I really enjoy taking the little man to Turtle Tots classes. It might seem like a hassle taking a kid swimming every week but there are so many reasons that I like it.

I used to take big sis swimming each week when she was a baby, right up until she turned 3 and the little man came along. I sometimes feel like I don’t get to take the little man to do as much, particularly now that big sis is at school and we’re more restricted with time. So it is really nice to have that one class a week that we go to all the time. 

The Relaxed Vibe

Turtle Tots classes aren’t like a swimming lesson in the traditional sense. There’s lots of singing songs and lots of playing with toys.

The classes are great fun for babies and toddlers, and for the most part when your baby or toddler enjoys it, you enjoy it too. It’s a lovely way to spend time them. I love having that time every week 

If a kid isn’t up for doing a particular activity, they don’t need to do it. There’s no pressure at all and no need to stress, because they’ll do it when they want to. Also when a toddler says no, they generally really mean no.

The Teachers

Jen is such a warm and understanding teacher who really seems to adore the kids in our class. And after the little man got past his “Trust No-one” stage, he gets along really well with her too; he will happily go to her for a swim and gives her all the high fives.

The Pools

The pools our classes have been in have been perfect. They are clean, warm and I love the fact that the pools aren’t too busy when lessons are on. That’s most likely because they’re on during the day during the week. But it definitely makes focussing on the class much easier for everyone. I just cannot wait to see how he gets on, how he will learn to go under the water and progress with his swimming.

The Changing Rooms

We’ve been to a Thistle Hotel, a DW Sports, a Village Hotel and now a Nuffield Gym for our swimming lessons with Turtle Tots. For the most part, the changing areas have been excellent with plenty of space, lots of showers, hairdryers and even straighteners.

The only one that was smaller with fewer showers was the Thistle Hotel but that entire hotel has changed hands and been renovated so it’s probably very different now. (There are classes in school pools that are very different to the big hotel/leisure centre pools but we’ve never had a block of lessons in any of those.)

The Social Side

We started classes when the little man was just 4 months old and I deliberately chose classes that had somewhere to sit and give the little man some milk and eventually his food after swimming. It makes life so much easier when I can feed him before we go back out into the world, and before he falls asleep.

It also means I can sit and chat to some of the other parents from the class. When he was teeny tiny it was nice being able to sit and chat while all the babies had their milk before a big snooze. And now they all sit and munch their snacks while we have a cuppa. Honestly, I’ve made some great friends over the last 5 years sitting and chatting over a cuppa with other parents, particularly at Turtle Tots classes!