“Designed by parents, Loved by babies”

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Welcome to First Swim

First Swim is Ireland’s only purpose-built baby & toddler swim school based in Sandyford, at the Beacon South Quarter in Dublin. We run swim classes for babies from the age of 10 weeks and toddlers aged 2-3 years old. Our private pool is heated to a balmy 33oC and the entire facility has been designed with parents and babies in mind including a customer-only café to relax in. First Swim is also opening a new swim school in Santry in March 2026.

Baby
& Toddler
Term Classes

Private
& Trial
Swim Classes

Paediatric
First Aid
Classes

Why We're Different

Our private facility and our wonderful staff are what make First Swim different. You can expect a warm welcome and a helping hand because we know what it’s like bringing your baby or toddler swimming. The whole centre has been designed to make your swimming experience as relaxing and comfortable as possible for you and your little one.

Our private facility and our wonderful staff are what makes First Swim different. You can expect a warm welcome and a helping hand because we know what it’s like bringing your baby or toddler swimming. The whole centre has been designed to make your swimming experience as relaxing and comfortable as possible for you and your little one.

It really is all little things that count– a buggy park, wider changing cubicles with change units, cots for those handsfree moments whilst changing, highchairs & toddler reading books in the café, comfortable seating for breastfeeding, coffee, tea & snacks delivered to your table….the list goes on.

Benefits of Swimming

Learning to swim is a vital life skill, but it offers much more than that. It supports a baby’s physical health, nurtures emotional development, and introduces essential water safety habits from an early age.

What our customers say

Yvonne Butler

We love our swimming lessons in First Swim. Didier is our teacher and he’s brilliant. The pace of the class is great, he differentiates as needed to meet the needs of all the children in the class…

We love our swimming lessons in First Swim. Didier is our teacher and he’s brilliant. The pace of the class is great, he differentiates as needed to meet the needs of all the children in the class, the lessons are well paced, clear instructions and lots of fun. We’ve met Katie, Chloe and Grace in the pool other days and they were all fantastic too. The facilities for changing are ideal from individual cubicles with plenty of room and a wall hung changing table in all, to the travel cot in the middle, hair dryers, child friendly low music and everything in between. I’m delighted we found First Swim. We started when my son was 3 years and it’s been fantastic for his age as well as for babies. Thanks so much

Helena M. S.

We’ve been taking our 4-month-old to First Swim classes and it’s been such a lovely experience. The facilities are spotless and perfectly set up for babies, with warm water, comfortable changing areas

We’ve been taking our 4-month-old to First Swim classes and it’s been such a lovely experience. The facilities are spotless and perfectly set up for babies, with warm water, comfortable changing areas, and everything you need right on hand. The instructors are fantastic. Each class is calm, fun, and really helps build our baby’s confidence in the water. I’ve noticed such a difference already in just a few weeks! Also, she has the best naps afterwards!

Alex Meade Wilson

We’ve been with First Swim in Sandyford since the very beginning, when our first son, started learning to swim shortly after they launched. Now, over three years later, his younger brother is there too…

We’ve been with First Swim in Sandyford since the very beginning, when our first son, started learning to swim shortly after they launched. Now, over three years later, his younger brother is there too, and absolutely flying it! From day one, it’s been clear that the owners and founders, have created something genuinely special. The place is modern, pristinely clean, and designed with such care and thought for families. Everything from the layout to the facilities makes the experience so comfortable and enjoyable, not just for the kids, but for parents too. The instructors and staff are incredible, professional, kind, patient, and full of enthusiasm. The education and confidence our boys have gained in the water are amazing to see. It’s also been a lovely social hub, especially for new parents with little ones from newborn to four years old. We’ll be genuinely sad when our boys age out of the program, but we couldn’t recommend FirstSwim highly enough. It’s been such a positive and memorable part of our family’s journey.

Review 4

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Review 5

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Review 6

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What our customers say

Yvonne Butler

We love our swimming lessons in First Swim. Didier is our teacher and he’s brilliant. The pace of the class is great, he differentiates as needed to meet the needs of all the children in the class, the lessons are well paced, clear instructions and lots of fun. We’ve met Katie, Chloe and Grace in the pool other days and they were all fantastic too. The facilities for changing are ideal from individual cubicles with plenty of room and a wall hung changing table in all, to the travel cot in the middle, hair dryers, child friendly low music and everything in between. I’m delighted we found First Swim. We started when my son was 3 years and it’s been fantastic for his age as well as for babies. Thanks so much

Helena M. S.

We’ve been taking our 4-month-old to First Swim classes and it’s been such a lovely experience. The facilities are spotless and perfectly set up for babies, with warm water, comfortable changing areas, and everything you need right on hand. The instructors are fantastic. Each class is calm, fun, and really helps build our baby’s confidence in the water. I’ve noticed such a difference already in just a few weeks! Also, she has the best naps afterwards!

Alex Meade Wilson

We’ve been with First Swim in Sandyford since the very beginning, when our first son, started learning to swim shortly after they launched. Now, over three years later, his younger brother is there too, and absolutely flying it! From day one, it’s been clear that the owners and founders, have created something genuinely special. The place is modern, pristinely clean, and designed with such care and thought for families. Everything from the layout to the facilities makes the experience so comfortable and enjoyable, not just for the kids, but for parents too. The instructors and staff are incredible, professional, kind, patient, and full of enthusiasm. The education and confidence our boys have gained in the water are amazing to see. It’s also been a lovely social hub, especially for new parents with little ones from newborn to four years old. We’ll be genuinely sad when our boys age out of the program, but we couldn’t recommend FirstSwim highly enough. It’s been such a positive and memorable part of our family’s journey.

Review 4

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Review 5

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Review 6

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