Family: Perth's Leisure Pool has something for water babies of any age

I think I must have given birth to mermaids. My two appear to be at their happiest in water. One of our favourite watering holes is Perth Leisure Pool as granny Evelyn lives nearby.

There is free parking and a great outdoor playground which we never seem to be able to pass by. We try to limit it to an essential quick scamper on our way back to the car.

Once we make it inside, we like to check out how the fish in the tank in the wall are getting on before we gallop down the spiral stairs to the mixed changing room. A great plus point about the pool is under fives get in for free and there are reasonable family tickets available.

However, my only bugbear is the changing cabins and lockers are tiny. It is hard enough to take kids swimming without having to imitate Harry Houdini in an attempt to get into your swimmers. However, the impossibly cheerful yellow partitions restore me to a good mood as they remind me of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine.

Then you head to the pools. There are six in total, for various abilities and levels of water confidence.

There is the shallow area, with a Monkey Jungle theme for the tinies. It has a slide and a crocodile and water jets plus a huge pumpkin thing that fills up and dumps water on your head.

Hope loves ducking under the water in the Kiddies Lagoon and diving for imaginary treasure. She never tires of whooshing down the slide.

As big sister Eve is a confident swimmer, there is a tidal circuit of wild water that keeps her amused. It is switched on and off at regular intervals and has various water jets and waterfalls to discover.

Eve also loves heading off to the bubble beds and relaxing. Her favourite area is the outdoor pool, and no matter what the weather, we have to make the pilgrimage.

She always giggles as I feel the cold and she makes me come with her; I have even been dragged outside in the snow. Brrr. If wet and wild isn't your thing, there are also a couple of more traditional swimming pools for lane swimming which you can easily escape to.

Finally there are two flumes which both the girls love. Their favourite is the fast one, the scarier the better. Once we have all turned into wrinkly prunes and have had enough, we head off to the cafe and then have a go on every plaything in the park.

Perth Leisure Pool, tel: 01738 492431/01738 492421, visit www.liveactive.co.uk

Prices: adult 4.40, junior 3.40, family swim from 12.20

This article was first published in The Scotsman, 05 February, 2011