Water Babies Ireland East and North East

Baby swimming with Water Babies is an exciting, enriching experience for both you and your little one. Not only does it teach vital life skills, but it also enhances the way babies and toddlers learn other skills, too. No one else reaches our high standards of professionalism, and no one else works harder to make sure you and your little one feel happy and safe. And we always incorporate lots of bonding, fun and socialising, so you can be sure that a Water Baby is a happy baby!

Classes across East Ireland are run by sisters Therese and Carol McNally, who it It could be said practically grew up in a swimming pool. Their dad, Hugh, ran a sports centre in Blanchardstown and was heavily involved in Irish Water Safety and their mum was the pool administrator. So a childhood in water – competitive swimming, lifeguarding and teaching – seemed only natural.

However, the lure of chlorine could only last so long, and both girls smoothed down their gills upon graduating college: Therese to enter the world of billing, whilst Carol went into marketing and sales. Fast forward 10 years, and the sisters had met and married the men of their dreams and produced four children: Emily, Daniel, Joshua and Rachel.

Whether it was motherhood or the sniff of a pool, the changes in their lives prompted the sisters to begin re-evaluating their careers. When they found Water Babies, they realised that here was a business that could combine their new passion for babies with their first love, swimming, and help pass a love and understanding of water to their own and other children too. For, as Carol says, ‘It’s a life-protecting gift from parent to child, and one that will give me true satisfaction to promote.’

The lovely Ciara, Michelle, Siobhán, Melissa and Melanie keep the office running smoothly, while a team of highly qualified teachers completes the Water Babies crew. They’d love to hear from you so why not give them a call? Or check out the banter on the Water Babies Leinster Facebook page.

Local news

Welcome to the new term!

The Water Babies summer term is well under way and we'd like to welcome all our new babies and parents to the Water Babies journey!

Mum Talks came to Junction 6!

We were delighted to welcome Mum Talks to Junction 6 Castleknock in April!

We had a super line up of inspiring speakers and everyone received a great goodie bag so they can try out the amazing range of activities available in Junction 6 including YogaHub, Ger Conroy fitness, Ship Shape & Play, Squash , Toss, Aquafit classes at J6 Swim, Altipeak, Fit Bug, Royal Grappling Academy, River Beaut, Grafton Barbers and Komb.

Have you thought about becoming a Water Babies teacher?

Are you passionate about babies and swimming and looking for a exciting, rewarding job doing something you love! If so, we want to hear from you or anyone you know might love this job. It is part-time weekend hours. For more details and how to apply see our vacancieson our website or email us at pushtheduck@waterbabies.ie.

Our Autumn Term

Our autumn term starts at the end of August! NEW timetable for autumn baby swimming classes is coming soon! Get in touch now to join our waiting list to make sure you don't miss out! We teach baby swimming classes in the following pools:

Castleknock baby swimming classes at Junction 6, Castleknock

Swords baby swimming classes at Roganstown Golf & Country Club on Mondays and Saturdays

Baldoyle baby swimming classes at St. Mary’s Baldoyle on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays

Belcamp baby swimming classes at St. Michael’s House, Belcamp on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

Lucan baby swimming classes at The Clayton Hotel Liffey Valley on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays

Kilmainham baby swimming classes at The Hilton Hotel, Kilmainham on Fridays

Island Bridge baby swimming classes at St. John of Gods Island Bridge on Saturdays and Sundays

Ballsbridge baby swimming classes at the Mespil Swimming Pool on Tuesdays and Saturdays

Harold’s Cross baby swimming classes at Our Lady’s Hospice in Harold’s Cross on Saturdays

Rathfarnham baby swimming classes at Butterfield Wellness Centre, Butterflied Avenue Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays

Blackrock baby swimming classes at St Augustine’s Blackrock and Blackrock Hospice on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

Cabinteely baby swimming classes at Tulleyvale Leisure Centre on Saturdays

Dun Laoghaire baby swimming classes at St. John of Gods, Carmona on Saturdays

Co Meath baby swimming classes in Integral Bettystown on Tuesdays and Sundays

Co Meath baby swimming classes in Johnstown House, Enfield on Mondays

Co Louth baby swimming classes in Integral Drogheda on Sundays

Co Kildare baby swimming classes at Enable Ireland, Jigginstown on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, The Westgrove Hotel on Thursdays and Sundays

To find out more call us on 01 824 9987 or you can register on our website here: https://www.waterbabies.ie/ask-about-classes/ireland-east/ .

Happy splashing!!!

Have you seen our reviews on Feefo?

We're delighted to announce that we have recently joined Feefo! You can visit our Feefo page to have a look at some of our lovely reviews about our classes left by our swimmers.

We were on TV3!

Our very own Therese was interviewed by TV3’s Mark Cagney this morning to talk about the benefits of taking your baby swimming!

She was joined by George Barry who was one of the stars of the National Baby Swimming Week videos and his mum Siobhan.

