We're delighted that our parents frequently eulogise about swimming. And it's not just for reasons of healthy development and water confidence. Often they tell us it's because it's such a great social activity. Others will say it's because they adore the excitement of seeing their baby swimming underwater. However, most often we're told it's because they just love sharing a magical activity that's so clearly adored by their baby.

Children lack the strength and co-ordination to swim properly until three or four. So don't think our lessons are all about teaching front crawl! But, using our highly specialised methods, most of our children are actually swimming short distances by around the age of two - which is fantastic for your peace of mind.

The core Water Babies programme lasts one year, divided into four ten-week terms. Each of the 40 lesson plans is carefully worked out to progress learning and understanding. However, fun is also a key element of our lessons. And overall, our aim is to provide an enjoyable and stimulating activity for the two of you.

One of our core tenets is that we are teaching you to teach your child to swim, as soon as they are able. So, with everything we teach you, we'll give you very clear explanations as to what we're doing and why. With this philosophy in mind we developed our unique Swim Kit. This has been custom designed to enable you to take your child swimming independently. In essence it gives you numerous 'lessons in a bag' - with everything you need to recreate the fun of the classes.

Throughout the weeks you'll always be with your child in the water - creating an excellent opportunity for the two of you to interact and bond. However, don't be put off if you yourself can't swim as the water is always shallow enough for you to stand up in.

Classes are kept small, with a maximum of ten babies per session (even fewer in some hydrotherapy pools). A sense of camaraderie within the group is important and the lessons can be very lively, with parents often staying on to socialise afterwards.