How to have a great trip to the swimming pool with toddlers

Here are my top tips on how to have a successful swimming pool trip with young children. When my daughter was a baby we swam often. We even did a baby swimming course, which was a huge help in building her (an our) confidence. We have recently got back in to swimming again, and oh boy does she love it! As we have been swimming a fair bit recently, I thought I'd share a few tips and tricks for how to have a great trip to the swimming pool with toddlers, such as what to pack and how to get them to love swimming. 

Please note, this post is written in collaboration with Trunki. 

Our swimming bag is PaddlePak, a new water resistant bag from Trunki. My daughter loves her new fishy bag - and what's not to love? Brightly coloured, cute designs ranging from frogs to octopi, and comfortable to wear with the padded back and straps.

And mummy loves it too, as it keeps the water out, and water in (important with post-swim soggy towels!) and ensures she is not the only Sherpa around...

We packed our Spike the Blowfish Paddlepak for our swimming trip with:

• Reusable swimming nappy (just in case!)
• Swimming costume
• Hooded towel
• Jellyfish Washbag with baby soap and shampoo
• Snacks and water
• Crab Purse and coins for an after-swim babyccino!

That was our daughter sorted, and she was able to carry all her stuff in her own bag. We of course had our own adult bag as well.

Here are a few swimming tips based on my own experiences at the pool!

When my daughter was a baby, she was quite unsure of the water. After we went on the baby swimming course it was quickly apparent that she was taking her scaredy-cat cues from us... Every time she would get water on her face or cough and splutter, we were immediately terrified, looking at her anxiously, thinking she was about to drown.

Lots of positive encouragement while feeling safe
Once we made a conscious effort of looking happy and smiley, and give her verbal encouragement when mishaps happened, she became more sure of herself. Other helpful tips are to keep your baby / toddler facing you, and holding them close. And every once in a while extend your arms and pull them back again with lots of positive encouragement so they get used to being physically away from you in water. 

Getting used to water on the face

To get them used to water on their face, you should count (out loud!) to three, say their name, breath in, and trickle a bit of water on their face. Keep repeating this sequence every once in a while, eventually increasing the amount of water to a great big splash, and even dunking them once they are ready. They will learn that once they hear "one, two, three" and their name, they have to hold their breath! 

With toddlers you can also try teach them to blow in the water, first just above the water, then mouth in the water and eventually the whole face in the water. We haven't managed to get to a full face yet, but we are trying!

Getting excited about swimming!

I find one surefire way of getting your kids excited about things is to let them choose their own equipment. So for swimming, you could try letting them choose their own swimming costume, or their own swimming bag. My daughter chose a bright yellow Spike the Blow Fish Paddlepak for her swim bag and is always excited about packing her bag for a swimming trip.

Other great things to spice the swimming up a bit are other swimming accessories, like goggles or swimming toys. We usually just bring a bath duck, that works as well as a toy!

I have also found that getting them out of the pool can sometimes be as difficult as getting them into the pool... Once they get the hang of it they don't want to leave! A promise of a nice babyccino, or perhaps hot chocolate in the cafe always does the trick though, ha ha.

Enter here to win a Paddlepak of your choice, and accessories (Washbag and Purse). The exact models are subject to availability. UK entrants only. And if you are keen, there is a daily entry and a daily tweet!

If you liked this, you might also like: Our little zookeeper with Zookeeper Zoe, and How to potty-train: Best tips and tricks from experts

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