This is really long but I thought I'd share - I wrote it about a year ago for our NCT newsletter. Lots of it is relevant and was eaier to cut and paste than to rewrite it for here!!!
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On a bright sunny day, Holly and I thought we’d go on an adventure, swimming on our own. We’d been with Daddy a few times but I was soon to learn that it was very different going on your own!
We arrived in good time, me looking like a pack horse with all our bags and Holly draped over me, and Holly very excited. Obstacle number one, with two bags and a baby in my arms how am I going to pay? Luckily I thought of this before hand, made sure I took a note out of my purse before I picked Holly up and set off for the desk. I had obviously had a sixth sense in me that morning when I got dressed as I had picked trousers with very big pockets which came in very handy for the loose change I received which was flung in a general pocket direction.
The changing rooms are great, they are really big and most importantly clean. They baby cubicles have a special table for baby to lie in securely whilst you get changed. so no problems there. I got changed, changed Holly and then looked at the vast amount of stuff that was filling our cubicle. I had come ‘prepared’, prepared for what? An onlooker may ask, being stranded for a week? I began to wonder how I was going to get it all back in the bag, let alone the locker!!
Ah, the lockers, obstacle number two. How do you handle a baby, 20p for the locker, numerous luggage, a baby float, and negotiate putting everything in the locker? Someone had mentioned to me about a special toddler seat for this eventuality, I found it on the only wall there were no lockers, fat lot of good that was!!! For a fleeting moment I did consider putting Holly in a locker, at least she’d be safe in there whilst I sorted stuff out, but I settled for sitting her on the floor. At eight months old I could do this, don’t ask me what you could do for younger babies or ones that are crawling! (Answers on a postcard?)
Anyway, we finally got in the pool and had glorious time. Holly delighted in splashing Mummy and loved seeing other children as well.
After what seemed like hours of fun later, but was actually only twenty minutes, we decided to get out. Obstacle number three, how do I get Holly out of her baby float? Well I tried in the pool to no avail, I tried in the locker area, still not budging, then I came up with a cunning plan. Use this obstacle to your advantage, I sat Holly down on the bench, in her float still, while I unpacked the locker, safe in the knowledge that she couldn’t fall over as she had 15cm of inflated rubber around her!!
I then squeezed my daughter out of her float, which also wouldn’t deflate (I tried that option), in the privacy of the changing room. Got both of us dried and dressed and fed Holly before she howled the place down.
We’d had a wonderful time, despite the fact that the time actually spent in the water was silly compared to the time taken sorting everything out before and after. We will definitely go again on our own, but we’ve learnt a few valuable lessons to make the time even more enjoyable;
1- Find out the cost and have the correct money ready in a pocket. (Don’t forget change for the locker though)
2- Don’t pack too much (A change of clothes for Holly was unnecessary, as was a towel for me, my the time I’d sorted Holly out, I’d drip dried.)
3- If it’s not too busy, miss out the locker and leave your things by the side of the pool. There are signs telling you not to do this, but they were obviously not written by a mum taking baby swimming on their own!
4- Leave the baby in the float for as long as possible, it’s very hard to move with one on!
5- Take a snack/drink for you as well as the baby, I was exhausted afterwards.
Don’t let any of these ramblings put you off, it was a fantastic experience that we will do as often as we can.
