Swim with confidence


Your safety, as well as the safety of our colleagues and teachers, is and always will be, our number one priority. In compliance with government guidance, we have made a number of changes to your Water Babies classes to ensure that your classes are a safe place to be.

We’ve completely redefined our safety procedures to provide the utmost level of care and consideration for all of our swimmers. If you were swimming with us when classes were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ll contact you automatically once we have a date to reopen your pool.

Here are some of the changes you can expect from your classes with us.

Staff Training and Expertise

All Water Babies staff are fully trained and equipped to carry out our new cleaning and safety measures to the highest standard. Rest assured, you’ll still receive the warmest of welcomes while we ensure your journey with us is as safe as possible. Below are some examples of how we've prepared for your arrival:

  • Pre swimming lesson communication informing customers of the rules for the facility, social distancing requirements and when not to swim.
  • First aid kit contains suitable PPE.
  • Swimming teachers have been trained in the latest guidelines in social distancing and teaching from the poolside.
  • Swimming teachers inducted in the latest national guidance for providing first aid and CPR.
  • Information provided to customers that outline the measures taken from entering to leaving the building.

Social Distancing

Your Water Babies class might look a little different when you return to swim with us. Each step of your journey has been thought about to ensure you can always maintain social distancing. We will also control class numbers to make sure it never gets too busy.

  • A one way system introduced where possible to allow distancing.
  • Adapted lesson plans to maintain adequate levels of social distancing within the lesson.
  • Customers informed not to bring spectators to maintain social distancing, one parent and child to attend the lesson.
  • Cleaning schedule in place with allocated arrival times between lessons to reduce the chance of clustering groups, you will be given allocated arrival times by your local Water Babies office.
  • Controlled numbers in classes with clear arrival times to pre-booked lessons.
  • Layout plan with entry and exit points created for the pool to help manage social distancing in and out of the water.

Extensive Cleaning and Preparation

All of our locations will undergo deep cleaning procedures with industry standard anti-viral disinfectant. Our teams will also complete routine cleanings throughout the day to ensure that you and your little one can swim with confidence.


  • Routine cleaning will be undertaken throughout the day.
  • Touch surfaces are subject to regular cleaning with disinfecting wipes.
  • Disinfectant wipes and sanitiser made available to customers.
  • Toys and swimming aides will be regularly disinfected with a cleaning rota in place.
  • Working closely with our pool partners and venues to maintain the appropriate chemical levels and pool quality.
  • Sanitisation stations will be available at the entrance to each building.

FAQs

  • Yes, we recognise there has been a big gap since your last lesson, but we will be calling on our extensive 18+ years of experience in reintroducing children to the water that have had a long break, making sure to tailor your first lesson back with us to fit in with your little one’s needs. We have a precise record of exactly where you left off in your Water Babies journey which means we will know exactly where to pick up.


    Rest assured that our aquatics team have been developing lesson plans to ensure you get the best reintroduction to the water possible, continuing to help your little one build water confidence and reach key milestones in their development right from the get-go.

  • We will do our absolute best to ensure continuity across all of our classes, but this might not always be possible in every case. We’ll be working incredibly closely with our pools and our teachers for this continuity but our promise to you is that you will be taught by one of our experienced Water Babies teachers, in a pool that is thoroughly vetted to the Water Babies standard, with classmates at a similar developmental stage.


    The Water Babies classes that you know and love will still be an incredibly fun and enjoyable experience for all. The core progression will still be there too, we've just made some changes to ensure everyone's safety at all times. Our dedicated Aquatics team have also been working on our programme to develop exciting new and exciting skills to ensure that we’re adhering to social distancing guidelines in all Water Babies classes. 

  • The health and safety of our customers and colleagues will always be our number one priority, and we are complying with the Government’s guidance on managing any potential risk in all of our pools and operations. We are taking all the necessary steps to ensure that we can deliver the best teaching experience for you and your little ones in the safest possible way.


    Based on recommended guidelines released by the national governing bodies for swimming, we have introduced additional measures to ensure the highest level of hygiene are maintained:


    All of our team have undergone COVID-19 training.


    Additional hygiene measures have been introduced and changing rooms and pool area will be cleaned regularly throughout the day.


    Sanitisation stations are available for you to sanitise your hands.


    A one-way changing room system may be in operation. This will be pool dependant and will be explained closer to your lesson.


    We will comply with all of our pools COVID-19 policies and procedures and go the extra mile to keep our customers feeling safe and happy to keep swimming.


    Specific allocated time slots will be given to you to avoid clusters of people between lessons.


    We will be asking all of our customers to adhere to our new policies on showers, spectators, allotted time arrivals, cleaning procedures for all of their Water Babies classes. Please see above for more information.

  • Your local office will be in touch with you as soon as your pool is ready for you to begin swimming with us again.

  • We’ve introduced a number of measures to ensure social distancing.


    Our teachers will be teaching from poolside where possible. We’ve given this a lot of thought and we believe that while different, you will still learn as much and will have just as much fun as before. As always, teachers have received the necessary training to deliver our award-winning programmes with these changes.


    Our class size may be reduced depending on your pool.


    In order to minimise the amount of people at the venue at one time, your local Water Babies office will give you an allotted time of arrival.


    Customers informed not to bring spectators to maintain social distancing, one parent and child to attend the lesson.


    To ensure the safety of all customers and staff, please leave the venue promptly after your lesson.

  • Your local office will be more than happy to help answer any additional questions that you might have. The best way to do this is to contact us by email but please be patient with them at this time as they try to get back to everyone as quickly as they can.


    Keep checking back to our FAQ’s as these will develop as we hear more from the government guidelines and the national governing bodies for swimming guidelines.  

