We have added our most commonly asked questions hopefully you will find everything answered below however if you would like to ask anything else please do so.
Should my baby have immunisations before we start swimming?
Not at all - NHS guidelines say babies can swim before they are vaccinated. We make our classes as natural as possible to follow on from your babies 9 months of their own watery world, some babies start from just a few weeks old, we feel your never to young or old to start swimming!
What do I need to bring?
You will need to use the double nappy system until your baby is toilet trained this is either a disposable swimming nappy or our reusable Konfidence nappy with a Happy nappy over the top. We have lots of styles and colours in our shop ready for you to view and add to your classes along with any other swimming accessories.
We do have change mats at our venues however you may like to bring your own swimming change mats they are also available in our shop.
Some venues a pound is useful for the lockers and you may like to bring some money for a coffee/lunch after your swim, over the years we have seen that swimming with your babies is a great opportunity to meet other mum's and dad's and make some new friends.
It's best to try to bring as less as possible as some of the venues changing rooms don't have a lot of spare room, no buggies or car seats are aloud on poolside.
About submersions?
At Little Flippers Swim Academy we are all about natural, nurturing water confidence and individual needs of each child and never force submersions (going under) We feel it's an incredibly important step in learning to swim and we always teach by building up confidence and taking each small step to make learning to swim a positive and fun experience at each mummies, daddies and babies pace.
How long do people normally swim with their little ones?
This depends on each parent and how well you would like your child to be able to swim, we start from aqua natal classes before your bundle of joy has arrived, we then start the baby classes and if continued most babies can then swim without any floats from a very young age, they also learn how to get safe in and around water should they ever fall in, as the children develop so do the classes to equipped your most precious children with vital water safety skills building confidence through to independent swimming.
Once your child can swim it's important we continue to teach them to build strong swimming techniques, water safety skills and why not join us and become one of our Rookie junior lifeguards.
How do we book our next half term?
After you have competed your first half term we will already have all of your details from the original booking form and you will receive an email to notify you that you have been auto enrolled for the next half term. You can then continue to make your payment by bank transfer (to avoid Stripe/PayPal fees) or pay via Stripe/Paypal. Your teachers will also inform you during class when emails have been sent out and that payments are due.
What is auto-enrol?
All of our spaces are open to live booking at any point via our website therefore when we re-run each new half term we auto enrol every class, meaning that all swimmers get to remain in their current class on the same day and time until they choose to no longer swim with us. (Please view our cancelation policy)
Cancelation policy.
We now require a notice period in order to remove you from our auto enrol system. After being auto enrolled you will receive an email stating a payment date for your next term. Bookings and payments must be made for a whole half term. If we are not notified of cancelations during the auto enrol notice period you will be charged and invoiced for the next half term. If you wish to cancel your little ones swimming lessons we MUST BE NOTIFIED PRIOR TO MIDNIGHT ON THE PAYMENT DEADLINE DATE otherwise your space will be automatically carried over and you will be liable to pay for the upcoming term. The auto enrol notice period will vary each term but will generally be around 1 week in the middle of each half term, leaving you plenty of time to notify us if you no longer wish to return.
How do I pay
You can pay via Bacs, Paypal, Stripe or Cash, payments can be made asap after receiving your auto enrol email. We are sensitive to your personal needs so if you have any issues with the payment deadline date please speak to Helen prior to the payment deadline date and we are happy to help in any way that we can.
(If you are paying by bank transfer please reference your child's first and surname along with the day you attend abbreviated and if there is room the time that you attend as this makes it easier for us to match payments up on the system)
Can we pay weekly?
Unfortunately we are unable to offer weekly payments all classes are paid for half termly, making our classes the same level in age and ability is a important part of our programme in helping each child's development and learning rates individual.
It can take a few weeks for your little ones to get used to the classes and we feel making one off classes here and there is not giving our little ones the best weekly repetition that is the best way to teaching children to swim. (practice makes perfect)
I can't swim can I still start classes with my baby?
Absolutely! In all our pools you will be able to touch the floor, our teachers are more then happy to help with doing any underwater work should you feel you would rather not, we have seen so many times that swimming with your babies when your a bit unsure has really helped with mum's and dad's confidence too.
I have twins can I bring them both?
Yes, each child will need to be accompanied by a adult but it's a great time to make it a mummy and daddy day or getting the grandparents to come along and make a day of it!
Once your children are at the age of swimming in the pool without any parents they can go in together on their own.
What should I do if my child is ill?
We are mostly mummies at Little Flippers Swim Academy and completely understand its unavoidable, it can get a bit confusing as to when its safe to still swim and when its not so we thought we would let you know, if your child has a cold they will be ok to swim its unlikely to make them worst however we always advise you and your babies are nice and dry before going outside.
Please don't swim if you or your little ones have had diarrhoea or sickness for 48 hours after the last episode or anything that could be infectious such as chickenpox (until all blisters have dried up) also eye,ear and chest infections until completely cleared.
If you have any worries about if you should swim please ask your GP.
New pools
We are always keen to find new venues, we have recommendations from our pools we hire and would love to hear from any new pool owners or somewhere you would recommend!
