Almost all of Stockholm's municipal simhallar (public swimming pools) have a warm, shallow teaching pool that suits babies and toddlers, and a few have their own children's or adventure sections: Eriksdalsbadet, Husbybadet and Beckombergabadet. Children who cannot swim need an adult within arm's reach in the water. Check the current family swim times on the pool's website before you set off.
A Sunday morning in February, minus eight outside, and a four-year-old in Hägersten has not moved her body since Friday. On weekends like that, the swimming pool is the best thing there is. But a pool visit with children is also changing rooms, hair dryers and a two-year-old who is freezing after twenty minutes. Here is how to get a good morning out of it, and which pools suit which child.
Stockholm swimming pools that suit families
| Pool | Where | What there is for children |
|---|---|---|
| Eriksdalsbadet | Södermalm | Large pool complex with its own children's section, warm pool, outdoor pool in summer |
| Husbybadet | Husby | Adventure pool with a shallow section, slide, warm |
| Beckombergabadet | Bromma | Family pool with a fun section, shallow children's area |
| Åkeshovs simhall | Bromma | Teaching pool, calm, good for toddlers and swimming lessons |
| Forsgrenska badet | Medborgarplatsen | Classic pool in the city centre, teaching pool |
| Vällingby simhall | Vällingby | Teaching pool, family sessions |
| Farsta simhall | Farsta | Teaching pool, swimming lessons, quiet on weekdays |
| Högdalens simhall | Högdalen | Teaching pool, rarely crowded |
| Nacka simhall | Nacka | Kids' pool, close for families in Nacka and Sickla |
| Jakobsbergs simhall | Järfälla | Kids' pool and family swim, close to our base |
Which pool for which age?
- Babies 3 to 12 months: a warm teaching pool, around 32 degrees, ten to twenty minutes. Babysim (baby swimming classes) is a good way to get both baby and parent used to the water, but going on your own on a quiet weekday morning works just as well.
- 1 to 3 years: still the warm pool. Balls and floating toys if the pool provides them, otherwise bring your own. Thirty minutes in the water at most, after that the child is cold.
- 3 to 5 years: now the adventure pools become fun, with small slides and shallow sections. Your child will want to jump from the edge into your arms twenty times. A flotation vest if you venture into deeper water.
- 5 to 8 years: Swimming lessons for children if not already done, because now the child wants to go into the deep end. The low diving board for those who can swim. An adult still in the water.
- 8 to 12 years: big slides, diving boards, lengths in the main pool. Now you can sit on the edge, but not go to the café.
What a good morning looks like
- Pack the night before. Swimwear on under the clothes for children under five, which saves one changing step. Swim nappy, towels, a change of clothes, a small bottle of shampoo, a bag for wet things, a snack and water for afterwards.
- Arrive early. The first hour after opening at the weekend, or a weekday morning with a baby. Then the teaching pool is empty and the noise level is low.
- Shower first. Children must shower without swimwear before getting in. Three-year-olds hate it. Make it quick and warm.
- Thirty to forty-five minutes in the water. The child is cold long before they say so. Blue lips mean you are twenty minutes late.
- Shower, dry, dress. Warm the child up first, get yourself dressed last. Hair dryer if there is one.
- A snack straight afterwards. Swimming makes children ravenous. Sit down in the pool café or on a bench outside before you head home.
What to bring
- Swimwear, ideally on under the clothes for the little ones
- A swim nappy for children not yet out of nappies, and an ordinary nappy for afterwards
- Towels, one with a hood for children under three
- A change of clothes for everyone, socks included
- Shampoo and soap in small bottles, most pools do not provide them
- A flotation vest for children going into deeper water, if the pool does not lend them
- A small bath toy, a ball or a jug, for the teaching pool
- A snack and water for afterwards, that is when the hunger hits
- A coin or a padlock for the locker, depending on the pool
- A hairbrush and a hat in winter, because wet hair at minus ten is no fun
Family swim, baby swimming and session times
Familjebad (family swim) means different things at different pools: sometimes hours when the whole pool is open to children, sometimes when the adventure section is running, sometimes when small children are allowed in the main pool. Babysim is small-group classes in a warm pool, often with a waiting list. Swimming lessons for children from four or five are offered at most municipal pools through the swimming clubs. All of this changes every term, so use the website, not a friend's memory, as your source.
The changing room, the hardest part
With two children of different ages, the changing room is harder work than the pool. A few things that help: one lockable locker per child so nobody rummages in the other's, hooded towels for the little ones, and the rule that the children sit on the bench while you dry yourself. Children from around seven can change in the room for their own sex, and the pools have rules about when children of the opposite sex may no longer come in with you. Ask at the front desk. A family changing room, which many pools have, solves it completely.
The pool as an everyday activity
The pool is one of the best answers to the question of what the children should do on a dark afternoon in January. It is warm, it tires them out in a good way, and there is one in almost every district. A nanny who goes to the same pool every week with the same children turns the visit into a routine: the child knows where the lockers are, what happens in the shower and that the sandwich comes afterwards. It is the routine that makes it possible to take a three-year-old to the pool without it becoming a project. More ideas for winter are in Rainy days in Stockholm with kids.
When your child is afraid of the water
Never push. A child who sits on the edge dipping their feet for three visits is a child who gets in on the fourth. Start in the shallowest pool, where the child can stand, and let them decide. Water play with no pressure to swim is what makes children confident. Keep an eye on cold and tiredness: a cold child is afraid of everything.
How we do it with our families
Doaa takes a three-year-old in Järfälla to the pool every other Thursday morning, on the child's day off from förskola (municipal preschool, from age one). The swimwear is on under the snowsuit when they leave the house. They are in the water ten minutes after arriving, in the teaching pool, which is almost empty at that hour. Thirty minutes, then out, shower, hair dryer and a sandwich on the bench outside. Home for lunch, and the three-year-old sleeps for two hours. The parents say Thursday is the best day of the week, and the credit goes to the water, not the nanny.
Our nannies are out and about with children in Stockholm every week: parks, libraries, swimming pools and playgrounds. Would you like someone to take the afternoons? Book a free first meeting with the nanny at your home.
Read more: Swimming lessons for children · Rainy days in Stockholm with kids · Sportlov in Stockholm with kids · Prices
Frequently asked questions
From what age can a baby come to the swimming pool?
Many pools welcome babies from a few months old in warm kids' pools, and baby swimming classes usually start at three to four months. The baby needs a swim nappy and water at around 32 degrees. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough the first time. Ask the pool what temperature the kids' pool is kept at.
Which swimming pools in Stockholm have good kids' pools?
Eriksdalsbadet on Södermalm has a separate children's section, Husbybadet and Beckombergabadet have adventure sections, and most municipal pools such as Åkeshov, Farsta, Vällingby and Högdalen have a warm teaching pool for small children. Pools sometimes close for renovation, so check the current family swim times and which pools are open on each website.
Do children under a certain age have to wear a swim nappy?
Yes, at almost all pools children who are not yet out of nappies must wear a swim nappy, sometimes with swim pants over the top. An ordinary nappy will not do, it swells up. Buy swim nappies in advance, they are rarely sold at the pool's front desk. You will need a nappy change after the swim, as swim nappies do not hold wee.
Can children swim without an adult in the pool?
No, not until they can swim and are old enough under the pool's rules, often around ten to twelve. Before that an adult in swimwear must be in or beside the pool the whole time. The rules are posted at the front desk and on the website. The lifeguards are not responsible for your child; you are.