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

[BeeMyBaby]

The heating should be underfloor as then not only will it be warm once the children have finished swimming but the floor will also dry quickly/less stagnant water to slip on and hopefully more hygienic.

[nonsense0name]

A one way system - so you walk into a changing room one way and out the other - that way you are never walking barefoot where outdoor shoes have been worn.

Heated floors that dry quickly

A bench to sit on and sit children on to keep them off the floor

Hooks/hangers for bags, coats, towels

Those machines that spin the water out of your swimsuit

Hairdryers that blast out warm air rather than just breathe a cool draft

Big lockers with a shelf inside to keep shoes separate from clean bags

[ArcheryAnnie]

Enough hooks on the walls for towels/bags.

Enough easily-draining benches so that you can sit when you need to get your socks on.

Frequently mopped floor.

Separate sex-segregated changing facilities AND enough family cubicles, so that eg, mums with boys or dads with girls don't have to go into the wrong changing room. (And someone to ensure that the changing rooms are sex-segregated.)

More than one accessible cubicle.

[starfishmummy]

Large changing room fornparents with disabked kids. Big enough to get their wheelchair in, their helpers and a changing table big enough for an adult. And preferably one that is not also being used as a xumping ground for cleaning supplies and random pieces of swimming kit. Needs to be somewhere that a non-swimming helper can so access ( eg my husband and son swim, I help to get him changed) and unisex.

[NotCitrus]

In the new leisure centre near me, there are plenty of lockers and cubicles and it's clean and warm.

Problems - all small cubicles meant for 1 or 2 people have a pathetic bench that is not only 6 inches wide but right against the end of the cubicle, so even a thin person can't sit on it to get changed or put a bag on it.
Which means practically everyone wants to use the family cubicles because their bench is about 18 inches wide, so you can sit to get clothes on/off and put your bag on it so don't have to bend to the floor.

Given how many elderly and disabled people want to swim, many people need at least a seat and a table.

There's also no accessible changing room or shower ie bars to help get out of a wheelchair or place to sit under a shower, despite being opened last year.

Also high locks to stop toddlers escaping, showers that produce more than a dribble and with hot water, and if you have a sign saying "overshoes must be worn" explain who needs them and enforce people removing shoes at the door - my boys thought they shouldn't go barefoot in the room at all while others resent the staff not following policy.

[BoffinMum]

If the staff were dressed in white with white hospital-style footwear (plastic clogs) this might give a strong message out about cleanliness throughout. They do this is Germany and Scandinavia and I think it does make a difference to the perception that the wet side of a pool area is something that really needs keeping clean.

[SnozzberryPie]

More family changing rooms - there are never enough in our local pool meaning I have to try to change dd and myself in a single person room (or wait for a family one, but that's not a good option with a cold, wet, hungry toddler!)

Somewhere to breastfeed- when dd was little she would immediately scream for a feed when we got out of the pool and there wasn't anywhere to sit and do this apart from in one of the family changing rooms, which was awkward as she was a slow feeder and other people would be waiting to use the room.

Cleanliness, as everyone else has said!

[Lorn26]

I'd like more family changing cubicles as I sometimes go with my 3 boys and we have to all squeeze in together. Like someone mentioned earlier, a lock that's too high for the kids to reach so they can't open the door while you're getting changed, or do a runner!
Underfloor heating would be amazing, also clean fresh towels so you don't have to bring your own. Oh and free hairdryers and straightners would be ace too!

[starlight36]

Underfloor heating. We went to a new municipal pool in South Devon which had this and my daughter commented how 'warm and snuggly' it made her feel.

The spinny machines to help dry out costumes are very useful.

Large family changing rooms with doors - not curtains - are v helpful to contain exuberant toddlers who try to re-enter the pool or run out of the changing rooms just when I've got the least amount of clothes on.

Locker keys provided on entry to the pool so no need to have the right coin with you to operate lockers.

Towels provided are a huge bonus - less to carry and to try to have draped around holiday rooms

Dry floors to avoid accidents - toddlers are never careful!

[merrymouse]

Don't like wet, muddy floor, smell of drains and over flowing bins.

[ILikeBigBumpsAndICannotLie]

Floors that drain, non slip, not tiled to avoid manky grout. More hooks and a high shelf in the cubicle together with a bench long enough for a changing mat. Drainage on the bench. Doors and walls to the floor so whatever you drop remains in your cubicle.

