Preparing For Your First Lesson

Before you attend your first lesson it is always a good idea to familiarise yourself with your venue especially if you are visiting a location for the first time. We do occasionally get calls from parents who have got lost on their way to class which can be extremely stressful – not the best start! You will have received a fact sheet about your pool, including full postal address, before you start your course. 

Aquanatal Yoga – what’s it all about?

You’ve probably heard about the benefits of working out in water, it improves balance, increases flexibility and burns calories – but why is water-based exercise becoming so popular within pregnancy?

Preparing for your Taster Session

You’ve booked your baby’s taster session and you are hoping to get the very most from your session. See how you can help prepare your child for their first swimming experience.

The Benefits of Reusable Swim Nappies!

One of the most important policies Aquatots Swimming has is ‘double bagging’ your child!  This simply means that every infant that swims with us that is not 100% toilet trained is expected to wear a swim nappy (either washable or disposable) underneath a neoprene over-nappy.

Overcoming A Fear Of Water To Swim With Your Child

At Aquatots Swimming we aim to have our children comfortably and confidently swimming by the time they reach school age, teaching babies from as young as 8 weeks old means we need each child to have a parent or guardian in the water with them. How many children are missing out because their parent(s) have had a bad experience with water at some point in their lives?

Drown-proofing

At Aquatots we recognise and nurture babies’ natural ability to swim by using specialised techniques that our Managing Director Fiona has adapted and fine-tuned during the past few decades of running Aquatots. 

Neck Floats for Babies – Sink or Swim?

You may have seen images of babies suspended by their necks in water by semi-solid or inflatable rings, the photographs generally display babies looking serene and relaxed, enjoying a so-called ‘Pampering Experience’.  For as little as £2.49 you can purchase your baby an inflatable neck ring online and recreate a baby spa in your own bathroom! These products are sold as “Safety Aids” and “Unique Swim Gifts”, it is claimed that they “Exercise your baby’s strength and ability to grasp” and that they “Encourage early mobility, exploration & a love for water play” but in our opinion (and many other professionals) we believe this device is completely overlooking the real benefits of introducing young babies to water.

Choosing The Right Swim School

 

Swim School lesson with Aquatots Swimming Ltd

All Aquatots teachers come to us with an existing ASA (Amateur Swimming Association) or STA (Swimming Teacher Association) level 2 qualification. This means they have all undergone the relevant training in a nationally recognised framework to ensure that before they even begin their hundred hours of Aquatots training they are able to deliver lessons to a high and consistent level. (This qualification has been designed by both the ASA and the STA to train would be swimming Teachers to teach children from the ages of 3 upwards.)  This is true of all professional swimming teachers so what happens when your Swim School or teacher are not able to meet your expectations?

Summer Water Safety

At Aquatots we pride ourselves in not only teaching babies and children how to swim but also giving them the skills to save their own lives (and during our higher levels the skills to save others!).  Having these skills does reduce the risk of serious water related incidents BUT accidents happen especially to young children and we ask that you NEVER become complacent about the dangers, teach your children to respect water and always supervise them when they are around water.

Why Aquatots gives ‘Something for Nothing!’

‘Freebies’….a word that can make people very suspicious – can you really get Something for Nothing?  At Aquatots we have a core belief – ‘If YOU are happy then we are happy’!  This is why FOUR times a year we offer completely FREE, no strings attached Baby Swimming Taster Sessions.  They are not a gimmick or a stunt to trap you, there is not a sales person hiding in the changing rooms to encourage you to sign up to a full course or a hidden cost of the Taster Session if you decide not to start your baby swimming with Aquatots.  They are simply our way of giving you and your baby the opportunity to experience what we can do and more importantly allowing you to decide if you like it.