Oh mamma, I wanna go swimming!

We've been all under the (crap) weather at home, so some blog silence ensued. First it was Bibu and me with flu, and last week baby Pingu got croup first and then a bout of conjunctivitis. Fun............it was not. Anyway, the spring is slowly rearing its pretty head and with the sunny days coming along, I started thinking about sports.

A while ago, when Bibu turned 4, I started thinking which"organised" sport should he start with and I instinctively steared towards swimming. His school is quite close to Watermael-Boitsfort's communal swimming pool Calypso 2000, which is part of the Trois Tileuls/ Drie Linden sport complex (where you can also play tennis, basketball, rugby and fencing) so there we went.

The entrance looks like this:

Yes! There is a parking! Yee-ha!

Swimming lessons for kids are held mostly in the "Petit Bassin" (small pool), which is in a rather ancient buidling behind the main building. The swimming pool at the Petit Bassin is about 1 mt deep, so perfect for small swimmers. The water is also warmer than in the main building. The dressing rooms are a bit ancient as well, but overall clean and warm (quite important during winter months)

The cost for each level  (10 lessons, 1 time per week) is 50 EUR. Children can start as of 4 years old and there are classes every day of the week, except Sundays. Of course, Wednesdays and Saturdays fill up quickly, so bear that in mind. Every 10 weeks, a new cycle starts, so ask when is the next one starting.

In addition to the swimming lesson at the Petit Bassin, if what you want is just go for a swim with your kid, the main building (the one you see on the photo above) houses an olympic size swimming pool and two small pools for kids: one for babies (water up to a toddler's knee and very warm) and one slightly deeper for kids of up to 5 years old. Prices to access the main building start at 1.2 EUR for children up to 4 years and 2.9 for adults who live in Watermael Boitsfort.

Also in the main building, there is a course for babies (bébé nageur) on Sunday mornings. This I did not try it myself yet, but will maybe take Pingu.

And now, the "piece the resistance" of Calypso 2000 and something that amuses me no end. Just by the reception of the main building, next to the cafe entrance, there is a vending machine for........... swimsuits! Yes, imagine that you've suddenly decided to pop into the pool but, oh, no! you've forgotten your trunks! No problem, just put a few coins (or your banking card, even better) into this bad boy and you can get adult and kid-size trunks or swimsuits, googles and even silicone hats. My hat to that!

DOD: Great clothes at great prices

When I think about kids clothes, especially boys, I know they have to be nice but also have to be also great quality and stand the wear and tear of two active little fellows. On the other hand, I don't want to spend a fortune dressing my kids.

DOD Junior in Avenue Louise

DOD is one of those shops I go time and time again. It's not only a kids' clothes paradise, but also caters women and men's fashion. I think it only exists in Brussels, and, since I've become a Bruselaar, it's one of those places you need to visit. There are few shops dotted around the Madou Tower area (metro Madou) and one in the Bascule neighbourhood, but the ones I go to most often are in the Rue de Bailli area, in Ixelles (tram 94, stop Rue de Bailli). The women, men's and 6 to 16 year old shops are located in Rue de Bailli itself, while the babies, toddlers and kids up to 6 years is around the corner, on Avenue Louise (a few metres from the Michael Collins Irish Pub)

What is the secret? Well, you can find a huge variety of clothes and footwear of well known, good quality brands, for a fraction of the price you pay elsewere. Some of the brands in the baby shop include Noukie, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Chevignon, Okaidi, IKKS, Geoxx shoes, etc.

I believe the way they work is that they stock clothes from a couple of season's ago. It does not really bother me because, hello, who cares about following the latest trends in kids fashion? A body (onesie/ romper) is a body and a sweater is a sweater. Over the years I have bought tons of clothes and shoes for Bibu and Pingu in DOD Junior and I have always been very happy with the quality and with the price, of course. Just as an example, last year, my mother in law bought Bibu a very nice pair of sneakers from Geoxx in a shoe shop close to their home. They paid something like 70 EUR, which is I think an average price for kids sport shoes. A few months later, I saw similar Geoxx shoes in the DOD for less than half the price, and it was not during the sales, just their regular price. Also, more recently, I bought a lovely light sweater from IKKS, for a 6-month old baby at 14 EUR.

So, cannot recommend the place enough. For me it really ticks many boxes.

The only drawback from DOD, and one you have to bear in mind, is that they do not make exhanges under any circumstances. Once you have paid for the item, it's yours........ for all eternity, even if you find out it's too small for your kiddo or he/ she hates it. So, maybe a tricky one to go for presents, unless you know the size of the kid perfectly well. The same applies for shoes, so make sure they try them properly before leaving the place.

Another point to bear in mind when shopping in the DOD Junior in Avenue Louise is that the shop has just enough place to manouver a pram/ stroller. The babies clothes up to 3 years is on the groundfloor, but for older kids, up to 6 years old, you need to go upstairs and there is no elevator, so not really recommended if you want to go shopping for your baby and older kids at the same time (unless you are accompanied by someone who can mind the baby in the stroller while you go upstairs). Same happens in the DOD Junior in Bascule.