Frequently Asked Questions

We are really confident you will love our classes, but if after attending the first class you no longer wish to continue, then we will refund the entire course cost without question.

After the first class Baby Paddlers is under no obligation to refund your money in the event that you are unable to attend part of, or the entire course after signing up. If a class is missed due to sickness or holiday, we will try and offer you a catch-up class subject to availability. Please see our catch-up policy for more details. In order to book your catch-up class please use this catch-up form.

If in special circumstances we have agreed to refund part, or all of the course there will be a £10.00 admin charge deducted from the refund.

Visit our Find a Class near me page, and decide which location and class times best suit your needs.

Unfortunately not, we ask for a full terms payment upfront.

We ask for full term payment upfront, however if you do miss a class, where possible, we are happy to arrange a catch up – we also offer this if you miss a class through illness.

We always offer our existing customers first priority on their space.  At the end of your current term you’ll receive a simple enrolment email, all you do is click a button to confirm, and then make the relevant payment.

We welcome babies from birth, however if the pool isn’t a hydrotherapy pool it is recommended that babies are at least 12 weeks old, or 12Ibs.  We chat to all new parents to ensure you’re in a suitable class.

We ask that all our babies & toddlers wear a double nappy system, with a happy nappy worn over a disposable one.  Most babies, particularly in our hydrotherapy pools are happy to swim in just their happy nappy, however every baby is very different; some feel the cold and others are always toasty. so you might want to wear a wetsuit also.

Pre-schoolers that are successfully toilet trained do not need to wear a swim nappy.

Please have a look at our handy list of essentials in this Pre-Swim Checklist to ensure you don’t forget those crucial things!

We are partnered with Konfidence, a leading Baby Swim Wear and Swimming Aids online retailer. Click the link to get an exclusive 10% discount on all purchases.

No we use some swimming aids in our classes but we encourage children to free swim regularly and not become attached to aids.

We are partnered with Konfidence, a leading Baby Swim Wear and Swimming Aids online retailer. Click the link to get an exclusive 10% discount on all purchases.

Tummy bugs can spread quickly and we ask that all children stay out of the pool for at least 48 hours after becoming well again.

Parents should assess how ill your child is, there is no issue with them having a little cold we just ask you to use your common sense.

You should not bring your child swimming if they have any illness such as an ear infection, diarrhoea, chicken pox, impetigo, conjunctivitis or a bad cold.

We are happy to arrange swimming lesson catch-up’s if we have space – we limit this to one catch-up per term per customer in order to accommodate everyone.

Please see our catch-up policy for more details. In order to book your catch-up class please use this catch-up form.

The latest advice from the NHS is that babies do not need immunisations before swimming, you can read more information here.

This depends on what feels right for you and your child.  We would talk to parents about the best time for your child. On average it’s around or just after their 3rd birthday but some take longer.

We understand that parents like to take photos of or video record their children. This is a normal part of family life, and we will not discourage parents from celebrating their child’s success.

Baby Paddlers will not allow others to photograph or film children during a Baby Paddlers class without the parent’s permission.

If you wish to take photos of your child during classes please ask your teacher who will address the whole class.

Baby Paddlers will not allow images of children to be used on our website, publicity, or press releases, without express permission from the parent, and if we do obtain such permission, we will not identify individual children by name.

Baby Paddlers cannot however be held accountable for photographs or video footage taken by parents but the teacher will explain to all parents that we will allow photographs to be taken on the basis that no one else including the teacher will appear in photos on social media.

Employees of Baby Paddlers may take photographs of children whilst engaged in Baby Paddlers activities for teaching purposes; for assessment purposes or as a means of celebrating success within Baby Paddlers. Verbal permission will be asked prior to any photos being taken.

No you do not.  We do encourage you to put your face in and go underwater if you are comfortable to as this does really help with your child’s development. If you are nervous about this area please contact us and we can discuss further.

As part of our lessons we do some underwater swimming, it forms an important yet small part of the swimming journey. We take it slowly and progressively using cues and baby’s natural reflexes. When it comes to toddlers and preschoolers, it’s a different matter, if they are starting out with us having no previous experience at all we will encourage them to blow bubbles and put their faces in the water, this is especially important to practice at home and when you go swimming outside of lessons. Read more about this here and do not hesitate to call us to discuss if you have any concerns.

We really encourage regular swimming as a family, there really is no better way to keep your child’s water confidence soaring than having fun in the water!

Absolutely, we just ask that you remember to try and feed at least an hour before classes. Most babies and children need water/milk after their classes so do ensure they have a drink afterwards.

We do ask that you do not feed them food in the changing areas at all. We appreciate that this can make changing easier sometimes is the only option so if you have to please only bring snacks that do not make a mess and can be easily cleaned up…. baby crisps and rice cakes for example go everywhere!

Of course, we actively encourage all children to get in the water as early as possible and will take it at their pace to ensure that they progress confidently.

All our pools have an area to watch classes, often with seating. You are very welcome to bring a couple of people with you, but we ask that you use your common sense on the number you bring at once.

Anybody that enters poolside must remove their shoes or wear the blue covers available.

The best way to do this is to swap each week and it is a really good way to keep the child happy whoever is with them in the water. However we do ask that only one parent comes in with each child at any one time.

In the unlikely event we have to cancel a course we would refund all monies paid.

You can cancel up to 7 days before your first class starts and we will refund all monies paid. After this time, no refunds apply as both parties are committed to the term.

Pool closures can occur due to adverse weather or a child having an “accident” in the pool.

In the first instance we would arrange catch up classes, if we are unable to arrange one we would offer a refund. We cannot guarantee a refund if you cannot make the catch up class.

If a child has an accident in the pool this could mean instant pool closure and prevent other classes going ahead. We ask all children to adhere to the double nappy system to reduce the risk of this happening. In the event of cancelling your class we would arrange a catch up session during the term.

These are specific to the location.  We invite all parents to come along to a free trial so you can check out the swim classes and facilities for yourself.

Please visit our Prices page for more information on what is included in the price, and any additional costs.

Please visit our Baby Swimming Benefits page to see all the many reasons why your child benefits from baby swimming classes.

It is not uncommon for children to take a little while to get used to the water at any age. At Baby Paddlers we try to treat everyone individually and won’t push children to do something they are not enjoying. We work with both the parent and child and we ask parents to actively encourage their babies and provide feedback, as we believe this is the best way to build their confidence.