Um, with all due respect, colds and flus are caused by viruses and not swimming pools or wet hair.

Your child is more likely to get sick (and has done so) from being in Child care as all the kids are in such close quaters, the swimming lessons are small groups and the babies cannot really interact with each other because they cannot crawl all over and share spit on toys the way they do on land.

If you were seriously worried about bub getting bugs then I'd pull him from the Child care centre rather than not take him swimming. But thats just my opinion on the matter I just wanted to clear up any misconception that swimming in winter causes colds and flu. I want to slap people when they tell me I shouldn't go out with wet hair coz I might catch a cold ... its nonsense!

Our swimming place charges us $10 a week. This inclused weekly lessons and access as amny times to the pool as we want. We have missed out on classes because I have been sick or DD has slept in but in all honesty I take her on another day so she still has some water time.
In the classes they teach them to blow bubbles, kick their legs, return to the side of the pool, jump into the water, go under water and lay back on their back (like floating) its a 30 min class and they really rush through the activities so I spend an extra hour with DD reinforcing the activities through play.

I didn't start DD until this year so she was 14 months. Mainly because I didn't think she would take to it but gosh you should hear the commotion when it comes to "get out of the pool" time