Just Keep Swimming, Swimming, Swimming…

After a pretty memorable trip to a quirky sweet shop on Monday last week, we had our first outdoor swim and ice cream by the pool. Surely, you only do these kinds of things in 10 degrees Celsius when you live in the UK! My friends and family in France would think I have lost my mind when they see this.

My friend Anna had promised a pool that would be as warm as a bath (trickery!). I was dubious but we still got changed. Three of my little ones normally wear a wetsuit, but the water was supposed to be warm, so we just went for swimsuits (how naïve!).

I had completely forgotten to pack swimming nappies for my little ones, but luckily,
there were lots of HUGGIES® Little Swimmers® in the changing room (thank goodness!). They even had the new designs, based around the latest Disney movie, Finding Dory, which will be released this year. I loved the new designs, and the fact the smallest Little Swimmers®  attached like regular nappies, so they were fully adjustable.

Until a few months ago, I was only using washable nappies in the pool. Babies never do a poo whilst swimming, right? Wrong! Jumpy has been completely dry night and day for a few months now, but she has had a few ‘code browns’ in the pool over the past year. I have no idea what triggers it. Maybe she relaxes a lot and a number two follows, maybe stress of going underwater triggers it. I have no idea.

Washable nappies are brilliant and absolutely waterproof if you use the right size, but when you take them off unsuspectedly in the common showers and a number two was hiding in there, you will not make friends! That happened to us twice, and seriously, it was just like something out of a Hitchcock movie: everyone started screaming and running out of the showers, my child’s poo sticking to their feet. Fact: it takes forever to clean common showers that are covered in your child’s faeces.

After two of those delightful ‘incidents’ in the washable nappy, I started using HUGGIES® Little Swimmers® nappies underneath the washable shell and these babies have changed my life! Having a ‘real’ swim nappy on means your little one is a lot more comfortable as they do not leak or expand in the water (I did try using a ‘normal’ nappy in the water once – no a great idea!) and there is no longer fear of the dreaded unveiling of the washable nappy in the communal showers. Peace of mind, I love you! I swear those mums still look at me (a year on) with disgust on their faces.

Hey ho, on the plus side, I have just become a ‘Get set, Splash’ blogger with Huggies® Little Swimmers® to celebrate the launch of new designs in honour of Disney© Pixar’s Finding Dory movie, so nasty accidents will not happen again anytime soon! I will be sharing some tips and videos over the next few months, so watch this space! Check out what we received yesterday:

To go back to last Monday, despite the cold, my little swimming enthusiasts could not wait to jump in. I followed shortly after and it was freezing! Before we ran out of the pool, I took a couple of minutes to try my latest gadget, a waterproof case for my phone. It did not look like much (glorified zippy bag more or less), but the reviews on Amazon were great so in went the iPhone, and I am so glad I tried.

You can call me foolish for using a Waterproof Case that cost me a fiver or so, but check this great shot of Beanie swimming underwater! I am so glad I captured that moment and I will certainly treasure the first underwater photo I ever took. I will definitely be using this little gadget again! I cannot believe I was even considering buying a really expensive waterproof case for my Canon camera. I am not precious (at all) with material things, but I would rather have my phone under water rather than my old but much-loved camera.

How could I describe my experience in that outdoor pool? It was freezing! Seriously, we were blue after 10 minutes (slight exaggeration, but not much!). I was begging for the indoor pool. That one did not disappoint let me tell you. It was really as warm as a bath, and I spent an hour and a half in the pool with the little ones. They played on the noodles, looked for Dory underwater, grabbed rings at the bottom of the pool, dived (shush, that was not allowed!) and generally had a wonderful time with friends. Jumpy’s swim nappy was brown when I got her out of it. I am so glad there were disposable swimming  nappies in the changing rooms! Note to self: remember to always pack HUGGIES® Little Swimmers® in our swimming bag so we can have some impromptu splashing fun this summer!

‘Le Coin de Mel’ is a finalist in the MAD blog awards in the ‘Best Food Blog’ category and although this post (mostly) about poo probably does not make you feel this way, I would love your vote!

Disclosure:

We are working with HUGGIES® Little Swimmers® this year and I have received nappies (although I forgot them on the day) and payment for this post, but all opinions and photos are my own. You can get HUGGIES® Little Swimmers® from the baby aisle and click here for more information, tips and advice. 

There are a couple of affiliate links in this post so if you click and buy the items on Amazon, I will get a few pennies.