About Eaubaby swim school
Baby swimming at its best
Eaubaby Swimming was founded in 2021. Created by two professional baby swimming teachers who have over 50 years of experience in teaching babies and young children to swim and are incredibly passionate about what they do.
Fiona and Nicky accept infants from 8 weeks old and teach in a handful of pools around Tewkesbury, Cheltenham and the North Cotswolds – it really is Baby Swimming at its Best.
About Eaubaby Swim School
With a wealth of knowledge and passion, Nicky and Fiona founded Eaubaby Swim School in 2021. With 50 years of infant swimming experience between them, they now teach from locations such as; Moreton in Marsh Fire College in Moreton in Marsh, The Moretons, Bredon nr Tewkesbury and Bettridge School, Up Hatherley, Cheltenham.
Eaubaby’s methods
Eaubaby is very proud to be individual and bespoke in its methods, having fine-tuned these practices over the last 25 years. Our methods are based around the principles of: Play, Train, Play. This encourages fun in the water alongside the structure of learning to swim via the subsurface method of swimming.
Eaubaby introduces all of its students gradually into going under the water. First of all by teaching them to hold their breath, (by pouring water over their head and face), and the use of keywords and visual signals.
Water safety
The Eaubaby Swimming Programme promotes Water Safety in every facet of its curriculum, starting in our Duckling level with ‘holding on’. Teaching babies to ‘turn back to the side’, jumping in safely and waiting for parents to let them know when it is safe to jump. All the way through to our ‘survival lesson’ in our Swim School lessons where our children are encouraged to ‘save’ their parents!
Health benefits
Our classes are a modern and fun way of teaching your child to swim with proven and remarkable health benefits. Swimming exercises every muscle in the body, strengthening your baby’s heart, lungs and respiratory system. Just taking your baby swimming for half an hour each week will also help improve their sleeping and eating patterns!
You’re in safe hands
Fiona has been teaching babies to swim since 1989, having started one of the first UK baby swimming schools. Prior to opening her own business, she gained 10 years of experience teaching her own 4 children to swim creating, using and honing the methods that Eaubaby are proud to use to this day.
Nicky started baby swimming as a parent with her children 21 years ago, where she met Fiona. After thoroughly enjoying this swimming experience with both children trained to be a teacher and taught for 15 years with her previous company.
Fiona’s story
“I have always been a keen swimmer. My father taught myself and my siblings to swim when he was based in Singapore with the RAF. By the time I was 3, I was swimming 25m and loving every moment of it.
I was lucky enough to start having a family quite early and my greatest achievement was trying to teach them all to swim, so they would have the same love of water as I did. Russell is my eldest and when he was born (although we later discovered he had special needs) I was able to teach him to swim so that by the time he was 9 months he was swimming on his back across our local baby pool (7m in length). I was a very proud Mum. Russell was followed by 3 subsequent siblings, all very different, and with each new baby, I would try again refining my skills and techniques. I soon found out what worked for one didn’t work for all… so I was constantly changing and tweaking my ideas.
I was often approached by other fascinated parents who would ask me if I would teach their babies to swim.. with that push, I started my first company, Aquatots. The principles which I developed through teaching my own children to swim were the foundations on which I built Aquatots. Play, train, play.
Unfortunately after nearly 25 years, I lost Aquatots due to Covid.
Nicky. who has been with me ever since she came to me with her own children so they could learn to swim, was the help that I needed to start Eaubaby. We are a partnership which works really well, as we both have different strengths and we are able to play to those, in our teaching and professional lives.
My wonderful children have gone on to have varied careers; one as a Doctor, also in the RAF, one on Superyachts as a 2nd Officer (travelling the world), one in Social Media (currently in Sydney, Australia) and I still have Russell close by.
I have been teaching for 40 years now and I am constantly learning new things about baby swimming every day!”
Nicky’s story
“After 20 years of working in the catering industry I gave up full time work to start a family.
I started baby swimming as a parent in 2000 with my son and then with my daughter from the age of 6 months. This was a valuable experience as a teacher as I know how most parents could be feeling or experiencing. I have been through wobbles with them and come out the other end with my children too:) Both completed the Aquatots baby programme (which has been refined but uses the same methods as Eaubaby today) and both are extremely confident and competent in the water.
I can honestly say baby swimming was one of the most enjoyable, fun activities I shared with both my children. Yes, there were frustrating times of going off swimming and refusing to do anything but I know perseverance is key and they now have the benefits and skill for life.
My daughter continued to swim and joined Four Shires Swim Club where she swam competitively from the age of 7 years old.
My son chose other sports rather than swimming, but to this day thoroughly enjoys the water and partakes in scuba diving when he can, especially on his travels.
I hold the ASA Level 2 swim teacher certificate and hold the NRASTC teachers life saving qualification, where regular training is continued throughout the year.
I started teaching in 2007 with Aquatots. I was a senior teacher which involved training new staff and helping refine the lesson content.
Eaubaby was started in September 2021 with Fiona and myself after the covid pandemic. I have now been teaching for 17 years and still love to share the ‘Eaubaby’ method of teaching with you.”
Book your baby's swimming lesson
Ready for your baby to take the plunge and begin their journey from Duckling to Swim School? Book their swimming lesson by visiting our bookings page.
