Swimming from birth

Baby swimming has certainly gained popularity since 2009. The ability to take part from birth makes it an attractive activity for families with young children. Yet the reasons why parents choose to pay for swimming classes from such a young age remains largely unclear. The purpose of this chapter is to examine parental views on swimming and understand why parents continue to engage in franchise-led swimming for babies, toddlers, and pre-school children. Whilst the reasons why parents enrol their under-fives in structured swimming lessons are more complex than presented here, this chapter provides parental insight by examining customer reviews. One UK-wide franchised baby, toddler, and pre-school swimming company was selected, and 127 customer reviews left on Trustist over a seven-month period (1 November 2023–30 May 2024) were analysed using a content analysis approach. Findings are presented in two themes: i) the importance of enjoying and learning to swimming in the early years and ii) knowledge, competency, and paying for expertise. Before the introduction, however, this chapter begins by highlighting the author’s experiences of, and reflections on, early years swimming.