Hi! I'm Hannah, a 30-year-old wife to Phil and Mummy to Toby - born July 2014, and Martha - born May 2016.
I love music, reading, travelling and my gorgeous life with Phil, Toby and Martha in the countryside. We live in a cottage with our cat Ivy and the sounds of hundreds of birds overhead.
From bump, to baby and beyond... Celebrating my little family as it blossoms and grows
Vicki 28th April 2017 at 9:54 pm
I always sort my son out first before me and take two towels. One for when he first comes out the pool and the second to dry him after he’s stripped.
Fiona 29th April 2017 at 9:32 am
Go little and often, it really helps to build confidence.
MM 29th April 2017 at 9:51 am
Stay near them, encourage, and never look worried.
Tracy Nixon 29th April 2017 at 9:52 am
Start from as young as you can – I started taking all my little ones swimmin once they had had their first vacs!
Pauline Hill 29th April 2017 at 10:12 am
never turn your back to them
Nicola marchant 29th April 2017 at 10:18 am
Just have lots of fun showing your little ones to be confident in the water.
stuart hargreaves 29th April 2017 at 11:02 am
splish splash, make sure some of their friends are there as well
emma walters 29th April 2017 at 1:57 pm
make it fun, i take bath squirters to play with me
Hali Kinson 29th April 2017 at 2:10 pm
Go swimming as early as possible after birth so swimming becomes natural
Sharon Worsley 29th April 2017 at 2:41 pm
Start early – we started at 4 months old and it really helped confidence!
Katrina Fox 29th April 2017 at 3:40 pm
Take another adult! It helps in the changing rooms but I find that just like walking, children are more likely to swim towards someone they trust. The excitement of getting to the other person overpowers any anxiety and there are more of you to cheer when it’s a success!
laura banks 29th April 2017 at 5:11 pm
lots of fun with splashing
Al 29th April 2017 at 5:17 pm
I take Teddy swimming every weekend. Such a great thing to do together.
Simon Tutthill 29th April 2017 at 6:14 pm
Always take it a little bit at a time
Kerry Kilmister 29th April 2017 at 7:00 pm
Take your time and always let them know that you are within reaching distance of them. This really helps with their confidence levels.
Lisa ( mummascribbles) 29th April 2017 at 7:05 pm
Uptake them from an early age and try and take them often. Something we failed to do with Zach! Congrats on being swimologists!
Vicki 29th April 2017 at 8:18 pm
Pick a good time of day! Freddie screams if it’s too early!
Solange 29th April 2017 at 11:59 pm
Give your baby freedom in the water and play games. If you just stand there simply holding your baby in the water for too long, they will get cold. Babies feel the cold a lot more than adults, so keep moving as much as possible and swap positions. Swoosh them in the water and bounce them up and down.
Kelly Hirst 30th April 2017 at 8:20 am
Let them take the lead, if you have reluctant swimmers it will only make them worse if you put on too much pressure
Jaime Oliver 30th April 2017 at 5:50 pm
we love Konfidence too. my top tip for swimming with kids is to make sure you think about what clothing they arrive in and make sure its seay to get on and off as its hard and you struggle you can turn a nice afternoon swimming into a sweaty stressy place in the changing room!
Abby 30th April 2017 at 8:07 pm
Take a few small toys, one for the pool and different ones for the changing rooms to distract when you get dressed.
Alyssa Stokes 30th April 2017 at 9:00 pm
My top tip for swimming is to not make a big deal of getting wet or splashed. Getting dunked under a shower helps prepare for this.
Lucy Melissa Smith (Hello Beautiful Bear) 30th April 2017 at 11:02 pm
Ooh I’ve not heard of Konfidence before! My top tip is to try and be as positive as you can so that they’re not scared but take it slow if you need to xx
Jules Pondering Parenthood 30th April 2017 at 11:11 pm
Oh lucky you! We’ve just bought a set of Konfidence swimming things for Little M and they’re so ingeniously made. I don’t have any top tips as we’ve only taken M swimming once and she wasn’t too sure what to make of it, so I’m reading the other comments with interest for the next time we go swimming! x
Abbie 1st May 2017 at 10:47 am
Fab giveaway! my tip would be quite simply to go often so that it becomes something they’re totally used to x
Amy @ The Smallest Of Things 1st May 2017 at 12:05 pm
My eldest is a big timid so we make it fun and let her do it in her own time 🙂
Sam R 1st May 2017 at 1:34 pm
Give them plenty of encouragement with their swimming.