As we run our classes out of the main holiday seasons we love contributing to our venues by bringing in local income at quieter times of the year.
Not at all - NHS guidelines say babies can swim before they are vaccinated. We make our classes as natural as possible to follow on from your babies 9 months of their own watery world, some babies start from just a few weeks old, we feel your never to young or old to start swimming!
What do I need to bring?
You will need to use the double nappy system until your baby is toilet trained this is either a disposable swimming nappy or our reusable Konfidence nappy with a Happy nappy over the top. We have lots of styles and colours in our shop ready for you to view and add to your classes along with any other swimming accessories.
We do have change mats at our venues however you may like to bring your own swimming change mats they are also available in our shop.
Some venues a pound is useful for the lockers and you may like to bring some money for a coffee/lunch after your swim, over the years we have seen that swimming with your babies is a great opportunity to meet other mum's and dad's and make some new friends.
It's best to try to bring as less as possible as some of the venues changing rooms don't have a lot of spare room, no buggies or car seats are aloud on poolside.
About submersions?
At Little Flippers Swim Academy we are all about natural, nurturing water confidence and individual needs of each child and never force submersions (going under) We feel it's an incredibly important step in learning to swim and we always teach by building up confidence and taking each small step to make learning to swim a positive and fun experience at each mummies, daddies and babies pace.
How long do people normally swim with their little ones?
This depends on each parent and how well you would like your child to be able to swim, we start from aqua natal classes before your bundle of joy has arrived, we then start the baby classes and if continued most babies can then swim without any floats from a very young age, they also learn how to get safe in and around water should they ever fall in, as the children develop so do the classes to equipped your most precious children with vital water safety skills building confidence through to independent swimming.
Once your child can swim it's important we continue to teach them to build strong swimming techniques, water safety skills and why not join us and become one of our Rookie junior lifeguards.
How do we book our next half term?
After you have competed your first half term we will already have all of your details from the original booking form and you will receive an email to notify you that you have been auto enrolled for the next half term. You can then continue to make your payment by bank transfer (to avoid Stripe/PayPal fees) or pay via Stripe/Paypal. Your teachers will also inform you during class when emails have been sent out and that payments are due.
What is auto-enrol?
All of our spaces are open to live booking at any point via our website therefore when we re-run each new half term we auto enrol every class, meaning that all swimmers get to remain in their current class on the same day and time until they choose to no longer swim with us. (Please view our cancelation policy)
Cancelation policy.
We now require a notice period in order to remove you from our auto enrol system. After being auto enrolled you will receive an email stating a payment date for your next term. Bookings and payments must be made for a whole half term. If we are not notified of cancelations during the auto enrol notice period you will be charged and invoiced for the next half term. If you wish to cancel your little ones swimming lessons we MUST BE NOTIFIED PRIOR TO MIDNIGHT ON THE PAYMENT DEADLINE DATE otherwise your space will be automatically carried over and you will be liable to pay for the upcoming term. The auto enrol notice period will vary each term but will generally be around 1 week in the middle of each half term, leaving you plenty of time to notify us if you no longer wish to return.
How do I pay
You can pay via Bacs, Paypal, Stripe or Cash, payments can be made asap after receiving your auto enrol email. We are sensitive to your personal needs so if you have any issues with the payment deadline date please speak to Helen prior to the payment deadline date and we are happy to help in any way that we can.
(If you are paying by bank transfer please reference your child's first and surname along with the day you attend abbreviated and if there is room the time that you attend as this makes it easier for us to match payments up on the system)
Can we pay weekly?
Unfortunately we are unable to offer weekly payments all classes are paid for half termly, making our classes the same level in age and ability is a important part of our programme in helping each child's development and learning rates individual.
It can take a few weeks for your little ones to get used to the classes and we feel making one off classes here and there is not giving our little ones the best weekly repetition that is the best way to teaching children to swim. (practice makes perfect)
I can't swim can I still start classes with my baby?
Absolutely! In all our pools you will be able to touch the floor, our teachers are more then happy to help with doing any underwater work should you feel you would rather not, we have seen so many times that swimming with your babies when your a bit unsure has really helped with mum's and dad's confidence too.
I have twins can I bring them both?
Yes, each child will need to be accompanied by a adult but it's a great time to make it a mummy and daddy day or getting the grandparents to come along and make a day of it!
Once your children are at the age of swimming in the pool without any parents they can go in together on their own.
What should I do if my child is ill?
We are mostly mummies at Little Flippers Swim Academy and completely understand its unavoidable, it can get a bit confusing as to when its safe to still swim and when its not so we thought we would let you know, if your child has a cold they will be ok to swim its unlikely to make them worst however we always advise you and your babies are nice and dry before going outside.
Please don't swim if you or your little ones have had diarrhoea or sickness for 48 hours after the last episode or anything that could be infectious such as chickenpox (until all blisters have dried up) also eye,ear and chest infections until completely cleared.
If you have any worries about if you should swim please ask your GP.
New pools
We are always keen to find new venues, we have recommendations from our pools we hire and would love to hear from any new pool owners or somewhere you would recommend!
As we run our classes out of the main holiday seasons we love contributing to our venues by bringing in local income at quieter times of the year.