Questions about swimming lessons

The recommended age for starting swimming lessons for the A diploma is four to five years old. But the sooner a child gets used to water, the better. After all, most children who drown are between zero and four years old, according to the National Swimming Safety Board. That is why the Geusseltbad offers parent-child swimming lessons at different levels for children from 3 months old. In these lessons children become familiar with the water, which is an excellent preparation for the regular swimming lessons.

You can register your child for A swimming lessons via this link. You must first create an account ("register as a new user"). Then click on the type of swimming lesson (1 or 2x per week) and the day of your preference. Do you not have a preference for a specific day? Then choose the general waiting list. The more flexible you can be, the faster your child can usually start.

For B or C swimming lessons you can register for the waiting list. The level at which your child can start / enter is determined on the basis of pre-swimming.

Every month, 20 to 30 children from the various lesson groups obtain their A diploma in the Geusseltbad. As soon as space becomes available in the lesson group of your choice, you will receive a call by e-mail or telephone. You must confirm this as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. How long you have to wait for this call depends on the popularity of the chosen lesson group, your place on the waiting list and the number of children who swim off each month in the relevant lesson group. 

To prepare your child for swimming lessons at the Geusseltbad, we offer free water-free lessons for all children on the waiting list. During these lessons you will go into the water with your child. Under the supervision of a swimming instructor, you will receive playful exercises so that your child can become familiar with all aspects of the water. Think of going underwater, floating, splashing and jumping.

The water-free lessons are free for all children on the waiting list, parents pay recreational rate.

It is possible that you will receive a call for other available places, because we would like to offer you the possibility to start faster than on the day of your preference. If you are not interested in the place, you do not have to respond. You will of course remain on the waiting list of your preference.

The speed with which a child obtains his / her diplomas naturally depends on many different factors. Sometimes it takes a while for a child to feel confident in the water and one child picks up the technique more easily than another. Thanks to our EasySwim teaching method and the accompanying bathing suits, children feel safe and familiar in the water (faster) and experience playfully why they have to do something in a certain way. That fits with the logic of a child, so that the curriculum lingers better. The swimming instructor or instructor also stands with the children in the swimming pool, which ensures better support, more personal attention and a higher learning efficiency. 

The starting point for the average child to obtain diploma A is a lesson duration of a total of 48 clock hours. For diploma B there are 12 clock hours and for C another 12 clock hours.

To assess which lesson package best suits your child, it is good to know that on average, a child needs 75 weeks to pass the A-level diploma. Of course, this can vary from child to child. Some children are quicker to learn than others. The All-in package guarantees the diploma, provided that 90% of the swimming lessons are attended. With an All-in package, you know in advance what the maximum costs will be to obtain the A-diploma.

You can choose between an All-in package and 4-week lesson cards. 
Click here to view the rates.

Thanks to the EasySwim method, children learn to swim better, faster and with fun. The swimming lessons are tailored to the way young children learn and move. The lessons start directly in deep water to make the swimming experience as natural as possible and to develop a feeling for the water. During swimming lessons for diploma A, an EasySwim swimsuit is therefore compulsory.

Another important part of the EasySwim method is working in groups with individual attention for each child. The children are divided into smaller groups and work on their own level with different control charts and training materials. The teacher offers individual help to the children during practice. To be able to give the right attention and help, the teacher teaches from the water as much as possible. Also, the children swim with the same teacher and in the same group as much as possible.

At the Geusseltbad, swimming pleasure and the child come first! Do you have any questions about the EasySwim teaching method at the Geusseltbad? Please contact zwemlessen [at] maastricht.nl.

It is important that your child wear well-fitting swimwear during the swimming lesson. That is nice and hygienic. The type or brand does not matter. Because of the use of the EasySwim life jacket, we advise girls to wear a bikini or swimming trunks and not a bathing suit; for example, that is more convenient if the child has to go to the toilet. This of course no longer applies once the EasySwim life jacket is no longer used during class (at B and C).

