S/O How to do changing after swim lessons at age 5+

This topic came up in the allowing kids to go to the restroom by themselves thread.

I take the boys to swim class once per week. Kids age 5 and up cannot use the opposite sex locker room. There is a family bathroom, but it has just a toilet and sink. No bench to sit on to change. No hooks to hang clothes. No lockers to store items. No shower to rinse off before entering the pool (which is required) or wash off after swimming. It's still cold here (where is spring/summer <_< ), so the boys cannot go to class in their swim suits or return home wet in the cold.

So I'm still taking them in the women's locker room. I don't see another alternative. They are too young to change themselves and hang up their clothes in the men's locker room. And forget about getting out of their wet clothes after the class. Well, this week I got called out on it and specifically told that I can't take them in the women's room anymore. But what can I do? There is no reasonable alternative except coming and going in (wet) swim suits.

Any advice?

 

I would work with them at home on changing and wrapping their bathing suit in a towel. I work with kids Jacob and Aaron's age and younger at camp, and they really can change on their own! When my boys were barely 4, they started camp, and were taught how to change and pack their bags--because with 14 kids, the counselors simply can't do it all for them.

Also, give them easy clothes to change into, and sandals--so no socks. Have them arrive in a bathing suit, so all they need to do is pull off their shirts. After swimming, wrap them in their towels, and give them a bag with their underpants, sandals, shorts and shirts. Tell them if they are out in 10 min. you will get them a treat--I found that that motivates my boys to not fool around and change quickly--and the treat was a bag of chips out of the vending machine. Remind them to keep together. They will surprise you! Also, maybe do a dry run with your DH coming, so he can make sure they understand how to act.

 

I think it is very possible that they could do it themselves, with a little practice at home. I would say give them an outfit and tell them to change in the room and put everything they take off, back into the bag. Then leave them alone and see how they do.

If you just dont feel comfortable doing it that way; maybe you could use the family bathroom to go in with them while they change, and once they are changed, you can go hang things up or put things in the locker in the women's locker room.

It seems to me that these are the only two options you would have.

 

Wish I knew -- I brought it up on the other thread, because it's an issue for us, too. My DD is the same age as your boys. The saving grace for us is that the showers at the pool are outside the locker rooms, where everyone rinses off quickly with suits on, instead of taking a full shower.

So, DH can help Nadia with that (the water is tricky to adjust), and then like I mentioned, I figured out that she can get a full one-piece bathing suit on and off, because it's not too hard to pull arms out, pull it down and step out of it -- as opposed to a wet top that is impossible to pull over the head. I also have her wrap it in the wet towel, and then give her another towel to completely dry off.

I have her wear Crocs to the pool as well (regardless of weather), so those are easy.

I bet your boys would be okay getting wet swim trunks off and drying off -- the shower would be the trickiest part.

 

I would skip the shower, and have them shower at home.

 

You could bring a big towel and change them behind it on the deck of the pool. Not ideal, but at least that way they could run in the bathroom, shower/rinse off, then come back out and you could be there to help with their clothes. I think by the end of the 5th year, my boys were much more coordinated and good at remembering all their things and getting changed by themselves. At our pool the cut-off age is 6, which I think is a bit more reasonable.

 

I'm truly not thrilled about this. If the family restroom had hooks and a bench to sit on, I wouldn't care. And they won't install anything because they are building a new pool and this pool will close later this year. BTW, the pool is indoors at the local high school.

I guess I'll try letting them change themselves in the men's locker room. I don't fear a strange man molesting them. I fear them dinking around and not coming out of the locker room - and I can't go in after them to chase them out. I do think Sharon's suggestion of a prize for being fast will work.