First Swim is Ireland’s first purpose-built baby & toddler swim school completely designed with your needs in mind. The First Swim idea was developed by two parents who were immediately hooked by the joy and heightened bonding they experienced in the water with their children when they lived overseas. With nothing like this available in Ireland, they returned home to Dublin to bring this amazing concept to life here.
First Swim truly is designed by parents and loved by babies. We all know what it’s like taking your baby or toddler swimming in venues that are not designed for your needs. Little or no buggy space, sidestepping gym users in crowded changing rooms, trying to change in tiny cubicles with no facilities to help you, and the idea of a warm shower and relaxing with a post-swim coffee felt like a step too far. Well not anymore!
So much thought has gone into our First Swim centre design to make it safe, practical, comfortable and welcoming for you and your family. When you arrive for your swim session you will find a large area to park your buggy and you will be greeted by our helpful staff who will assist you in any way they can. We have spacious changing rooms with anti-slip flooring throughout for your safety.
The pool and changing rooms have been designed to deliver a soothing sensory experience with acoustic dampeners and soft lighting so as not to startle little ones. The showers have play pens & benches so you can keep a watchful eye on your child and you will find change units in plentiful supply all around our centre.
Our showpiece shallow pool is a new cutting edge eco-design, heated to a balmy 33°C. We use state of the art UV filtration systems which reduces the need for harmful chemicals and ensures water quality meets the highest of standards. We also use heat recovery ventilation throughout the centre offering clean purified air.
We believe that there is nothing greater than the bond between parent and child and we want to help you get closer and even more connected with your baby. By developing this bond you will grow even stronger and strengthen your child’s trust and sense of security. Everything we do at First Swim revolves around this belief and we know that when it comes to your child, you are the expert. We encourage your child to be confident, happy & independent and our playful baby & toddler swim classes offer the perfect foundation for these traits to develop.
Swimming is not only a great way to keep fit and healthy, it’s a life skill, boosting children’s confidence, stamina, strength, and coordination. An interesting research study in Australia in 2013 found that children under 5 years of age who participated in swim classes were 6 to 15 months ahead of the norm in their cognitive skills, problem solving in mathematics, counting, language, and in following directions. Water safety skills form an incredibly important component of our lessons and through repetitive practice your child will work towards building positive water safety habits for life.
Parental connections are at the heart of everything we do which is why our child friendly cafe is so important. Here you can sit back, relax and unwind with friends or family, before or after a swim session, and enjoy great barista coffee, tempting pastries or a healthy snack. Our customer-only cafe design has been carefully crafted with no hard edges, easy to use highchairs and comfortable seating including a private area with breast feeding chairs. For all other feeding needs, we’ve got you covered. We have multiple bottle warming stations and microwaves so you can warm up food for your baby.
Our centre is a social hub for parents to meet others with children of a similar age away from the hustle & bustle of the world outside. It’s a space to catch up with old friends or make new connections. We have super-fast free WIFI and charging stations throughout the cafe to keep you connected as you recharge.
