Win £50 to spend at Konfidence

Konfidence Give away

We were delighted when we were asked to be Konfidence Swimologists earlier in the year and Toby has loved trying out the Konfidence Babywarma along with his NeoNappy and AquaNappy. We also put the Sun Protection Suit and hat to good use this summer too! After four blocks of Turtle Tots lessons we are giving weekly swimming a bit of a break for the moment. Toby has been having a bit of a wobble lately and has had so many coughs and colds since starting nursery that we’ve had to miss quite a few classes. I’ve really enjoyed taking Toby swimming though, and it has definitely given me much more confidence to take him in the pool by myself. We’re definitely going to keep swimming as often as we can manage and hopefully get Toby back into lessons when he’s a bit bigger.

Konfidence sun suit

Along with a break from swimming lessons our time as Konfidence Swimologists is also coming to an end. Konfidence are already looking for some new Swimologists for 2015 and we’d really like to thank everyone at Konfidence for giving us the chance to work with them and try out their fantastic products this year.

And because the people at Konfidence are just plain lovely they’ve also given me a £50 voucher to give away so you can get your hands on some of their lovely swimming gear too!

To enter just complete the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Entries close at midnight on Sunday 14th December.

All entrants must be 18 or over and UK residents.

The winner will be contacted by email.

Baby swimming with Konfidence and Turtle Tots

I have been taking Toby to Turtle Tots swimming classes since he was about four months old. We’ve had our ups and downs with it but overall it’s been a great experience. We’ve just finished our Level 3 block of classes (well, there is one more class to go when we go back after the summer holidays) and we’ve signed up for Level 4 which is the last level of baby swimming before moving on to the toddler class. We’ve also been using Toby’s swimming kit from Konfidence for the last couple of months which I reviewed here.

Konfidence Babywarma

So, after eight months of swimming what has Toby learnt so far? The Turtle Tots classes have been great and our instructor Amanda is fantastic. Each class involves lots of songs and games to keep the babies engaged and interested and each class builds on the previous ones. Since his first lesson when Toby started by getting used to having water splashed on his face he now goes underwater several times a lesson (and swims back up to the surface on his own), he can hold on to the side of the pool on his own (and climb out with a tiny bit of help), he can splash into (and under the water) on his own from the side and we’re working on him being able to turn himself round underwater and get back to the side. He can float on his back with just a little support of his head from me, he can kick his legs as I swim him along, and he’s just starting to get the hang of moving himself along with a short woggle under each arm and no help from me! All pretty impressive for a baby who doesn’t turn one until next week I reckon! We even got chance to have an underwater photo shoot to capture Toby’s baby swimming experience (although somehow the photos came out looking nothing like him!).

turtle tots baby swimming

The main aim of Turtle Tots baby swimming programme is to teach babies water confidence and essential life-saving skills. Toby is by no means drown-proof but I’m fairly sure if he fell in water he’d manage to get himself back up to the surface at least. For me though, taking Toby to classes with Turtle Tots from such a young age has given me confidence to take him in the water that I perhaps wouldn’t have had on my own. I certainly don’t think I’d be doing submersions with him on my own if I didn’t know what I was doing! Now I would happily take Toby swimming on my own and practice all the things we’ve been doing in class. It was quite funny when we took him in the pool on holiday – there were quite a lot of amazed stares from other people in the pool as I put my eleven month old baby under the water and let go!!

If I’m honest, it’s still a bit hit and miss as to whether Toby actually likes being in the pool or not. I usually count it as a good lesson if we get through it without any crying! I don’t think it’s being in the water that he doesn’t like as such but there are so many things that can affect how he gets on from week to week – if he’s a bit tired or hungry that doesn’t help, if he’s teething then he tends to be a bit unhappy too (especially on his back), or the big one for Toby seems to be if he gets cold. We swim in a warm water pool which is supposed to be heated to 32° but sometimes it’s a bit less than that. Wearing his Konfidence Babywarma makes a big difference too but sometimes my skinny wee boy just gets a bit cold (and actually shivers) and he just doesn’t like it that much! I’m hoping that as he gets bigger he might be able to tolerate the colder water a bit better.

