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

Door locks that toddlers can't reach
Gaps under the cubicle walls/door that are too small for a toddler to crawl through (is there a theme here?)
Large cubicles
Large lockers
Softer flooring for when the toddler decides to roll off the bench
Quiet hand dryers in the loos
A net baggy shelf to throw all the dry clothes onto to keep them off the wet floor but avoid constantly wrestling with putting things into/taking things out of bags (because if you sling them on the bench they will either get knocked onto the wet floor or sat on by a wet bottom).
Lockers close to the cubicles so you don't have to wrangle an armful of bags plus several overexcited kids across to the far side of the changing room.

Heated floors! In fact just heating in general - I hate going from what are usually quite warm swimming polls in to freezing changing rooms! As others have said play pens are incredibly useful with a crawling baby/young toddler. More than anything though just cleaned regularly and no smelly nappy bins!

Yes to everything already mentioned.

I actively avoid swimming as I hate all the faff and fuss of getting changed. The only time we all go as a family is when we're on holiday at Butlins Minehead. We've been 13 times now

Last time we went what struck me most was the smell, a really strong smell of wee in the family changing room. So totally agree with PPs who've mentioned more cleaning assistants.

Definitely more seating in the cubicles and somewhere to put clothes that isn't the benches that you have 2 kids sat on and need to sit down yourself!

More family and accessible cubicles, often only one accessible which can mean long wait with cold wet child.

Clean dry floors

Drying tubes, great fun and so effective!

The best thing would be paper toilet seat covers. You know a dispenser on the wall where you pull out 1 paper 'o' shape to go on the toilet seat? That way people can use them when they get out of the pool wet for a wee, they get the paper cover wet, dispose of it in the bin and the toilet stays clean. and you don't get stuck to it with a wet bum

I'm a bit concerned that heated floors would be a haven for bacteria and germs? Would it not be a haven for verruca and athletes foot etc ?

They need to be large enough to fit a family in. There need to be enough family rooms at a family oriented place that you can actually get one. They need to be clean. Can't stress this enough!! Something to keep kids safe and occupied while you deal with other kids and yourself. A wall mounted TV maybe or those bead table things. Benches all the way round and several hanging hooks so lots of room for bags and towels and sitting everyone down. And nice and warm too.

I hate dirty changing rooms. Ones with no space to swing a cat.

When the kids were younger they needed containing in an area where they couldn't run off or large changing cubicle.

Also ones we use now have no soap to wash hands in the toilets - it's disgusting.

Wide rather than tall lockers so can get things in and out without playing Tetris!

A high chair type seat with straps so non walking but mobile babies can be sat safely but not on a wet floor while I get changed.

A combination shower/ changing room so I once one DC is out of the shower and drying/dressing I am washing the next DC or myself.

And warmth. What about, in an ideal world, some giant hand dryers that DCs ok really me! could stand under after getting showered and get mainly dry

Large changing rooms and large lockers.

Shelf and hooks for bags in the changing room

Temperature controlled showers as some are too hot for the DC

A better system for keeping showers on - maybe an automatic sensor? Very hard to wash small children and press the button over and over again.

I agree with a lot of the ideas already mentioned. Heated floors are great so the floor isn't wet and you don't have to dance around trying not to get trousers wet. And cleanliness of the whole area tends to be a big issue. Lockers too....large family sized lockers would be useful.

I've got two sons and it seems to be an expectation that from age 8 or 9 they are not allowed in women's changing rooms. I'd like a solution so that I can be with them if I'm on my own with them (without dh).

More pegs, roomier cubicles, somewhere safe for younger children to sit whilst parents are changing. YY to the higher locks too! I'd also love to have a small shelf above child height to put hairbrushes, deodorants etc., and somewhere separate to store shoes hygienically.

The main think is cleanliness - floors need to be kept clean, rubbish cleaned up, showers cleaned etc.

Also, more family changing rooms - with proper sized cubicles, so it's not a squish to get everyone in.

Mirrors children can see into - not just above sinks so they start to climb...

Better heating, and good lighting as well.

I'd love them to be checked now and again so that if some dirty person has left a used nappy it can be removed.
I'd also like a shelf or somewhere other than the seat to put bags and clothes.

More family rooms. My ds is 9 so not able to come into female changing rooms anymore. I don't feel comfortable with him being in the male changing rooms alone - particularly as he often struggles with the lockers

Yy to more family rooms. Ones that adult males and females are equally signposted to, and welcome in.
Then inside the family room there wpuld be loads of good - sized family cubicles each with a bench, high up hooks and shelf, a lock that works that doesn't pop open... And there would be big shower cubicles too, and loos with baby changing.

Then away from the cubicles would be hairdryers and mirrors, with benches.

And it would all be clean, and the floor wouldn't be too sopping wet.

the main thing that bugs me in our swimming changing room is that they smell of wee really strongly whether it be the floor or due to being close to the toilets but its really not pleasant. I hate the walk from the shower round to the family changing as they are the furthest away and the floor is often really slippy so can be difficult keepign track of all of the children ensuring they dont fall.

I love that Butlins has benches big enough to fit a baby changing mat on for when the family cubicles are full. More family changing rooms, some without baby change facilities, so families with 6/7 year olds don't take up all the ones with changing tables would be good. Heated floors. A dry changing room and a wet changing room, with just the lockers in the middle. Ooh and I love those big people dryers that the whole family fit into; taking DD swimming has been so much easier since these were introduced at our pool.

Above all it has to be really clean.

Warm large family changing room ideal.

Benches for sitting and putting "stuff"

High up locks!

Hooks for bags.

Good lockers.

Hair dryers and mirrors.

Dry non slip floor, for eager children in a hurry to get to the pool.

Clean showers.

Bins for chucking nappies/general waste.

Baby changing flip down trays.

Clean, clean, clean.

We go swimming a lot and we seem to manage ok but then we only have one child.
I think plenty of hooks, a high shelf, a high door catch and bright lighting would make the most difference to me. Yes also to water fountain.
Under floor heating would be fantastic in an ideal world.

We were put off going swimming on holiday because of all the faff. So agree that it would be helpful to have somewhere safe to pop a baby whilst dealing with a toddler. And also some sort of place to put said baby on to try and change them out of happy nappy and other assorted clothes for getting dry.

Large family rooms with 1/4 of the space dedicated to a shower in the changing room (with a door so not everything gets wet). Second the net idea too. I hate queuing for a shower and having to deal with 2 DC at the same time. The DC would be able to shower whilst I got their clothes ready, and I would be able to shower quickly whilst they (slowly) got themselves dressed.

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

I am going to answer both of these together!!

The first is the aspect of cleanliness! At some of our council run pools there is hair, dirty toilets and sometimes after family swim sessions dirty nappies left behind! I would welcome a space that I didn't have to feel that I want to get dressed as quickly as possible and leave!

More hairdryers that actually work. Not ones that are ancient and take about 20 minutes to dry a few strands.

Those little machines where you can pop your swimming costume and towels in and they spin dry them.

Enough lockers to use, preferably ones that don't feel like you have to do a diploma course to work it, just a locker, you lock, and not being charged to do this!

Enough staff employed to keep it clean.

More showers

Frustrating

• too small for me, child and bags
• not enough hanging space

Would like

• an L shape changing room - so you can stand and get dry properly
• shelf / seat on one side for standing small kids on or putting on kids shoes & socks
• hooks / high shelf for bags
• locks high up so kids can't unlock and make a run for it while I'm naked!!!