Mum reveals genius trick that makes taking your baby swimming less stressful & avoids those gross changing tables too
THERE are arguably few things more stressful than taking a baby swimming.
From getting them dressed, to ensuring their swimming nappies are on correctly, to THOSE gross changing tables – it’s all in all a pretty unenjoyable experience.
So it’s no wonder a mum has been praised for sharing a genius hack that’s been a “game changer” when taking her daughter swimming.
Katie took to TikTok to share a video of herself demonstrating the hack – holding her little girl as she headed into the sports centre, wheeling a little suitcase.
She then wheeled the case down to the changing room, before unzipping it, putting it on the floor and lining it with towels.
Katie was then able to lay her daughter down on the towels to get her ready for her dip, with the baby looking adorably excited about the upcoming swim.
“Thank me later for the best swimming hack for babies,” Katie wrote over the top of the video.
“This was a game changer for us!”
And it seems the trick also made the experience more enjoyable for her daughter, as Katie added in the caption that she’s a little “water baby”.
People quickly took to the comments section to praise Katie for sharing the hack, with one writing: “Thank you for this.
“I took my 4 month old and had to wait because people were using the family changing rooms with out babies and I had nowhere to put him.”
“Due twins and panicked about this! Thank you!!” another added.
“Genius!” a third commented.
“Haha what a hack! Definitely be using this!” someone else wrote.
“You are a genius,” another gushed.
While others shared their own nifty tricks for taking babies swimming.
“I use a Bumbo for my kids at swimming especially when they become more mobile – stops them escaping lol,” one wrote.
“Bathrobe and x2 towels plus a folding changing mat,” another said.
Time-saving mum hacks
Morning Routine
Nighttime Preparation: Set out clothes for yourself and the kids, pack lunches, and organise backpacks before bed.
Effortless Breakfasts: Keep simple, healthy breakfast options on hand, such as overnight oats, smoothie packs, or pre-made breakfast burritos.
Meal Planning
Weekly Meal Prep: Dedicate time each week to plan your meals to eliminate daily decision-making.
Bulk Cooking: Prepare larger quantities and freeze portions for future use.
Hands-Off Cooking: Make use of slow cookers or Instant Pots for easy, unattended meal prep.
Ready-to-Use Veggies: Purchase pre-chopped vegetables or chop them all at once to save time during the week.
Household Chores
Daily Laundry: Do a load of laundry every day to prevent a buildup of dirty clothes.
Continuous Cleaning: Encourage kids to clean up after themselves and perform small cleaning tasks throughout the day.
Efficient Multitasking: Fold laundry while watching TV or listen to audiobooks/podcasts while cleaning.
Organisation
Family Command Centre: Set up a central hub with a calendar, to-do lists, and important documents.
Daily Decluttering: Spend a few minutes each day decluttering to maintain an organised home.
Organised Storage: Use bins and baskets to keep items neat and easy to locate.
Kid Management
Prepared Activity Bags: Have bags packed with essentials for various activities (e.g., swimming, sports).
Routine Visuals: Implement visual charts to help kids follow their routines independently.
Task Delegation: Assign age-appropriate chores to children to foster responsibility and reduce your workload.
“Wrap baby in 1 towel and robe and wrap like a burrito whilst I get dressed, and then have a calm baby to dress once I’m ready.”
“My best mum hack – take the pj’s with you and after swimming put them on,” a third added.
“I always took the John Lewis Anyday plastic changing mat £8 and two towels,” someone else said.
“Then hot water bottle wrapped around them, put my son in the warmed towels.”