FAQs

Your baby can start swimming with us straight from birth. But if your little one is premature, always check with your doctor before starting your lessons. As long as your baby is deemed medically fit, it should be absolutely fine for them to attend lessons once they are past their due date.

Babies love familiarity, so getting them used to the water beforehand will help them prepare for the lesson. 
Having a bath or shower together is the perfect place to start. Laugh, play, splash and natter with your baby to reassure them that being in the water is a fun, safe place to be. 
If you can, pop down to your local pool. You don’t have to be there long, but getting them used to the atmosphere of the pool will mean they’re more relaxed for their first lesson. 

All you need is comfortable swimwear and a towel. Bring goggles if you’d like to go underwater too (make sure they have clear lenses). But don’t worry, if you’re not a confident swimmer you won’t be forced to go underwater.

Based on health guidelines, your baby doesn’t need to wait to have their vaccinations before starting their Water Babies journey. Take a look at the NHS guidelines here.
If your baby is premature, please check with your health practitioner first. As soon as they’re ready, we’re ready.

Happy Nappy – Every water baby must wear our double nappy system at their lessons, which means a paper or reusable swim nappy with an approved neoprene Happy Nappy over the top. You don’t want to be the party pooper of your lesson (literally).
Changing mat – A small roll-up one so you can safely change your little one on the floor.
Towel – To keep your baby toasty after their lesson.
Wetsuit – To help keep your baby warm if they are sensitive to the cold.
Warm hat – Little heads get cold easily after swimming. A hat helps keep them cosy on the way home.

We’ve had many babies swim with us with eczema, so recommend smoothing prescribed barrier cream over the affected parts before popping them into a sun suit. If you’re ever unsure, do speak to a health professional for advice on your baby’s skin.

If it’s just the sniffles, then it’s fine to attend your lesson. But if either of you have a temperature, then best to give it a miss. If you or your baby have any significant illnesses, including Covid-19, ear infections, chicken pox, vomiting or diarrhoea, then please stay at home.
We also ask that any sickness or diarrhoea symptoms have completely cleared for at least 72 hours before your lesson. When it comes to any medical condition, we always ask that you check with your doctor or health practitioner before coming along to your lessons.
If you or your child has a strep A infection, you should stay away from swimming lessons for 24 hours after you start taking antibiotics. This will help stop the infection spreading to other people.

Every pool provides changing room facilities which are suitable for you and your baby. Bringing your changing mat also means that no matter where your lesson is, you can easily change your baby comfortably and safely.

We only swim in pools which have been heated to at least 29 °C. If your baby is under 12 weeks or 12lbs, any pool you swim in will be a minimum temperature of 32 °C. Older babies can swim in 30 °C pools and toddlers under 2 years can swim in 29 °C pools so long as they are wearing a wetsuit. Don’t worry though, we’ll make sure you’re always in the right temperature pool for your little one.

Carers and babies need to be ready to jump in as soon as the class before them has finished! We would recommend arriving 15 minutes before your lesson to give you and your baby plenty of time to get ready.

We’d recommend feeding your baby one hour before the lesson starts – keep the meal a light one! But, if they need milk closer to the lesson, do go ahead and feed them.

With toddlers, we advise leaving an hour between them eating solid food and them swimming. If there’s anything that you’re ever unsure about, get in touch with your local office. They’ll be happy to help.

It’s absolutely safe for your baby to go underwater. That’s because they are born with a reflex called the ‘laryngeal reflex’, or ‘gag reflex’. This kicks into action when your baby feels water on their face, nose or throat. When your baby goes underwater, the soft tissue at the back of their throat (called the larynx) closes to block the entrance to the airway.

Using your little one’s natural reflexes from an early age, we prepare them to go under the water through word association. This means that as the reflex fades, controlling their breathing becomes a learned response.
But we’ll never, ever submerge a baby that isn’t ready or prepared to go underwater. You can be rest assured that your baby is in safe hands with us.

Our Water Babies world, Oceans of Imagination, is an immersive swimming experience where little ones learn a skill for life. You’ll be guided by our team of Swimvincibles, on your own, individual swimming adventure, tailored to your needs. Every water baby will join one of our swimming superheroes, The Swimvincibles, in their Team. They’ll work towards progressing key swimming skills and collecting Water Babies Treasures along the way, with their Swimvincible Team member leading the way. This includes everything from badges and stickers to certificates, highlighting your little one’s achievements as they travel through our programme.

The Swimvincibles are a team of swimming superstars, who head up our swim Teams at Water Babies. They’ll inspire and guide your little one through their swimming journey with us. Starting with Pearl for our new baby classes through to Saffi, Echo, Sculli, and finally Finn, as you head for independent swimming!

A Team represents where your little one is in their swimming journey with Water Babies, with our littlest water babies starting with Team Pearl, and our big water babies swimming in Team Finn.

You’re a ‘Swimvincible in training’ from your very first lesson. There are five Swimvincible Teams in total, and you’ll progress through a team in a year.

A massive sense of pride and an amazing Swimvincible cloth badge as a forever keepsake of your swimming journey with us.

Mystery Island weeks are a chance to have extra fun and let imaginations run wild! We have few sprinkled through the year as special events in class, with a chance to wear fancy dress and get involved in a themed lessons such as our bi-annual ‘Splashathon’ charity week.

Water Babies badges are awarded at special celebratory Island badge weeks planned into our swimming calendar. There are three spread out evenly throughout each swimming year, which are collected on the way to achieving each Team Swimvincible badge.

You get four Water Babies badges per year! There are three Island badges (Cloudfish Cove, Lighthouse Lagoon and Floating Forest) spread out evenly throughout a swimming year, which are collected on the way to achieving each Team Swimvincible badge.

We want to make paying for our lessons simple and easy for our customers! We want to ensure that each payment is a manageable amount to pay each month which is why we offer Direct Debit. Direct Debits are covered by the Direct Debit guarantee to give you peace of mind and save you time having to remember to make payment.

All Water Babies customers will pay for their swimming lessons monthly by card or Direct Debit. Your monthly payments will be made on the 1st of each month for the number of lessons scheduled for that month.

All Water Babies customers pay for their swimming lessons by monthly payment. This allows for manageable and flexible payments. We don’t offer alternative payment options.

Yes, you can easily do this using your ‘My Water Babies’ account by logging in at my.waterbabies.co.uk.

Please contact your local Water Babies office. Contact details can be found on our website or on the bottom of any emails you’ve received from us.

It is your responsibility to update your card details to ensure payments are being taken from a valid card. You can update your card details in your ‘My Water Babies’ online account.

If you have a gift voucher, please let your local office know and they’ll deduct the voucher amount from your first few lessons for you. You’ll be swimming through the number of lessons the gift voucher covers before your monthly payments begin once the voucher runs out. Please note all gift vouchers purchased on the online store are only for products.

You’ll just need to give us a call or email to let us know if you want to stop your lessons, this will be in line with your notice period.