Ireland's first purpose-built baby and toddler swim school is set to open on September 11, 2023 in the Plaza at the Beacon South Quarter in Sandyford, Co. Dublin.
Offering swim classes to pre-school children aged three months to four years old, and running seven days a week, First Swim Ireland has already enjoyed overwhelming success, with their website crashing on launch day thanks to the astounding wave of eager parents attempting to book in.
"We always knew it was going to be well received," says co-founder Colin McAndrias, "but we didn't realise just how well received it was going to be."
The new venture is the brain child of Colin and his wife, Vicky, a Dublin couple who first met on a scuba diving trip in Egypt (Vicky was on holidays, Colin was working as an instructor).
The two have always had an interest in the water, with Colin co-owning a dive centre in London for many years, but only became invested in baby-led swimming when they had their own children in the UK.
"It didn't sink in, how bad the facilities were, until I had my own and I could see all the flaws," Colin admits.
When the pandemic hit, the family decided to move back home to Ireland and create their dream baby-led swimming pool in Dublin, with hopeful plans to expand across the country in the near future.
"We had the market research, and that gave a very strong green light on the success of the business, but it wasn't until we launched and the site crashed that we saw how many people were on there. It was about 11,500 people on the site at 10am, which crippled us.
"As frustrating as that was, a week later, we could look back and appreciate that the demand is absolutely massive, and that we could have opened a second venue side-by-side."
Although baby swimming classes already exist in Ireland, Colin insists that the popularity of First Swim has boomed because the existing venues are not necessarily fit for purpose, with most classes being held in public pools or hotel pools.
According to Colin, the facilities he and his wife created were made specifically for the children and parents that would be using them.
"The pool is fit for one class, the pool temperature is kept at 33°C, and we use a UV sterilisation method to reduce the need for chlorine, which is important for babies' skin or anyone who has skin sensitivities."
Classes are capped at eight, so there will be no distractions from other groups, and changing rooms have been built to accommodate squirming toddlers and large nappy bags - there's even underfloor heating and acoustic dampeners to keep things cosy and calm.
"The private café at the front is going to be a social hub for people who can come in and connect with everyone in the group," Colin adds, noting that new parents are often looking for a chance to sit down for a coffee and a chat, without feeling like their prams are in the way.
As well as being a comfortable space for parents, the real hope of these classes is to promote water safety and allow children to feel confident and comfortable in the water.
Drownings often happen quickly and silently, with activities like swimming, bathing, walking, hiking, fishing, and boating accounting for over 80% of drownings. As an island nation, it is essential that we all know how to stay calm and stay afloat at the very least.
"We're not actually teaching babies to swim," Colin explains. "There's no way a baby, at 12 months, is going to glide across the water. This is about water confidence and making sure that if they jump in the water, or fall in the water, they know what to do - even just to roll on their back."
"It's after four years of age that children will migrate to public pools," he adds, "so if we can get them to move to those pools with confidence then our job is done."
For more information on First Swim, click here.
