Baby friendly swimming pool directory

There are over 2,500 swimming pools in the UK, but as a parent how do you know which ones are ‘baby friendly’ and what to consider when deciding where to take your little one swimming?

Professional bodies such as the Amateur Swimming Association and the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management have recognised this need to give parents more information about swimming with their babies and young children. To provide you with guidance on suitable swimming pools the ASA and ISRM have launched the first UK baby friendly swimming pool directory in association with Huggies Little Swimmers®. All you need to do is search in your region to find the nearest recommended swimming pool to you.

 

Search for your nearest baby friendly pool...

Select your region & town from the drop down:

 

What makes a Baby Friendly Pool?

A Baby Friendly Pool has facilities and services which help to make swimming fun and easy for you and your baby. Swimming pools will be certified as Baby Friendly if they have:
  • Baby friendly swimming pool facilities – all pools will have an area suitable for baby swimming and provide parental friendly steps for entering and exiting the pool with your baby
  • Baby and child-friendly changing rooms at the recommended temperature for comfortable dressing
  • Approved standards of hygiene, including swimpant guidelines
  • Family sessions and/or adult and child swimming classes
  • Approved health and safety procedures

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The Amateur Swimming Association (ASA)

ASA
 
The Amateur Swimming Association is the English National Governing Body for swimming, diving, water polo, open water, and synchronised swimming.

It organises competition throughout England and Wales, establishes the laws of the sport and operates comprehensive certification and education programmes for teachers, coaches and officials.

The ASA supports 1,600 affiliated swimming clubs through a national/regional/county structure. The ASA aims to ensure everybody has an opportunity to learn to swim.

www.britishswimming.org

"Swimming is a fun and healthy activity that the whole family can enjoy together. Swimming is the only sport that can save your life so we’re very pleased to be supporting an initiative which will encourage adults to introduce their babies to this essential life skill at an early age.”

Katie Brazier from the ASA

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The Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM)

ISRM
 
The ISRM is the professional body for managers and operators of sport and recreation and sets standards by training and working with sport and recreation management teams to ensure best practice is implemented and health and safety guidelines are followed in UK swimming pools.

www.isrm.co.uk

"Our intention is to ensure that parents truly benefit from the facilities on offer and we believe this campaign will help to increase the number of young children and mothers enjoying swimming in a safe and responsible manner."

Linda Bishop-Bailey from the ISRM

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The Child Admissions Policy

 
ISRM recommend that children under 4 years of age should be accompanied on a one-to-one basis, this requirement only applies to conventional swimming pools during a public session where many swimmers may be present.

There are situations when this policy might not apply such as when the children are wearing armbands in a special area of the pool designated for their use, where the children can swim, where the children are in a safer area of water (for example shallower pools, teaching pools or baby pools) and where the children are taking part in a special session or programmed time attended by young children either in a supervised situation or where there is special lifeguard supervision.

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