Water Babies, Ireland’s leading baby swim school which teaches swimming to almost 1,800 babies and toddlers in Ireland every week, is holding FREE ‘taster’ classes in Galway between Wednesday, 18th – Sunday, 22nd July so that parents can come and experience the unique swimming classes before signing up for a ten week course.
Water Babies Galway, which is run by husband and wife team Jamie and Lisa Cobbe, celebrated its first year in business in May and currently teaches over 200 babies and toddlers per week in five swimming pools in and around Galway.
FREE Water Babies taster swimming classes will take place in the following Galway venues in July. Places are limited so please make a booking by calling Lisa or Jamie Cobbe on 086-7924688.
Wednesday 18th July
Escape Leisure, Claregalway @ 10.30 and 11.00
Saturday 21st July
Enable Ireland, Newcastle @ 11.00 (babies under 12 weeks) and 11.30
Sunday 22nd July
Escape Leisure, Claregalway @ 10.30 and 11.00 (toddlers)
The Water Babies programme, which is designed to make the most of babies’ natural affinity with water, teaches confidence and safety, using specialist techniques that see many swimming short distances from as young as 30 months. Baby swimming is an entirely safe and gentle activity which helps parents bond with their baby while giving them a lifetime’s water confidence and safety skills. Swimming from birth stimulates the brain and develops muscles in a safe, relaxed way and water is a familiar environment that babies love.
The Water Babies swimming course is very different to traditional swimming lessons. Water Babies only uses warm water pools (30° or above) so babies can join classes from birth and immunisations are not required or necessary in order to start classes. And while the emphasis is on having fun, the course is carefully structured, with progressive lesson plans for each week.
The core Water Babies programme lasts one year and is divided into four ten week terms. Each of the 40 lesson plans is carefully worked out to progress learning and understanding. However, fun is also a key element of the Water Babies’ lessons. And overall, the aim is to provide an enjoyable and stimulating activity for both parent and child.
The Autumn term of Water Babies classes in Galway starts on 25th August and runs for ten weeks. Classes will take place at the Clayton Hotel, Ballybrit; Ocean Fitness, Salthill Hotel, Salthill; Escape Leisure, Claregalway Hotel, Claregalway; Carlton Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe; Tranquillity Leisure and Spa, Raheen Woods Hotel, Athenry and Enable Ireland Disability Centre, Newcastle, Galway City.
To find out more about Water Babies swimming lessons in Galway, please visit www.waterbabies.ie.
About Water Babies
- · Water Babies is the world’s largest baby swim school, teaching more than 29,000 babies each week through a growing network of family businesses across the UK, Ireland and Sydney, Australia
- · Having fun and enjoying the water is our primary aim – we never want our Water Babies to actually feel like they’re in a lesson. Most will happily be swimming distances underwater by about 30 months, then naturally start swimming on the surface as their strength increases
- · Water Babies were named “Best Activity Provider for Tots & Toddlers” at the first annual Families First Awards which were held in May 2012.
- · In the last five years, Water Babies has won six national awards in the UK: Best Swimming Class, Best Baby Development Activity, and Best Baby & Toddler Development Activity (2010, 2011 and 2012) with What’s On 4 Little Ones’; and Best Children’s Activity with Tommy’s
- · In 2011, Water Babies raised over €44,000 for Temple Street Hospital. This means that Water Babies reached our goal to purchase a new incubator for St Michael’s B baby ward in Temple Street.
The core points of difference between Water Babies classes and mainstream baby swimming lessons are:
o Water Babies teach babies from birth. Two days was our youngest client, but normally they start at around six weeks
o The course is highly structured, including clear progression, aims and objectives and a detailed lesson plan for each of the 40 weeks
o We teach without the use floatation devices. This is in order to prevent children developing a false sense of security and because the water naturally supports their body weight
o Children lack the strength or co-ordination to swim on the surface until at least two years. From birth we enable them to swim short distances underneath, allowing them to move freely without constraints of gravity
o Being totally happy underwater creates a complete sense of confidence when on the surface
o All Water Babies instructors must first complete their full mainstream swimming qualifications with either Swim Ireland or Irish Water Safety before commencing the intensive 25 days Water Babies training course. All instructors must also be qualified lifesavers, renewed bi-annually and be Garda vetted.
o Water Babies is the only swim company to have its own in-house, award-winning underwater baby photography unit. Last year, Water Babies took more than 73,000 individual shots