It was very special for Therese as she taught George before he recently graduated from Water Babies!

Watch the video here!

New Pool for Dublin 15

Some splashtastic news - we are very excited to announce that we've started classes in the new Junction 6 complex in Dublin 15!

Junction 6 Castleknock is Ireland's first health, fitness and leisure village located just off the M50 and is home to some of Ireland's top food, fitness and leisure companies.

Welcome to Water Babies Ireland East

Thank you for taking the time to visit our local page, we are looking forward to meeting you and your little one and having lots of splashy fun in the pool. Michelle, Ciara, Siobhan, Melanie, Melissa, Aoife and Natalie are the friendly voices that you will hear on the end of the phone when you call the office and the rest of the team is made up of our highly qualified teachers, Therese, Carol, Laura, Claire, Caeleen, Michelle, Jean, Leone, Aideen, Suzanne, Caoimh, Andrea, Siobhan, Louise, Suzie, Melanie, Becky, Hazel, Emer, Anna and Joanna. We'd love to hear from you so why not give us a call or see what we are up to on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/irelandeast

Water Babies Splashathon

Splashathon - we raised €28,000 for Crumlin Children's Hospital

Water Babies would like to say a huge thanks and congratulations to everyone who took part in the Splashathon across Ireland.

We are over the moon to let you know that your amazing fundraising efforts have raised €28,000 for Crumlin Children’s Hospital!

What an amazing achievement!!! So a big thank you to all who participated and raised such a phenomenal amount for this great cause.

Where will your fantastic funds go?

The funds raised will go towards upgrading the Nazareth Ward where the tiniest patients stay providing more space, light, comfort and equipment for our tiniest patients and their parents. Each unit will cost approximately €50,000 to complete so we’re just over half way towards renovating one room!

Water Babies Check List..

Here's a handy check list to remind you what you need to bring to your classes...

Your Happy Nappy
Swimming Nappy
Wetsuit (if you need one!)
Snuggly Towel
Blanket
Warm hat for baby
Baby food for a feed after the class
Your own swimming togs and a towel

Water Wobble Tips!

If you are looking for some more information about the Water Wobbles, blogger 'The Dadventurer' has written a very informative piece about his tips for getting through the wobbles. You can read more here.

Some of our top tips on coming through the Water Wobbles include:

By arriving early to your class, your little one can watch the other babies swimming and having fun in the class before theirs.
Bring your little one to a pool outside the classes and when you are in the pool, focus on the skills that your little one enjoys doing.
Persistence - it is very important to attend as many classes as you can even though you will be tempted to give up. Our teachers are used to little ones going through the Water Wobbles and will support you every step of the way until your little one comes through this phase.

If you would like a bit more information about what the Water Wobbles are and how to get through them, we have plenty of information available in our office. We also have teachers on hand to talk you through this developmental stage. If you would like more information please do give us a call on 018249987 or send us an email at pushtheduck@waterbabies.ie.

Top Family Days Out

One thing Water Babies mums and dads have in common is that they like to spend their days out with babies and toddlers outside in the fresh air (when they are not swimming with babies!!) So, all our healthy active families are spending quality time with their little ones either walking, running, scooting or swimming in the sea!

The top list is……..
1. Nice Beach Walk and don't forget your kite!
2. The Zoo
3. The playground at one of our many amazing parks
4. Phoenix Park – the Zoo, Visitor Centre, Farmleigh
5. Newbridge House & Farm, Donabate
6. Ardgillan Castle& Demesne, Balbriggan
7. Malahide Castle
8. Kia Ora Mini Farm, Wexford
9. Glenroe Farm, Wicklow
10. Hill of Tara, Meath
11. Tayto Park, Meath

Thanks again to everyone for sharing top family days out!

Looking for gift ideas?

We've lots of gift ideas for your little one. You can have a closer look at the wide range of swimwear that we have available on our online shop.

A Water Babies gift voucher is another ideal birthday or christening present. Grandparents, godparents, family and friends can make a difference by purchasing a practical and useful gift that will be used, loved and enjoyed all year round.

The gift vouchers can be put towards Water Babies lessons or underwater photography sessions and they can also be used to buy baby wetsuits, happy nappies and toys for the pool or bath. Water Babies gift vouchers are available in a range of denominations from just €10.

You can email us at pushtheduck@waterbabies.ie or give us a call on 018249987 to purchase a voucher.

Most Popular Water Babies Songs

The results are in from our Pregnancy and Baby Fair Facebook Competition! The most popular baby swimming songs in Water Babies classes are..drum roll please!

No. 1 Splish Splash
No. 2 Humpty Dumpty
No. 3 Wibble Wobble

Thanks to everyone for entering the competition - prizes are winging their way to you all!

We were on Today FM!

Carol along with our lovely customer Jil Gallagher spoke to Matt Cooper about the benefits of baby swimming. We were very proud of Carol & Jil - they did a great job!

Listen to Today FM Interview