Poncho Towels for Swimming Lessons

We have all been through the ordeal of taking the children swimming ourselves or the weekly nightmare of the swimming lesson.  We all do it because we know the importance of our kids learning to swim and of course it’s great exercise and it keeps the kids away from those computer games for a few hours.

The problem is that taking the children swimming is rarely an enjoyable experience. It’s not the swimming itself but more the preparation and aftermath of the activity. A poncho towel could make all the difference and I will tell you why.

When you go swimming you need to take costumes and towels and sometimes swimming hats and goggles and body wash for the shower afterwards.  Getting the children changed to start with is normally fairly simple as they are dry and generally pools tend to be well heated so they don’t get cold.  Sometimes my children go already in their swimming costumes to the pool with their clothes on over the top, which can make it really quick getting them changed.

After swimming is when it gets complicated because the minute they get out of the pool they are cold.  This is the bit where the poncho towel really makes a big difference.  As soon as they are out of the shower get them into their towel with the hood up, they can wear it while you get clothes out of the locker and find a changing cubical.  The poncho towel keeps them warm including their head, it gets them dry and it won’t fall off and get wet on the floor while they are getting sorted.  Once they are fully dry they can take it off and get dressed.  It should make the whole experience easier and happier.

Make sure the poncho towel you get has a hood and arms and is nice and big so it keeps them covered top to toe.  You can also look for ones that wrap round and do up rather that going over the head.  They can sometimes be difficult to get on when the children are wet.

Another little tip to keeping everyone calm and happy, make sure you take a drink and snack with you so that as soon as the children are dressed they get something to boost their energy.  This often helps to avoid bad tempers and arguments as they aren’t hungry and have something to distract them.

If you have a young baby, you should take the car seat to the poolside with a towel in it, that way you can get the baby dry and warm quickly and you have somewhere safe to put the baby while you are getting other children or yourself dressed.

Good luck with your poncho towel, I hope you find it as useful as I did and that it makes swimming with your children and positive experience.