Yes, it is possible to help your child to change clothes. The group changing rooms for swimming lessons may only be used by mothers with daughters or fathers with sons. A father with a daughter or mother with a son always need to use the small changing rooms. 

Yes, parents can watch from the stands of the competition pool and combination pool. For the last 5 minutes, parents are allowed into the swimming hall to watch.

Lesson tickets can be extended at the ticket shop. Additionally, lesson tickets can be renewed (by debit card payment only) at the information desk.

We work with a handy student tracking system, with which the instructors and the parents can keep track of the performance and progress of the class swimmers. This provides a clear picture of the level and shows what your child scores well on and what needs to be worked on. Extra practice is possible during our free practice hour on Sundays from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm (free for all swimming lesson children, parents pay the recreational rate). 

Yes, for a child who's following swimming lessons you can book free of charge via the option: ‘Gebruikers 25/50 badenkaart (geen ODS en MUMC+)’. Parents and children who do not take swimming lessons at the Geusseltbad pay the regular rate. Please present yourself at the information desk upon arrival to gain access to the pools.

With an infectious disease, sometimes a child cannot swim. Whether or not the child can attend depends on:

1. How does the child feel?
2. Is the disease contagious to other people?

1. How does the child feel?

Symptoms with which swimming is not recommended:

• fever
• vomiting
• diarrhoea
• pain

Symptoms with which a child could swim:

• mild symptoms of illness
• increased body temperature
• snottiness

Are you in doubt? Contact the information desk on info [at] maastrichtsport.nl (info[at]maastrichtsport[dot]nl) or 043 350 45 00

2. Is the disease contagious to other people?

With certain contagious diseases, the sick child should not come to the pool. This is to avoid infecting other children.

The main infectious diseases prevalent in the pool:

Head lice
Head lice are small grey bugs two to three millimetres long. They prefer to sit close to the scalp, from which they suck the blood they live on. The eggs (nits) resemble dandruff but are stuck to the hair.

Symptoms:

• Itching, especially behind the ears and on the neck.
• Visible critters and eggs (nits).

Swimming or no swimming?
Infection with head lice occurs very easily. It is recommended that you temporarily prevent your child from attending swimming lessons.

Middenoorontsteking en loopoor
Een acute middenoorontsteking is een plotseling optredende infectie van het middenoor (de ruimte achter het trommelvlies). Deze ontsteking kan veroorzaakt worden door allerlei virussen en bacteriën die ook verkoudheid en andere luchtweginfecties veroorzaken.

Verschijnselen:

• Flinke oorpijn
• Koorts
• Hangerigheid
• Als complicatie van een middenoorontsteking kan een loopoor ontstaan. Bij een loopoor is het trommelvlies kapot gegaan en komt er pus uit het oor.

Wel of niet zwemmen?
Een middenoorontsteking is meestal een complicatie van een verkoudheid en is op zich niet besmettelijk. Het vocht van een loopoor is wel besmettelijk. Tijdens de acute fase van de middenoorontsteking is uw kind te ziek om te zwemmen door koorts en pijn. Bij een loopoor is het trommelvlies geperforeerd en dat betekent dat er water in het middenoor zou kunnen komen bij zwemmen. Zolang het loopoor bestaat en het trommelvlies niet is genezen moet het kind niet zwemmen.

Krentenbaard of kinderzeer (impetigo)
Krentenbaard is een oppervlakkige infectie van de huid, veroorzaakt door bacteriën. Soms verschijnt de infectie op plaatsen die eerder stuk gekrabd zijn zoals bij eczeem of muggenbulten. De infectie zit meestal in het gezicht rond de neus of mond, onder de oksel, maar kan zich ook op andere plaatsen voordoen.

Verschijnselen:

• In het begin een blaasje, dat openbarst en waarop een honinggele korst ontstaat.
• Vervolgens breiden de plekken zich uit, zodat het lijkt of uw kind een baard van krenten heeft.