Christina Curtis 2nd May 2017 at 12:12 pm
Go often, be confident and have fun!
Jodie Thompson 2nd May 2017 at 12:54 pm
I like to go to pools with a really shallow splash area so they can just paddle and sit or lay down and just build up a bit of confidence. I also take mini watering can/bucket/squirters etc to play with
Debbie Hunter 2nd May 2017 at 1:23 pm
My boys have just graduated from their swim jackets so I will look forward to what you have to say about other products, e.g. Floatsuits or wetsuits
T. Brailey 3rd May 2017 at 7:13 am
Make it as much fun as possible and do short sessions.
Helen Pettman-Tideswell 3rd May 2017 at 10:26 am
My tip is organisation. I have my stuff and baby stuff in 2 separate bags within the big bag, take towels out after getting changed so ready to go when you get out and generally organise the bag etc. Other than that lots of smiles and encouragement and fun ☺
@every1sparkles on Twitter
Sobia 3rd May 2017 at 6:44 pm
Let them pack their own swimming kit
Tracey Belcher 5th May 2017 at 9:33 am
Be Prepared! Make sure you have everything you need and try to relax and enjoy as a chid will pick up on anxiety you have – HAVE FUN
Trudi Walsh 6th May 2017 at 11:07 pm
Start with short sessions (10 – 15 minutes) the first few times you visit the pool with your baby, then gradually stay that little bit longer, this gets baby used to the temperature of the water and surroundings (ie, noise and splashing)
Jenny 7th May 2017 at 3:50 pm
My top tip is being prepared about when to start and what you’ll need to stay safe. My daughter started when she was 3 months, she’s 2 now, and my son, at 8 months, he’s 1 in 2 days! We love our Konfidence™ products, my kids really do gain confidence in the water using them!
Mrs H 7th May 2017 at 5:47 pm
My top tips are to have plenty of snacks to give them when they come out of the pool and big fluffy towels to dress them. And also for you to get them dried and dressed before you sort yourself out. Fab competition lovely and I am so thrilled that you got this opportunity. Hugs Lucy xxxx
Tania Watkins 9th May 2017 at 4:45 am
I get out and get dressed before baby gets out with partner so I’m all ready to get him dressed.
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Rich Tyler 11th May 2017 at 1:10 am
Try to reassure them, it can be scary, make them feel safe & don’t force them into anything too quickly…
Ema J Lowe 11th May 2017 at 4:24 pm
let the child enter the water on their terms and when they are ready. it can take ages for my son to get right in the water, but once hes in, he loves it.
Victoria Hall 11th May 2017 at 6:07 pm
Take them as young as possible and make swimming an exciting treat!
Kristy Brown 11th May 2017 at 9:44 pm
The sooner the better – build confidence from a young age
Olivia Kirby 12th May 2017 at 7:13 pm
Start them young and go often, that way there should be no fear when starting proper lessons.
Kate Fever 12th May 2017 at 7:17 pm
Keep the towel by the poolside so they don’t get cold afterwards. And always have a snack handy – swimming makes little ones really hungry!
Emma Davison 12th May 2017 at 9:14 pm
Be organised with packing the bags, getting through the changing rooms etc
Kim Neville 12th May 2017 at 9:28 pm
Bring a bath toy that they like playing with to the pool that they associate with the bath and having fun
Tee Simpson 12th May 2017 at 9:58 pm
Keep them moving in the water so they dont get cold!!
Natalie Crossan 12th May 2017 at 9:59 pm
Take them frequently so they’re just like fishies in that water 😀
ellie spider 12th May 2017 at 11:57 pm
Get them started as young as possible so they are used to being in the water