Hi have been bringing baby since he was 4mths. Loves it. Got his little togs in mothercare, work a treat! I find Dublin City Council pools great, always warm & they use o2 not clorine so not quite as harsh, also pools temp tested every hour. I just carry him think the best thing is for us to be relaxed then they know not to be afraid of water. Also got this from Rollercoaster.ie hope it helps:
Brought DD swimming when she was just four months. She loves it. On the practical side of things here are a few bits I found out.
1st: Shots...everywhere says baby must have all three rounds of shots before swimming. This is because the polio vaccination was a live one and so was present in baby's stool. As it's contagious, baby had to be over all of them before swimming. It's no longer the case. The vaccine is no longer live and as the first shot at two months is the most important {the others are merely boosters} it's possible to bring babies swimming after the 1st vaccination.
2nd: Not all pools will allow the use of the MC swim suits as they don't seem to realise they have a protective plastic insert so Huggies Little Swimmers work great. Not all stores stock the small size from 16lbs-24lbs but it is possible to get them so ask! I got mine in Tesco's of Navan after asking them to order them in. Well done Tesco!
3rd: When I went the first time I asked the pool manager if I could bring my D's buggy. It raised eyebrows. I very politely explained that it would be a lot easier to run the squidgy mop over where I'd run the wheels after the fact than run the risk of my taking an action against them after slipping on the poolside with baby in my arms. There was absolutely no question about allowing me to do so and that's what I do every time. This also means that I can change and dress baby and leave her in her buggy while I get ready - I forego the shower.
4th: Pampers Dry Sheets...they're great for putting into the buggy underneath her robe when she's wet. It keeps the buggy dry for later on but also means that some of the wet is absorbed so she doesn't get as cold.
5th: The basket under the buggy is great for storing your valuables and locker key as I leave mine by the poolside and its always in full view.
6th: DD loves the water and I think it's important for the kids to learn about the water and how it works at a very young age so leave the floatation devices at home...the sooner they learn how to keep themselves afloat the sooner they'll be swimming. Teaching them to rely on something that won't always be there is something else they'll have to unlearn in the future
I take Ella swimming every Saturday morning. She loves it too. I take her to the Acquatic Centre in Blanchardstown and the water is just the right temp and there is not very much chlorine in the water so its not harmful to her. The facilities are really good and they have family changing areas where you all can get changed. We really enjoy it. The best thing is to get there before 11 O'Clock as it can get very busy.
replied to this a few mins ago but don't think it went, so will try again, must have hit wrong key!
I'm very keen to take Sean swimming, and I know its something dad is really looking forward to. I'm not a very strong swimmer and would be very nervous to take Sean into the water without some sort of flotation device, at the same time however I want him to become a strong swimmer and have no fear of the water (unlike his mammy). He's dad is a good swimmer but I know he too would be nervous with baby in tow.
any tips or advise
Gillian you say Blanchardstown has a family changing room, what an excellent idea? Is it open to the public every day? What's the charge? Good idea to go early to miss the crowd...
Sean is only gone 12 weeks, but has had his 5in1 - is it ok to take him swimming now?
I find Dublin City Council pools great, always warm & they use o2 not clorine so not quite as harsh, also pools temp tested every hour. We go up to Coolock most Sundays. You could also go to the CRC or to Portmarnock or even I think there is a pool in Drogheda, if you don't want to travel to Blanch.
think you can get the little rings for the babies in Mothercare.
Just getting to read your post now. Yeah Blanchardstown is excellent. Its open to the public every day as far as I know. Its €11 euro for a swim but you can stay in the water as long as you like. I have been taking Ella since she was 10 weeks and the water is very clean and there is not very much clorine in the water so its not as harmful as the Dublin City Council swimming pools. We both love it and have not had any problems so far with going there.
Ment to say that in Blanchardstown the water is really shallow. There is a "Wave Pool" which you can walk into as high up as you want. You can sit at the edge and when you feel ready just ease yourself in. There is lifeguards all round the pool so you should be fine. The wave pool comes on every half an hour so you can enjoy going round the "Lazy River" when you feel more compitent.
Let me know if you need any more info would be happy to help.
Thanks for the tips guys, can't wait to get Sean into the pool, just have to pick up his swim wear :) That lazy river sounds lovely, nice and relaxing !! And a wave pool too, excellent. 11EUR isn't bad considering you can stay in there as long as you want - do you have to pay for the baby?
There is also a pool in Drogheda, the water is suppose to nice and warm, we were talking about it the other morning, don't know how much they charge though.
You dont have to pay for children under 3 years. Not to sure about the half day tickets. We are members so pay yearly. if u want to contact them and ask them about it check out their website www.nac.ie. Hope to see you later at the picnic.
Thats great Gillian thanks, website is very good, cool virtual tour.. Plenty up there to keep you amused, will be even better when Sean is that bit older :)
Did you head to picnic today? Didn't end up going myself, Pixi photo's were down in Tesco S/C so brought Sean down to have some pics taken, so cute, can't wait to see how they came out..
Yeah went on Friday. Had a nice time. There was only about 6 of us there but the weather was great and the rain stayed off. We are meeting up on Tuesday at 2.00pm either on the green again or the Bracken Court if its raining. Hopefully we might see Sean and yourself there. How is Michelle? Do you still see her at breastfeeding class?
won't make tommorows picnic, have a friend dropping out for lunch, but will def try make next weeks picnic ....
yeah myself and michelle still head down to the breast feeding group on wednesdays, we both went to the first picnic and to the brackencourt on the wednesday. she's just waiting to get her internet sorted out to get onto this site... little Jasmine is getting so big now, she's just adorable...
michelle was up in the swimming pool in Drogheda when she was pregnant and said it was lovely, water was nice and warm... it would be handy for people to get to, not too sure exactly where it is myself....
Just bumping this up as we were talking about swimming at toddler group yesterday. Also just to mention a swim in Aura in Drogheda is 6.75 and if the swim isn't busy you can stay as long as you like.
Hi Just wondering if baby of 12wks is too young for the pool ? I'd love to take Zoe swimming but just wondering how manageable she will be at this age in a pool - Also wondering also if it's possible to get nappies for the pool- I've seen them alrite for older kids but not for babies and wondering wheres best place to get a swimming outfit!
see dors note at the beginning of this thread and that will tell you all the bits you need to know about bringing your little one swimming
pool i've found is great is in drogheda, aura leisure centre, marleys lane ... www.auraleisurecentres.ie - phone number 041 987 4478. They have toddler swimming on wednesday and friday mornings at 11am. they have just started swimming lessons on mondays at 11 and 11.30 am for under fours. unfortunately baby no. 2 due for me so i couldn't enrol for this lot of classes for my DD but next lot of classes are starting in december so will see how things are then to see if it's possible to go
good luck with swimming and i think its best to get babies into water early so they aren't afraid of it
Karen Mothercare have little togs for 10 and they are brilliant. Like tregan says see the first post of this thread for tips on bringing baby swimming - good luck!