I would totally recommend baby swimming lessons if you have the opportunity to do them – I will say that they are fairly expensive when compared to just taking your baby to the pool on your own but worth every penny for the tuition and support that you get. We’ve been very lucky in that Toby’s grandparents paid for the first two blocks of lessons and then we were able to do the third block as part of our role as Konfidence Swimologists.

I’ll be keeping you updated on Toby’s progress in the pool. I really want to keep him going to swimming lessons until he is able to swim on his own. And with my massively long skinny baby, who knows? Maybe we’ve got the next Michael Phelps on our hands!

Review: Konfidence baby swimming kit

Konfidencebaby swimming kit

You may have read my post a few weeks ago about how we have been chosen to be Konfidence Swimologists. As part of our role as ambassadors Toby was sent some Konfidence baby swimming kit to try out and now we’ve been using it for a few weeks I thought it was time I shared my thoughts with you.

The Details

We received the Konfidence AquaNappy (£9.99) – a one-size-fits-all reusable swim nappy, the NeoNappy (£9.99 or £7.99 when purchased with an AquaNappy) – a neoprene nappy cover which can be used over the AquaNappy or a disposable swim nappy, as is required by many baby swim schools. Lastly we were sent the Konfidence Babywarma (£18.99) – a baby wetsuit designed to keep your little one warm in the pool. All the Konfidence baby swimming products are available in a variety of colours and prints – we went for the Clownfish print on the Babywarma and AquaNappy as it’s just so cute!

Konfidence Babywarma

The Pros

AquaNappy
  • If you go swimming with your baby regularly then a reusable swim nappy will save you plenty of pennies when compared to using disposable swim nappies, and as the AquaNappy is adjustable (with poppers and velcro) it should fit your baby for as long as they need it.
  • The AquaNappy has elastic at the legs and waist and should contain any thing your baby throws at it (and Toby successfully put this feature to the test on his first wearing of the AquaNappy!)
  • The AquaNappy seemed comfortable for Toby to wear – I was a little worried that the thick elastic might dig in a bit but there were no red marks when I took it off.
  • It was very easy to clean the AquaNappy, even after a poopy incident! I just rinsed the nappy by holding it under the flush in the loo then hand-washed with a tiny bit of hand wash detergent. It can also be machine washed at 30°.
NeoNappy
  • Most baby swim schools insist on a double layer nappy system to prevent any leaks in the pool – the Konfidence NeoNappy is suitable to be worn over a disposable or reusable swim nappy.
  • The NeoNappy is sized by age – Toby has a large (9-12 months) which fits well. The lycra round the legs and waist is snug (as it should be) but not so tight it cuts off his circulation!
Babywarma
  • The Konfidence Babywarma does a great job at doing what it is designed for – keeping your baby warm in the pool! Even though we have our swimming lessons in a warm water pool Toby seems to be very sensitive to the cold (I think because he is so skinny!) so the Babywarma is essential for us.
  • I love how the Babywarma folds put completely flat making it easy to put on and adjust with the velcro fastenings.
  • The Babywarma comes in three sizes – Toby has the biggest size (12-24 months). There is still plenty of growing room in it but we had to go for the bigger size because he is so long!
  • The neoprene is very soft and flexible with lycra edging so it’s very comfortable and there are no rough edges to rub anywhere.

The Cons

  • The only downside I found with any of the products is that I don’t think the AquaNappy could realistically be worn from 3 to 30 months as suggested by Konfidence. I know Toby is skinny but he is still wearing it on the smallest setting at 10 and a half months. There is no way it would have been small enough when he was much younger.

Konfidence AquaNappy and NeoNappy

The Verdict

We love our new Konfidence baby swimming kit. With the AquaNappy, NeoNappy and Babywarma Toby has everything he needs to enjoy his swimming lessons. We were also sent a Roll & Go Baby Changer which is a fantastic neoprene changing mat – great for those cold, wet changing room floors, or even at the poolside on holiday. As well as Toby’s swimwear Konfidence were also kind enough to give him a Quikfinz Dolphin Float and a set of Floating Flashing Blinkies! So far these have only made an appearance in the bath but they are very popular with Toby.

Konfidence make all sorts of swimming and UV protection products, not just for babies but for kids and adults too. Some of the other Konfidence Swimologists have been trying out the Konfidence Jacket and Floatsuits – you can find their blogs and read more here.

**Disclosure: I was sent a selection of Konfidence baby swimming kit in return for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

 

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