Remember the key to a water confident baby is lots of repetition and having fun, so relax and enjoy your classes and with time and patience see your babies develop into little swimmers. The water temperature is kept warm and is at least 30°C to enhance you and your baby's water experience, however please note the pool temperature at some venues is 29°C, a Warm in One or Baby Snug Wetsuit must therefore be used for these classes. We would recommend one of our hydro pools for babies under 6 months old. Once your baby has completed one term, you will have the opportunity to have your baby photographed swimming underwater, and what a delightful keepsake! The cost for this is presently £35 with an additional cost for the photos. Each session lasts either 25 or 30 minutes and can be booked termly and paid in advance at a cost of £10.00 per class. If after attending your first term, you are unable to commit to a full term, you can pay our ad hoc rate of £12 per class. You can pay our ad hoc rate of £12 per class however these classes must be consecutive and specified when rebooking.

Swimmers academy

Children can start with Swimmers Academy from 4 years old. Some children have come through the Baby Swimmers programme, however others have joined without any prior swimming experience, we just think it is important to get children in the water and confident as soon as possible and therefore teach whatever your child’s age or ability from beginners through to advanced swimmers. Once children are confident in the water we focus on stroke technique, stamina and survival skills, following the STA Structured Awards Programme. Children will start with the Stanley Awards which have 8 in the series, with the aim of progressing and achieving one award every one or two terms. Once these have been achieved children will move onto the more advanced Goldfish, Angel Fish and Shark series all the way through to Gold Advanced Swimmer and then on to our Lifesaving Awards.

What to bring

NAPPIES: Please ensure your baby wears 2 snugly fitting swimming nappies. You can use 1 disposable swim nappy with either a Happy Nappy or Velcro Swim Nappy on top. This is to help guard against any accidents which may contaminate the pool. Please have a look at our online shop. CHANGING MATS: Please bring a changing mat with you and change babies on the floor for their safety. Disposable nappies can be purchased at Baby Swimmers at a cost of £1.00 each.

Changing rooms

As most of the pools we use are within schools and leisure clubs, the changing facilities may be limited and quite small and usually without changing tables. For safety, please change your babies on a changing mat on the floor and bear in mind that there is limited space for parents coming into the changing rooms after you. Hopefully the enjoyment of the classes and warm pools will make up for the changing facilities. Please use the lockers provided. At the Forum you will need £5 deposit for your key and will require £1 at other venues. Please note there are no lockers at any of the school pools, so please do not bring any valuables with you.

Award programmes

Baby Swimmers uses Starfish, the official water safety programme for babies through the STA. There are 6 Starfish Awards throughout the series with the aim of completing one award per term, after which you will receive a sticker for your achievement booklet and can also purchase a badge and certificate. It should therefore take up to 2 years to achieve all six, awards and then your babies/toddlers can move to the more advanced Stanley Awards Programme which commences from 2 years old. Please click on one of the award types below to view further details or purchase your badge & certificate.