SWIMBABES

Parents, beware and trust your instincts; this is a bad program. It has taken me 2 years to write this review. Swimbabes is traumatic to kids. It compromises children’s trust in their parents. I tried it for 6 months. I kept signing up for the next session because the teachers told me that it would be more damaging to deprive my son of the confidence he would gain through accomplishment. When I finally stopped going to classes we were given no refund. When I tried to talk to them about the possibility that this program could possibly not work for every kid, they said that they had not heard of anyone else having problems.
This is NOT true.
I am finally writing a review because I have met so many other parents who also tried it and regret the trauma they have caused their kids. My son still talks about these «scary swim classes»
It feels like a cult.

It took me 2 months to write this review since this swimming lessons was the worst experience that I ever have with my baby. The reason why I am giving at least one star is because of the front desk lady otherwise I would give none. She is adorable!!! I payed for the syncro babies classes and I went there 4 times and just stopped going. The classes are the TOTALLY opposite of fun. They have so much rules that you are always afraid to do something wrong because they will remember you in front of everyone. The teacher Jak she is impatient all the time, which make impossible for anyone to relax. My baby will cry once she would grab her and she sad that is because she is not used to be with white people!!!
This was for me the last day in this school and my decision of loosing the money I invested on this classes was not just based on this non sense comment from the teacher but on this sad and militant environment that this place is. I hope they use my money wisely and invest in updating the Swiming pool and on good manners and relaxing courses for the teacher !

If you spend a lot of time around water I think this is the place to go. Because of the lessons my 2 year old daughter can float on her back in the water kick herself to the edge of the pool and pull herself out of the water. The only thing I didn’t like about the place is that there is very little parking that you usually have to park down the road

I like many things about this place but there are a lot of rules that feel somewhat unnecessary and that don’t exist at other schools like Children of the Sea.
The space is small and the dressing room could be nicer.
I really hate the no photo policy. Since only parents and guests who sign in are allowed in the pool I don’t see a problem with letting parents take pictures. I know I signed an agreement but I did it because I didn’t have a choice.
I will likely switch to Portland Parks and Rec classes in the summer. I feel it’s important to have my kids take a survival class but it gets a bit pricey after a couple sessions.

I never have written a review for anything, however in reading these reviews I had to pipe in. SwimBabes is not a place you take your kid to splash and play and laugh and have a great time, there are other places for that. This facility is about survival. Period. They have an amazing program, it is diligent and I did cry EVERY lesson for the first few times I took my 14 month old — but I realized I will cry so much harder if I lost my baby to drowning. They are working on getting your baby to the point that they are not only comfortable in the water, but the baby WILL turn over and float — in a swimsuit or in a parka with rainboots. and SURVIVE. Parents — this place is not for the faint of heart — it is a true, bigtime opportunity to give your infant a skill that could save their life. My kids were swimming and floating in our pool without me having to be in the water last summer — my son was 2, yes 2 years old and he was amazing. Anytime he’d end up where he couldn’t touch, he would flip over on his back and kick his way to the stairs. The parking is a bit of a hassle, yes… the dressing room isn’t the greatest — but I will tell you in the 5 years I’ve been going here that is all overshadowed when I have a sense of peace around water with my two little boys. If you are serious about teaching your child to survive and thrive around water, give up a little control and let these wonderful experts work their magic.

I’ve been going there for a whole now and I really love it. My daughter screams the entire time still though, but she is learning slowly but surely. I love the teachers and other parents it’s a great swim program.

We have taken both our daughter, starting at 8 mos, and our son, starting at 9 years, to swimbabes. It’s expensive, which is why I give it 4 stars instead of 5, but we think it’s worth it. The two teachers our daughter has had were great, especially Susi. My daughter, who is now 15 months, actually warmed up to her really quickly, which makes things easier. Our son had a bad experience in the water when he was 4, and had taken classes and private lessons elsewhere, but wasn’t making much progress. He took class with Sara, who has a totally different personality from Susi. Sara is tough, which is exactly what our older kid needed. He was even singing her praises after the first class telling us how just making him do it was increasing his confidence.

Incredible swim lessons! I have been going to Swimbabes for 10 years and am taking my 5^th child through this program now. He just turned 1 and can already turn and float unassisted. All of my older kids are awesome swimmers! (They all swim better than me) My kids love all of the instructors and the instructors seem to love my kids as well. The facility is small, and the parking lot is small, but they only have 5 kids per class and one class in the pool at a time, so its not a huge deal.
I love that this program is not giving my kids a false sense of security, by taking «lessons» (AKA «splashing in the water»), but rather teaches them survival skills that can actually save their life.
I am so thankful for this program! Just go to their website and read the self rescue stories. I think that speaks volumes for what this program offers.

I took my 8-​month-​old here for swim lessons, paid quite a bit for a block of classes, went three times, and never went back. I wanted a positive, fun swimming experience for my son and this was definitely not it. The three times I went, the teachers were irritable and impatient, not inviting and fun, as I would’ve thought a baby swim instructor would be. Safety-​wise, my son was at the age when babies begin to lose the natural reflex to hold their breath when submerged and, despite that, the teachers dunked my son repeatedly even though he’d come up sputtering, choking, and upset. And when my parents came to watch, my mother took a picture of my son swimming and got vehemently reprimanded. (One of the teacher’s sons is the only person allowed to video or photograph there, and for a price.) I appreciate the aspect of water survival, and for some people this might work just fine, but it was far too militant and traumatic of a swimming experience for me. I wanted a fun introduction to the water for my son, where we’d both enjoy our experience and I could get a picture of my kid’s first time in a pool. Look elsewhere if that is also your expectation.

I only go here because I have no choice. There is no other facility on the Eastside that offer swim lessons to toddlers 2 and under.
There’s only about 8 parking spaces which is a huge inconvenience with a tot in the rain. The bathroom is disgusting with 1 shower and one toilet each for boys and girls– hardly any room for three kids and Moms to change.
The most important part– the actual lesson– is good. That’s what gives them 1 star. Don’t get me started about their ridiculous schedule and payment plan– you’ll need a translator.
I go for the safety of my child and that’s it. Once she turns 3 and can go to the athletic club for lessons we are out if here!