You can take your baby swimming straight away! However, you know yourself and your baby best therefore we recommend that you attend whenever you feel comfortable. Our Aaquatics mascot, Winnie, had her first swim at just over a week old, so there really is no limit!

If your little one is premature then we recommend that you check with your doctor or healthcare practitioner before starting lessons. But as long as they have been deemed medically fit and you yourself are happy and comfortable enough then bring them along!

You can take your baby for their first swim before their vaccinations. However, some parents do choose to wait till after, but this is entirely up to you. It is advisable not to swim for the first day or two after your baby has had their vaccination, as they will often be feverish and irritable afterwards.

Just a normal swimsuit or trunks and a towel, the pool isn't deep enough or cold enough to warrant a wetsuit but if you bring one we will be impressed! Please feel free to wear goggles if you want to go underwater too but don't worry if you're not too confident in the water. We welcome all religious symbols and clothing.

We operate a double nappy system. All babies/toddlers who aren’t potty trained must wear either a disposable swim nappy with a costume on top to keep it secure or wear a disposable paper swim nappy with a ‘Happy Nappy®’ on top. Babies wearing any other attire such as a wetsuit or warmers, etc., must still use the two-nappy system above.

All our pools are kept warm specifically for babies, so you can bring a baby swimsuit or a full baby wetsuit, it's up too you. But please don't forget a towel for your little one!

You can find links to our recommended nappies (of all sizes) here.

We have found that the best way to deal with eczema and chlorine is to rub a prescribed barrier cream over the parts of your baby’s skin that are affected before you put their costume on. If you feel unsure then please contact your doctor who can provide you with the best advice.

Our pools are kept at a toasty 32+ degrees and the air temperature comfortable for swimmers (so spectators should wear light or removable layers as it is warm!).

You and your baby both need to be ready to climb in just as soon as the previous class before yours ends. So we recommend that you arrive at the venue around 15 minutes before your class starts to give you enough time to change. Don't worry there are some comfortable benches around the poolside that you can wait and warm up on before your class starts!

It's completely safe for your baby to go underwater! Babies are born with what is known as the ‘Gag reflex’, this happens as soon as your baby feels any water on their face, nose or throat. When your baby goes underwater, the gag reflex will kick in and close off the airway at the back of their throat (called the larynx). We train this from an early age to make sure that when this reflex starts to fade they will know that they are still safe underwater and know not to breathe.

Most importantly, we will never attempt a submersion until we think your baby is ready and prepared and that you are comfortable with the submersion going ahead.

Please never attend a session if you or your child have any illness such as; an ear infection, diarrhoea, vomiting, chicken pox, impetigo, conjunctivitis, a bad cold or any other infectious illness or if you have Covid-19 symptoms and/or have been asked to be isolated. Please wait until your doctor has given the all-clear before returning to your sessions. If you or your child are suffering from an illness and you’re unsure whether to attend a session, please contact us before attending the venue so that we can offer guidance on how best to proceed.

Please ensure that any sickness/diarrhoea symptoms have completely cleared for at least 48 hours before your session, or 14 days if a gastrointestinal bug has been diagnosed by a doctor.

We do suggest that any feeding is done at least an hour before your lesson starts, however, it's best to keep this just a light meal. If they are still wanting a milk top-up closer to the time is more than fine! You can do this in the privacy of the changing facilities or poolside - it is completely up to you.

For older kids, we recommend that they should not eat in the hour before their lesson, just to be on the safe side.