  • We’ve introduced some simple lesson rules for everyone to follow so we can all enjoy the experience of coming to Water Babies:


    1) Do not come to class if you or your little one has any symptoms – we’re in this together and we need to keep each other safe. If you find yourself suffering from any of the symptoms below then you must stay at home.

    • A high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
    • A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
    • A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

    Most people with coronavirus have at least 1 of these symptoms.

    You must also  have completed our terms and conditions online before arriving to pool.


    2) Arrive ready to swim - put your swimming togs on underneath your clothes and change your little one poolside into their double nappy system.


    3) Bring one bag only. Please only bring essentials for you and your little one. Onesies and dressing gowns are great for speedy changing!


    4) Try your best to keep your little ones with you at all times both inside and outside the pool – be mindful of social distancing!


    5) Shower at home before you arrive to your class and when you get home.


    6) Please don’t feed baby in changing room.


    7) Bring your own changing mat.


    8) Arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before your lesson.


    9) No spectators allowed – one parent and child to attend lessons only.


    10) Take your nappies and rubbish home.


    11) Make sure to bring everything home as we will not be able to keep any lost property left behind.

  • We take the safety and hygiene of our lesson environments very seriously.

    We lead the way in the baby swimming industry having actually written the British Standards specific for the operation of swim schools teaching children 0-4 years of age. These standards promote best industry practice with specific reference to; pool water treatment, the general cleanliness of the pool environment and pool water temperatures.

    Now, with the arrival of Coronavirus, these standards are even more relevant and necessary.

    Following the recent PWTAG (Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group) advice and in-line with our standard operating procedures, we are continuing to work with, as we always have, each and every one of the pool operators where we hold our lessons to continually coordinate all recommended health and safety measures.

    Our 4 point action plan supports the following:

    1. Frequent and regular testing of pool water quality.
    2. Full compliance of pool water pH and disinfectant levels.
    3. Regular pool water bacteriological tests carried out by specialist laboratories.
    4. Structured cleaning regime of ALL areas used by the public including the changing rooms, pool surrounds and all teaching equipment to fully comply with not only industry standards, but government recommendations also.

    We understand that a Water Babies lesson is not just about the pool, it’s the entire experience. And it’s our overriding purpose to make your experience as safe and enjoyable as possible.

If you're already a swimmer, we'll be in touch about your classes. If not, tap here to find your nearest class.

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Whether we're in or out of the pool, your safety has and always will be our number one priority above all else. If we don't feel that it's safe to swim in your area yet, we won't. Rest assured, you can trust us to provide you the safest possible environment for helping your little one reach those all important milestones in their development.

We stimulate their cognitive growth.

Compared to non-swimmers, water babies are top of the class when it comes to cognitive development.

Griffith University of Queensland, Australia found that children that had swum as babies were...


  • 11 months ahead in oral expression. 1
  • 6 months ahead in mathematics. 1
  • 2 months ahead in reading. 1
  • 17 months ahead in story recall. 1
  • 20 months ahead for understanding directions. 1

We advance their physical development.

Sleep, eat, exercise, repeat, swimming helps regulate all of these essential activities.

Babies and toddlers who swim with us have...

  • Have stronger heart and lung functions.
  • Have better balance and are better at grasping things. 2
  • Are significantly stronger and more co-ordinated. 3
  • Walk earlier than their peers.
  • Have improved appetites and sleeping patterns.

We nurture their emotional growth.

We provide you with the perfect backdrop to support the bond between you and your little one.

  • Promotes bonding.
  • Boosts confidence. 3
  • Stimulates positive emotions. 3
  • Provides structure.
  • Rewards achievement.
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What do our lessons look like?

  • We keep our classes intimate, with a maximum of 10 little ones, a carer per child and one of our teachers at any one time.
  • Our classes are 30 minutes long. The perfect length for your little one to get the most out of their swim. 
  • We teach all of our water skills through song, play and repetition.
  • Our teachers tailor each lesson to your little one's ability.

Who are our teachers?

They're only the best trained baby swim teachers in the world, fact.

Our teachers are really put through their paces. That's what makes them the best trained teachers in the world. They're the only ones that can achieve Swim England's Level 3 qualification, the highest that can be achieved.

Many of our teachers first get involved in the process because they've seen first-hand what happens in our lessons through being a customer. They've caught the bug, and truly care about giving other carers and their babies the same amazing experience that they had.

Building your little one's water confidence at home has never been easier. Simply follow along to our instructional videos below to start building a foundation for all of the amazing life-saving skills that you'll learn with us in your first class.

Learn | Getting comfortable in water

Learn | Floating on your back

Learn | Kicking your legs

When you're ready, we're ready. Tap here to find your local class.

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We teach life saving skills.

Our classes will teach your little one how to save themselves if they're ever in trouble.

Drowning is the second highest cause of accidental death among children in Ireland. That's why we'll teach your little one to get to the side, hold on and get out.  


We hope it never comes to it, but one day that skill might save their life.

This is why we do what we do.

"the skills he learned saved his life when he fell off of a pontoon at the age of 2"

     "I took my little boy to Water Babies when he was 3 months old so that he wouldn't have the same fear of swimming that I had from traumatic lessons at school. We loved it and the skills he learnt saved his life when he fell off a pontoon at the age of 2 without a life jacket. 

     Rather than panicking when he fell into the water, his Water Babies training allowed him to calmly swim to the side, hold on and pull himself out."  Jennie, Devon

Ready to teach your little one a life saving skill?

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1 The Early Years Swimming Research Project, Griffith University 

2 Norwegian University of Science and Technology 

3 German Sports College, Cologne

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