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

[theshooglypeg]

Plenty of those portable changing tables, they are always being used when I go swimming. Plenty of travel cots to put errant toddlers in while parents change. And toilets with paper towels as well as hand driers, which wake sleeping babies and frighten awake ones!

[Charlene1]

Don't like slippy and wet floors. Ideally there'd be a free hot air blower as you come out of the pool, so you could at least dry off a bit, especially your feet - and you'd be warm whilst going to the locker!
At least 4 hooks should be in each cubicle.
Also, if you had tables and chairs poolside, someone who isn't swimming can sit and look after the clothes and bags, so you can grab a towel as soon as you get out to keep warm.
Maybe also have private showers with doors on and changing space / hooks as well, so you can shower and wash your hair properly without the shower going off after about a minute, or having kids running in and out off the sprays - it's a pain if you need to go to your locker to get shampoo, then go back again after as lockers aren't usually the best at refunding money / locking properly, so you may have to leave your things out and unattended whilst you go and wash your hair.
Handrails are also a good idea to stop slipping!
Attendants should also go in the changing room regularly to assist with any problems.

[Tarzanlovesgaby]

oh and a clean pool. with proper filter systems and without floating hairballs or oilfilms.

[ShatnersBassoon]

Heated, non-slippy flooring.
Frequent cleaning.
Yy to costume wringing machine - great help in keeping changing area and bags dry.
Big lockers, big enough for a whole family's kit.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

The worst changing rooms I have ever been in were at Butlins in Skegness. It was many years ago now, and I am sure )or at least hope) they've improved a lot!

For making things more pleasant with young children, I'd say that changing rooms need:

Plenty of family sized cubicles, to fit at least 3 people in.
Warm - there's nothing worse than feeling freezing as soon as you get out.
Clean - attendant on hand for regular wipe down//mopping etc.
Big lockers, so all of the family's stuff can go in one.
Ideally I'd like a kind of giant walk through dryer thing, so that I can be instantly dried in a kind of car wash-esque system.
Oh and I wouldn't say no to Ben Cohen handing me a hot chocolate once I'm dressed.

[Anomite]

• large family individual changing rooms
  
• benches/seating (with straps for tiny ones)
  
• lots of hooks
  
• dispenser with bags to put wet costumes
  
• individual shower within the family change room
  
• costume dryers
  -* mirrors
  
• hairdyers

[johnjocoppock]

I would be helpful if there were more family sized changing rooms with plenty of hooks so that towels, clothes etc can be hung up out of the way instead of on the bench you want to sit on. There could be pictures on the backs of the doors (no hooks here) which would be interesting for small children to look at while their parent(s) get changed. Maybe hidden animals for the children to find. This could be used as a reward by the parent for the child getting dry quickly or would occupy a sibling while parent is busy with another child.

[IAmABeachWave]

Someone at the entrance making everyone take their shoes off, will save you money on cleaners. Also please clean facilities regularly, but don't forget the lockers, some are so grim but you have to use them. Using a steam cleaner will take care of them. Toilets that are big enough to take a toddler in with you without having to stand them on the toilet to close the door. Or a grown adult to have to touch the toilet with their legs to shut the door. Just adding half a foot to the length makes such a difference to the absolute minimum toilet size.

[LJH79]

Bigger cubicles are defiantly needed especially at butlins. Also wider benches so you can put changing mat on it to get baby dressed or more pull down changing stations in cubicles. Mats that soak up water so floors aren't as wet.

[Anomite]

Oh and Definately locks that are high out of small children's reach- my kids love exposing me in various toilets/cubicles!!!

[Cocacolaandchocolate]

Locks high up on the doors. No shoes policy everywhere in the pool... Somewhere to put babies/ children to allow parents to get dressed and not have to worry about baby crawling on wet dirty floor.

[WhyDoesGastonBark]

I'd make them warmer and I wouldn't have lockers at ground level for two reasons 1) bending over and hurting your back 2) my toddler climbs in them and messes around for ages and I stand there freezing my butt off in my wet costume trying to coax him out!!!

[WhyDoesGastonBark]

Also, the locks up higher on the doors as my toddler often exposes us to the world!