Wel of niet zwemmen?
Het is aan te raden uw kind tijdelijk niet naar de zwemles te laten gaan als de blaasjes nog niet zijn ingedroogd of als uw kind langer dan 48 uur een antibioticakuur ondergaat.

Steenpuisten
Een steenpuist is een huidinfectie die veroorzaakt wordt door een bacterie (stafylokok). Er ontstaat een pijnlijke rode warme bult rond de haarwortel. In enkele dagen kan de zwelling onderhuids toenemen, er ontstaat een onderhuidse ontsteking met een zwarte punt. Er kan een behoorlijke hoeveelheid pus gevormd worden die afvloeit als puist opengaat.

Verschijnselen:

• Rode bult met zwarte punt

Wel of niet zwemmen?
Besmetting kan optreden na contact met de pus die uit de steenpuist loopt. Uw kind kan gewoon gaan zwemmen als:

• de puist nog niet op springen staat
• de puist is ingedroogd.

Waterpokken
Waterpokken is een besmettelijke infectieziekte die veroorzaakt wordt door een virus. De ziekte duurt ongeveer zeven dagen en geneest spontaan. Na genezing is men levenslang beschermd tegen waterpokken. Het virus blijft echter in het lichaam aanwezig en kan op latere leeftijd gordelroos veroorzaken.

Verschijnselen:
In het begin lichte koorts, hoesten en hoofdpijn. Na een paar dagen verschijnen er rode bultjes, waarop na zes tot twaalf uur blaasjes ontstaan die erg kunnen jeuken. De blaasjes gaan open of drogen in, er ontstaan korstjes die er na enige tijd afvallen. Waterpokken zitten vooral op de romp, het gezicht, tussen de haren en in de mond. Door krabben kan een huidinfectie ontstaan.

Wel of niet zwemmen?
Waterpokken is besmettelijk vanaf een dag vóór het ontstaan van blaasjes totdat alle blaasjes zijn ingedroogd. Niet zwemmen vanwege besmettingsgevaar is niet zinvol omdat de besmetting vaak al heeft plaatsgevonden voordat de ziekte zich openbaart. Wij raden zwemmen tijdens de acute fase (blaasjes zijn open) af. Maar als alle blaasjes zijn ingedroogd en het kind graag wil gaan zwemmen, kan dat zonder probleem.

Waterwratten
Waterwratten wordt veroorzaakt door een virus. Het is een goedaardige huidaandoening die vaak bij kleuters en peuters voorkomt. Waterwratten verdwijnen meestal vanzelf binnen 6 tot 18 maanden. Daarna is het kind immuun voor waterwratten

Verschijnselen:

• Het zijn kleine, erwtgrote, parelglanzende bultjes. In het midden zit een deukje.
• Ze kunnen zich verspreiden van de romp naar de armen en benen.

Wel of niet zwemmen?
Het kind mag zwemmen maar moet contact vermijden met andere kinderen in de les.

You can coordinate with the swimming instructor if and when a chlorine glasses may be used during the lessons. Swimming goggles are not permitted during diploma swimming (except for the chest and back crawl). The reason? If your child unexpectedly ends up in the water, he / she does not wear swimming goggles and your child must be able to cope.

Are you unexpectedly unable to attend swimming lessons? Then you can simply notify the instructor here.

Different requirements apply to each diploma.

No, only with the National Swimming Diploma A, B and C is your child really prepared for life-long swimming pleasure. With the arrival of water parks with wild water slides and many new forms of recreation in, on and near the water, children need different skills than before. Children learn these other skills especially during the lessons that prepare for the swimming diploma C. Unlike before, when there were only diplomas A and B, children really need diploma C. This is the National Swimming Safety Standard.

The objective of dressed swimming is to simulate a realistic situation in which a child can end up. This ensures that children do not panic when this situation actually occurs. If you wear clothing, it sticks to the skin. A child can panic if he / she is not used to it. A child who accidentally ends up in the water, wears normal daily clothes and no swimsuits. That is why, during diploma swimming, it is tested whether a child can save itself dressed.