Did you know that most swimming halls in Helsinki has a warmer kids pool, warm enough even for babies? We only found out about that when our first born was almost a year, and we gave up on the baby swim class that cost about 60 e/month for 30 minutes a week whether you made it there or not.
I found it stressful to try to get to the baby swimming with a 3 month old, because she had to be fed at the latest 2 hrs before and to rest just before. It was easier when she was older, but still I was a bit disappointed by the “lesson”: it didn’t take us that long to learn the ways to hold a baby in the water, how to softly introduce her to diving and other water fun. 60 e/month felt like quite a lot to pay merely for a warm pool and a few songs together.
Therefore we were quite delighted to find the warm indoor kid pools: we have been swimming with our kids more or less fortnightly for about 2 years in the Helsinki UH. We have taught our son to dive and “swim” – we learned the grips with our first born. It has been relaxing and fun as we have been able to go when it suits us, and change the time according to our kids’ rhythm. Also, all swimming halls have saunas and adult pools included in the price.
At the city indoor pools you only pay for adults (about 5-6e/time) swimming, kids swim for free. Also, as you don’t commit to a “course”,you do not pay if you are away or sick. In some of the swimming halls there are slides and water toys too. For open hours, prices, locations and other accurate information please go to Urheiluhallit (and be aware of them offering other sports facilities too).
P.S. A warning for those who didn’t grow up here: changing rooms, shower rooms and saunas are separate for men and women but there are no own cubicles. That means many showers in one room and no towel or togs allowed in the sauna. Yes, you need to be naked.
In the pool, however, you need to have a swim suit (no shorts allowed, surry men) and if you try that one naked, you will be removed 😉 (unless you go to e.g Yrjönkatu pool with separate nude swimming hours for men and women).
If you want to have other ideas on activities for various ages, please check this page
Free But Fun 
[…] want to leave and therefore fled swimming 5-6 metres across a deep pool before I caught him. We started with baby swimming classes for the older one, not so much excersice for adults and we found them expensive and somewhat […]
[…] want to leave and therefore fled swimming 5-6 metres across a deep pool before I caught him. We started with baby swimming classes for the older one but found them expensive and somewhat stressful because of the rigid schedule. […]
[…] course, one can be active with children, and I like to take mine swimming, ice skating, bike riding, walking in the nature or up a mountain etc. It is affordable, fun and I […]
[…] swim, you need to go in too. And if the day is as cold as today, you may want to consider the indoor pools in the […]
I didn’t do baby swimming with either of them 😦 They are both november babies so when they were old enough to start it was still winter and I was always afraid they would get sick:(
That’s great that they have special warm pools
We have got lucky in that our swimming teacher lets us take weeks off.
We were the same. Did a baby swim class the first time around and then thought we had it ok the second time. Luckily ours you bought a number of lessons so if you didn’t turn up there was no fee. Never heard about the feeding 2hrs before, though – that seems unnecessary not to mention impossible for many parents and babes!
T is now able to swim a few metres (I love watching her freak people out by diving headlong into the pool at 2.5yo) but it’s mainly from copying her older brother!
Good on T!!! Sounds like you had more consumer friendly baby swims there too…
Ours can also kick and splash a couple of metres without drowning but I wouldn’t call that quite swimming yet 😀 it is a fun thing to do together with the whole family though!