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

[emmav6]

a family room with changing dresser and suitable seating

[ozbird1]

Find a way to get people to respect the no shoes in the changing room rule - I hate walking through other peoples muddy puddles after we have been in the shower.

[welshpolarbear]

My pet hate is walking on changing room floors in bare feet, they're never as clean as they need to be and it really is the worst part of a swimming trip for me. Cleanliness is changing rooms is such an important issue and it would be excellent for families if Butlins could take the lead in developing a better system for keeping the areas sparklingly clean.

Also, it would make my life easier if you had a couple of small screens around with cartoons or something on to distract children while waiting for their parents to get dressed as this is often a difficult time for most parents once thier child is changed and it's your turn to sort yourself out.

Thanks in advance :-)

[MichelleMumsnet]

Thanks for your posts, everyone! mishknight has won the prize draw for a £300 John Lewis voucher! Congratulations!

[HelenSw4les]

Warmer changing rooms would be lovely, and more hooks inside the changing room to hang things on to save them dropping on the wet floor.

[fifimummy]

Locks right at the top of the door! So I don't show the entire swim school parents my bare boobies ever again :O
Also, possibly a rubber type floor that is much less slippy to walk on as I spend my time there shouting at 4 year old ds to stop running 7 be careful!

[GloGirl]

I'd never thought of a playpen before, now I really want to go to a changing room designed by mumnetters!

The thing I would change most are the horrible stagnant pools of water you find around. They make my stomach turn when I accidentally stand in one! Good drainage and regular swishing.

And yes yes to a warm changing room.

[KittyKat88]

I always prefer to find a 'double' cubicle as it's usually me with both my DDs. Having a lower seating section for kids to use would help. I also get frustrated at not having enough hooks to hang stuff up on, to keep it off the wet floor!

[OnMyShoulders]

I wish the stinky nappy bins were outside the family changing cubicles. They just take up valuable space. I'd like to see more hooks for hanging bags etc up. Fold down seats would be brilliant to maximise the space and save you sitting in a puddle to put your shoes on. Actually, I'd love a little foot spray thing in the cubicle to use before I put my socks and shoes on! Changing rooms floors really yuk me out.

[2Warriorsandawish]

Keeping them clean and more family cubicles with change table & wipes to clean before & after use.

[PallasCat]

Frustrations:
*storage
*floors
*noise
Solutions:
*more hooks/sturdy high level shelving. It amazes me how many changing rooms and also public toilets don't seem to think anyone will have belongings on them, and that they'd rather not put them on the (probably gross) floor. Which brings me neatly onto...
*flooring. I used to work in an architect's office - I know there is a huge range of flooring out there. I really question whether ceramic tiles, which seem the default option in changing rooms, are the best option. Even with bumps/ridges they are so slippy for little feet. Although I appreciate they're pretty easy to sanitize, the grouting between tiles gets pretty nasty. They also contribute to my next point...

• address the headache-inducing echoiness. The slick, hard surfaces of floors, walls, ceiling, cubicle dividers don't lend themselves to a family environment. The environment itself produces an atmosphere which is noisy and stressful. Sound absorption/echo reduction should be planned and built in - there are loads of options for e.g. texturised ceilings which wouldn't impact on the functionality/hygiene of a changing room but would make them much more pleasant environments.

[ButterflyOfFreedom]

Somewhere to put my 1 year old whilst I dry my 3 year old (& myself) - ie. A safe, clean, dry playpen. Otherwise it's a very tricky operation!

Large cubicles instead of communal rooms would be better too - the children need to be contained!!!!

Enough hooks for clothes, bags, towels etc.

Free haidryers

[Rigbyroo]

Seating to put more than one child. Better drainage for sure.

[GetKnitted]

Soap in the showers like in a motel, that simple act would massively improve hygiene and be really convenient, no trekking back to the locker and them back to the showers, no more people going in dirty like its a Roman bath

[FlukeSkyeRunner]

There never seems to be enough room off the floor to put stuff, so it all gets damp on the floor while everyone is getting changed - maybe shelves or something for dry clothes and towels?

[foxessocks]

More family changing rooms so I don't have to cram myself in a standard one with my toddler!

[Frolicacid]

Make them warmer. It's always horrible to change in a cold room. I would also add decent seating, hair dryers and good showers. Most of all, keep them clean at all times. There is nothing worse than standing on other peoples pubes!

[chumbler]

it's so hard getting changed after swimming - you're wet, baby's wet, baby's getting bored, hungry and tired. The cubicles are so tiny you can barley turn round! And no room for a pushchair so where exactly do you keep your moving baby?

I think there should be some larger changing rooms, maybe even parent changing rooms like in car parks, just extra space would make a huge difference

[chumbler]

Continued from above

Ooh or provide a shopping trolley type seat that you could pull back from the wall to sit older babies / toddlers in

[cuddles159]

Family sized changing rooms are just brilliant I'm always crammed into a tiny changing which you can hardly move in :)

[Dreamiesrcatopium]

Underfloor heating if that would work, to keep floors dry. Or low level blow heaters -same reason.
More separate large cubicles.
My local swimming pool has a big walk in hair dryer which dries the whole person. Ideal.
The spinny costume driers are ace.

[Merrilymerrilymerrily]

Cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness. I can put up with almost any other annoyance if I don't need to avoid matted hair and lost plasters

[LumpySpaceCow]

Visit Center Parcs and use their design model!
Large, family changing rooms with a large bench and safe baby change. Clean, nappy bin to dispose of nappies. Underfloor heating to make it more comfortable. Shoes left at entrance (lockers) to make it cleaner. Lockers big enough for families.

[Daariina]

I would change their family rooms. I don't know about anywhere else, but the pools near me are always filthy. It's like they don't pay cleaners to clean them.