Decent size lockers with hooks in them that the locks are easy to replace when broken.

[shazzarooney99]

Having a child with Asd, i would change the fact that they have hoovers and hand dryers in the changing rooms and i know butlins have a lot of children with disabilties visit, i would also have the water slightly warmer and more stuff for the children with disabilities.

[ivykaty44]

Underfloor heating

As it means the flooring isn't all wet

Signs to tell people to take their towels to the pool
Showers in the changing rooms as you come back from the pool

A spin dryer for you costume

Dry of by the showers and a nice big changing area with large lockers

Hair dryers and mirrors

[ivykaty44]

If you go to Portugal the municipal pools are spotless, one reason is that the customers have to abide by a few rules

Hats must be worn, flip flops must be worn - this keeps changing room clean of mud as you put them on as you enter the changing room keeping muddy footwear out.

Having seats in a corridor to allow change of footwear before entering may help families with small children.

Also my gym provides a couple of travel cots\ playpens to put small children to prevent them from running away or falling whilst mum gets changed ( dads arent allowed in the ladies changing room)

[Rushyswife]

Dry areas for children once they are dressed. Maybe play pens. Above all keeping the floor as dry as possible and cleanliness are the most important features.

[BlueBlueBelles]

Shazza, we have had real issues with things like hand dryers in toilets and changing rooms - to an ASD child they can be torture!

Toilets both dry and wet. Nothing more horrible than needing the loo after getting changed and having to sit on a wet seat because there's only one toilet changing room/pool side.

Showers which last longer than 1 push of two seconds, and which are a good temperature!

[cathisherwood]

Non slip floors would be great and some seats you could strap toddlers into while dealing with babies and more family shower areas so you can all shower together easily afterwards and lots of hooks to hang stuff off the wet floor and child size toilets

[Tarzanlovesgaby]

shower cubicles where you can have a shower in private. not this poolside nonsense.

[gazzalw]

Some type of tumble-dryer for very fast and effective drying of towels and wet swimwear whilst one's getting dressed (nothing worse than having to carry wet clothing/towels around with one!)

[EnglishRose1320]

More family changing rooms! A large amount of people swimming are families but many changing rooms either have loads of single cubicles or just a communal area, neither of which are great for keeping toddlers contained whilst you try and change!
I think the main thing though is just more staff, changing rooms are horrible when they get grubby and they get grubby pretty quickly so just regularly checking them is a really simple starting point.
If you want to get fancy then things like underfloor heating, swimming costume dryers, detachable shower heads and the such like are all great but i think the main priorities are being clean and safe.

[voyager50]

Showers at child-friendly heights so that adults don't have to stand under them getting wet too when washing childrens' hair would be really useful.

Big cubicles to fit an adult and children in together with locks the children can't reach at the top.

Lots of hooks for dry things and big baskets to transfer things between lockers and cubicles would be good.

[MakeTeaNotWar]

A dry floor please! I can never get anyone's feet dry and invariably drop someone's pants or socks into a hair-ball filled puddle. And bigger lockers for the love of god!

[IconicTonic]

Clean floors - either shoes off at the door or a two door system like center parcs where you go in with outdoor shoes in on and out wihout.

Dry floors - sloping with good drainage can help but heated floors in the only way to guarentee it.

Space - big enough cubicles, with choice of single double or family and enough decent sized lockers.

Decent showers - can't stand cold ones or having to press the button every 10 seconds.

Another nice thing is a drying machine (normally £1 in the slot) and plenty of hairdryers on the way out.

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

The changing tables for babies with a dip in them for babies to lie in securely and drainage holes - they're really handy.
I am much more likely to enjoy a swim with children if the changing rooms are warm, clean, completely private.
For families with older children, it would be nice to have a partial screen so they could get changed in privacy while still being under parental supervision.

[moopymoodle]

We go every year and the one thing I hate is the wet soggy floors. It's impossible to get dry and keep clean clothes dry as they get soaked, as do my towels which then stink our room out afterwards.

Also I think wipe down bouncers for mums to place tiny babies in would be ideal. My first holiday at butlins my baby was laid on the floor on a doubled over towel inside a rubber swim float as there was nowhere to put him