[KitKat1985]

I would say:

1. Cubicles large enough for a whole family to get changed in.
   
2. Baby changing tables in each changing room.
   
3. A small 'toddler play pen' in each changing room so you have somewhere safe to put down a toddler whilst you yourself try and get dressed.
   
4. A hair-dryer in each changing room.
   
5. Lots of hooks in each changing room.
   
6. Mirrors in each changing room.
   
7. Some method of keeping floor dry in there so I don't end up putting socks on myself and my toddler and they end up wet / dirty from the soggy floor.

[nemno]

The top one for me is cleanliness. Getting changed and trying to keep your toddler away from mouldy grout, hairy drainholes or filthy surfaces is stressful, very stressful.

[TheStripyGruffalo]

They should have underfloor heating, the cubicles should be larger and well lit, the lockers should have the same style locks as at Centerparcs in Woburn where you don't need a coin as your wrist band does it. Also two doors like at Centerparcs so there is a wet and dry side. Good drainage is a must.

[Tarzanlovesgaby]

having just come back from a council swimming place, they have nearly got it right.

family changing rooms nice and big and with plenty of large sturdy hooks for your stuff and a long bench. some family rooms (but not all) had a mini playpen with changing table on top.

what was awful:

• long long way to the lockers which were pool side and not enough of them
  
• no hooks poolside for towels or shelves for flipflops/crocs
  
• only open poolside showers with cold water
  
• the large training pool had visitor seating but to get there people had to walk poolside and were not encouraged to take shoes off = muddy floor

[aftereight]

What do you find particularly frustrating when using changing rooms at the swimming pool?
Cold floors, wet socks, lugging armfuls of stuff to & from lockers, having to have a £1 coin, too cold/too hot showers

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

1. Underfloor heating.
   
2. Wristband with locker key, no coins needed.
   
3. My genius idea Baskets on wheels (like the pull along shoppong baskets in supermarkets) to put shoes/bags/coats/towels in. Ideally in perfect size to slide inside a locker. Stuff can then be easily transported to and from lockers before and after swimming, leaving one arm free for baby or child taming.
   
4. Individual shelves or pigeonholes next to the pool for towels/shampoo on getting out of the pool.

[BoffinMum]

BY JOVE AFTEREIGHT, YOU'VE CRACKED IT!

BASKETS ON WHEELS!

BRILLIANT!

[Hygellig]

I'd like much warmer changing rooms with bigger and wider lockers. I'd prefer PIN numbers to coin-operated lockers. I would like the cubicles to be checked regularly for discarded chewing gum, hygiene labels from swimming costumes and dirty nappies.

[Emilyjane101]

I recently visited butlins for the first time and thought the swimming pool was ace. I liked the little playpen/baby cage I could plonk DS in whilst I went to the lockers.

The family changing room was ok, a bit of a squeeze and wet floor not sure how this could be avoided but difficult to put socks on with wet feet.

Could some numbers / Letter or animal pictures be put on the inside to distract the toddlers? What letters can you see?" Whilst I franticalmly get changed.

Changing rooms that are warm are great so up the temperature if possible.

Bigger lockers, there really is no point in small lockers at butlins so many families we need bigger ones.

One of those spinny things to partially dry your swimsuit in is handy, how about a few of those, you supply the bags but the spinny things would be even better.

More showers? Had to queue when we went, maybe some hair and body wash in a pump next to shower to save bringing your own?

We didn't need a pound for the lockers in the Bognor Regis one which was great.
Overall we loved butlins, and will go back next year!

[Baconyum]

Decent sized benches to sit kids on - I don't have overweight kids with me but tall ones!

Decent sized lockers for families and key things that don't nearly rip the hand off your wrist to be secure. Clearly marked lockers and keys.

I think a foot button for showers as a pp suggested is genius! Also can we not have the showers running either boiling or freezing?!

Enough hanging hooks, even rods/bars for towels, shelves.

Heated changing area.

Clean tidy and well maintained.

My local pool has playpens and those all body air dryers which are great if expensive and they've only one.

[Dolallytats]

Bigger changing rooms and more of them. Also a way to keep floors dry-it's a right bugger when you accidentally drop your knickers on the floor when changing!!

[CMOTDibbler]

Aftereight - many years ago, the swimming pool I went to had these huge baskets which you handed over to an attendant and got a wristband in return - they were hooked onto a rail behind the counter. It was a great system