Bay Swimming Classes – Why do babies and small children need wetsuits
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Bay Swimming Classes – Why do babies and small children need wetsuits
By Andy Regan on August 19th 2025
A recent article from the BBC has served as a reminder that pool temperatures continue to fall as the costs of heating rise.:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98l4pj5rv6o
It cites 15% of councils reducing pool temperatures and rising energy costs as the reason. The temperature of the water at public swimming pools can vary, and with leisure facilities having so many different patrons to cater for on a daily basis, and especially in the current energy climate, it’s not always easy for the facility to change the temperature to suit the different age groups and types of classes being run.
For baby swimming, this can sometimes mean the water in the main public pool is a little cooler than the recommended 32 degrees for babies under 3 months old and 30 degrees for babies over 12lbs.
If the water temperature drops below 30 degrees, it can cause your baby to chill too quickly. But and this is the important point; with babies unable to shiver to physically show you that they are cold, you might not instantly know they are too cold. The first sign of a baby being too cold could be them getting blue lips, which can pose a risk of hyperthermia.
Unlike older children and adults who physically shiver when they’re cold as a way to create heat, young babies instead rely on a layer of what’s called ‘brown fat’, or adipose to keep them warm. This brown adipose tissue burns calories and releases heat, and babies have this fat for example around their necks, chests, back and butts.
But this brown fat isn’t enough to keep babies warm; they still need to be bundled up when cold with clothing, blankets, wraps etc. This same principle of ‘layering’ applies to the swimming pool and is why Konfidence created the it’s Warma® swimsuits.
Made from a flexible 1mm-thick soft e-Flex® material, the Konfidence Warma Swimsuit has been designed to help regulate a baby’s temperature in the swimming pool; it reduces the effect of cold water as well as the change in air temperature from being in and out of the water - in the same way as a wetsuit. Swimming teachers recommend the Splashy™ because it allows babies to stay warmer and happier in the water for longer, so they really get the most out of their baby swimming classes.
Not Just Babies
Toddlers, older children, parents and Teachers can also get chilly, which is why we’ve wrapped together all of our ‘warming’ swimwear products here in one place - from swimsuits to pool wetsuits and adult t-shirts our ‘warming’ collection will help everyone keep warm in the pool for longer over the coming months.
e-Flex® and the Splashy® swimsuit
e-Flex® is Konfidence own material. Developed using recycled plastics as a substitute for neoprene. It has a lovely, soft, comfortable, plush inner, Nylon outer and recycled plastic sandwich layer. The Splashy® swimsuits and Warma swimsuits and wetsuits use e-Flex in a seamless wetsuit flatlock stitch construction for extra comfort.
Visit our Warm in the Pool Collection page for more information:
https://www.konfidence.co.uk/collections/warm-in-the-pool-collection