We were invited to attend a swimming lesson with Lilypad swim.
My two girls started swimming when they were a few years old. My eldest never liked swimming under water but now at 9 years old she is a complete fish. My youngest daughter has no fear and never has, and that was one of the reasons I started swimming with her from such a young age so I could teach her water safety. Unfortunately Little Man had to fit in with his sisters routines and so baby swimming just didn’t happen.
I was worried about how he would take to swimming having not had the same start the girls had. In fact when I did get round to researching baby swimming near us I struggled to find a class that would work. Fast forward to the age of 3 and I appear to have another fish on my hands. In fact you wouldn’t know he has only just started lessons.
A private pool based in Penistone [and not the one everyone thinks of when you think of the private pool in Penistone], in fact this pool is rather new and modern. At least it appeared so. My Sat Nav went a little silly and took us on to a housing estate, instead we had to travel just a little further up the hill and the pool was on our left. Plenty of parking spaces near to the private pool and we we entered a very modern looking building.
We needed to remove our shoes before entering the changing area, which is next to the pool and after getting changed it was time to swim. The pool does have a shallow and a deep end and so I had to be aware of the slope given I am only small. Little Man was happy with the water temperature and the small class size meant he relaxed and didn’t go shy.
Our teacher Helen introduced herself and the structure of the lesson before we began and it was a warm welcome. Little Man was eager to show of his swimming skills and started kicking his legs and splashing his feet. The smile on his face stayed there throughout and the lesson was tailored to meet the needs of each individual in the class.
Little Man had no hesitation in joining in. Happily pouring the water over his hair to wash it, swimming under arches and pretending to ride his horse. He had lots of fun and simply didn’t want to get out the water.
Lilypad swim caters for all ages, offering baby swimming lessons right up to teaching adults to swim. Classes are kept small in size which I really like as it feels much more personal and classes are available at a variety of times to suit those that might only be able to make it after school for example.
Had I found Lilypad swim when Little Man was a baby I can safely say that he would have had swimming lessons from a few weeks old too just like his sisters. Oh and if you are worried about your baby swimming under water there is absolutely no need to be. Classes are very personal and there was no pressure whatsoever, the whole class was very relaxed and we were made to feel very welcome. Thank you for inviting us to swim with you.
