it is a nightmare ! i usually end up taking at least 2 of the kids in to get changed and there is just not enough room , especially when you are thinking of all the stuff you have , trying to put on nappies , keep the kids occupied ,because there is usually no where else to do this , and somewhere you can actually put all your stuff without the fear of it ending up on the wet floor

In an ideal world I would make sure the temperature of the pool and the air is maintained to be just right, a warm pool and warmer air for when you get out of the pool, my daughters lips are always blue when she gets out.
I would also have better controlled showers, I hate the ones you push a button, its hard for my daughter to press them and if you want to make sure all the shampoo is out of your hair you have to press it constantly !

Dry flooring is a must. So easy to drop kids clothes, or your dry towel onto the wet cubicle floor, or alternatively, hooks/hangers or shelving. Family size cubicles too. Cubicles are too small at present.

Family changing rooms need to be bigger. There are five of us and it is often a squeeze. Also, changing rooms need to be cleaned regularly to get rid of the pools of stagnant water. The state of changing rooms often puts me off going swimming.

Big lockers, well trained staff to keep all areas in top notch condition, wizzy costume drier, and in an ideal world a full body hot air drier! Heated floors would keep them dry too.

A large family room, when I had twins the mens change rooms are not so good and I struggled with little ones. So a family room or larger unises cubicle areas would be great.

The changing rooms need to be warmer so wet bodies and clothes can dry quicker. Also, I tend to wring out the swimming costumes after we take them off and before I put them in the bags so it would be handy to have some sort of container to hold the costume over while I squeeze out the excess water so it doesn't go on the floor. Also, more handers on the walls (for bags etc) and maybe s shelf/holder for the ubiquitous mobile phone!

Make family ones more single parent friendly , so either parent can take child swimming and have somewhere safe to change them. ie a seat you can strap them into once you changed them so you can sort yourself out or playpen type area

I would love to see bigger family changing cubicles, with raised areas off the floor to keep kids feet off the wet floor when getting changed. Nothing worse than trying to balance little ones as aiming to put their shoes on. One foot always gets wet for sure.

Hooks, bigger cubicles and playpen style things to put small ones whilst parent gets changed

Bigger changing cubicles, with plenty of hanging hooks, there are never enough to keep wet cossies away from dry clothes.

Have enough lockers to put property away safely. Not have mixed sex changing rooms. To not have to walk miles from the changing rooms to the pool! :)

A bit more room to move!

no gaps underneath or that can be looked over and large enough for all the family so no more segregated changing rooms

More family rooms. Ds is too old to come into the ladies', but too young to send into the men's alone (I feel). Please, just let them be clean! Too often they are full of puddles, which mixed with outdoor shoes, makes a muddy mess, perfect for dropping your bra into. And no random plasters sticking to my feet, please.

More space in changing cubicles is definitely needed- would be nice to have good quality shampoos/conditioners in the shower cubicles.

Id make the changing rooms a lot warmer. Trying on change two kids whilst in a wet swimsuit is not fun

I like the idea of locked cubicles that are big enough for a family. Also smaller ones that can fit 2/3 people in. Shelves in them to put clothes/bag on. I would like more up to date lockers. They need to be able to fit families belongings in. A number would be good instead of a key.

What do you find particularly frustrating when using changing rooms at the swimming pool?

I always struggle to find a family changing area. Our local swimming pool has about two of them. With a baby and a toddler, it is always so frustrating waiting for one to become free.

In an ideal world, can you think of anything which would make your life easier and solve these problems?

Simply more changing rooms for families. I know this takes up more space, but there must be a way around this.